Originally posted on April 4th, 2013 on Soccer Newsday
This week, we take a look at 5 future stars under the age of 22. Much has been written of some of the young Italian stars, such as Mario Balotelli (22 years old), Leonardo Bonucci (25), Angelo Ogbonna (24), Salvatore Sirigu (25), Mattia Destro (22) and Ciro Immobile (23). But there is much talent with some of the even younger Italians footballers. Here are 5 to watch out for.
Mattia De Sciglio
Born: Oct. 20, 1992 (age 20) – Position: Fullback – Club: AC Milan
Mattia De Sciglio is a native of Milan, and has been a part of AC Milan’s youth system since the age of 10. The right footed defender has shown great poise for such a young player, and has found his way to the starting lineup for the rossoneri, displacing veteran Ignazio Abate.
Not only has De Sciglio shown great defensive ability, but he has great confidence going into attack since his speed allows him to beat defenders and get crosses into the box. Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri has shown great assurance in his defender, playing him in every position on the defensive line, as well as an offensive wing back position.
He made his debut for the Azzurri last month in a friendly against Brazil, and played the full 90 minutes in the World Cup Qualifier versus Malta.
In that game, he showcased his offensive skill by making a brilliant run down the left side, showing great control to bring down a long ball, beating the Maltese defender and cutting back a nifty pass for Mario Balotelli to pop it into the back of the net.
With this skill, both in attack and on the defensive end, Milan may have found the next Paolo Maldini.
Manolo Gabbiadini
Born: Nov. 26, 1991 (age 21) – Position: Striker – Club: Juventus (on loan at Bologna)
Manolo Gabbiadini is a talented striker, currently on loan to Bologna from Juventus. Gabbiadini made his Serie A debut in 2010 at 18 years old while playing with Atalanta after spending time in their youth system. Being quite tall, he is a major aerial threat, however his ability to move well off the ball allows him to find space and help his teams in a counter attack. He has a wicked left foot, and is known for his perfectly-placed shots on net.
He started the season playing mainly as a substitute for Bologna, making an appearance in 6 of the team’s first 8 games. But a warning from Juventus was sent to Bologna’s management to play him or lose him in the January transfer window.
Since that time, he has started 15 of 22 games, playing 4 games from the bench and missing just 3 contests completely – 1 for a yellow card suspension and 2 more for an injury. So far, he has scored 5 goals this season for Bologna, and has shown some versatility in playing on the left and right wings, as well as his more natural striker position.
Lorenzo Insigne
Born: June 4, 1991 (age 21) – Position: Striker – Club: Napoli
One of the better young Italian forwards is Insigne. The Napoli man has been a regular for Walter Mazzarri’s squad, starting 14 games and being substituted in the other 16 games the team has played in Serie A this season. He managed only 4 goals so far this season, after scoring almost 20 goals in each of the last 2 seasons on loan.
In 2010/11 while at Foggia, he started every game except 1, and scored 19 goals, including a hat trick and a trio of 2-goal games. In 2011-12 at Pescara, Insigne scored 18 goals while starting in every game he played in. The impressive stat of those 37 goals is that only 1 came from the penalty spot.
A Napoli native, and product of their youth team, he made his debut for the Azzurri in 2012, impressing upon manager Cesere Prandelli.
“He is a modern attacking player, actually the prototype of a modern attacking player,” the Italy coach told Il Corriere dello Sport. With a compliment like that, the diminutive forward is likely to have a bright future, both in dark blue and light blue.
Nicola Leali
Born: Feb. 17, 1993 (age 20) – Position: Goalkeeper – Club: Juventus (on loan at Virtus Lanciano)
Nicola Leali is a promising young goalkeeper, with a ton of talent. He has great reflexes, and can make some fantastic reaction stops. With his height, he is very good in the air, and has great command of the penalty area. He started his senior team career at Bresica in 2011, after spending 8 years in the club’s youth system, and was sold to Juventus for €3.8 million in July 2012 as a possible heir to Gianluigi Buffon.
In order to get him playing experience, Juve loaned Leali out to Serie B side Lanciano, where he has made 29 starts and conceded 39 goals, including 5 shutouts. While he will likely remain on loan for some time, Juventus will be keen to ensure that he consistently starting to ensure he fully develops the talent that he has shown in the lower leagues.
Marco Verratti
Born: Nov. 5, 1992 (age 20) – Position: Midfielder – Club: PSG
Much has been written about Verratti, most of it due to his transfer over the summer to French giants Paris Saint-Germain. A product of the Pescara youth system, he played with the senior squad for 2 seasons prior to his €12 million switch to PSG.
A deep-lying and gifted playmaker, he is often considered the next “Andrea Pirlo”, however Verratti has shown he is living up to the label at PSG. While he never played in Serie A, he has taken to Ligue 1 quite well, starting in 18 of 30 games, and coming off the bench 4 times.
Verratti plays the game with a lot of tenacity, which sometimes boards on a lack a discipline, and he is prone to take yellow cards. Last season at Pescara, he was suspended 3 times for card accumulation, and has so far received 9 yellow cards in 22 Ligue 1 matches.
However, it is this tenacity that also gives him a bit of an edge, as he is quite confident on the ball, performs some wonderful runs and is not afraid to challenge players with good tackles.
Verratti has made an incredible transition for a young player, last year starting in Serie B while this year playing in the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals against Barcelona.
Bonus: Stefan El Shaarwy
Born: October 27, 1992 (age 20) – Position: Forward – Club: Milan
Shaarwy is hardly a “future” star. He is a star now. The son of an Egyptian father and Italian mother, the former Genoa youth team product made his Serie A debut in 2008 at the age of 16, becoming the 4th youngest player in league history.
He was loaned out to Serie B side Padova for the 2010-11 season, where he received the Serie B Player of the Year award. After that season, he was transferred to Milan for €15.5 million, and quickly became a fan favourite by scoring the tying goal against Udinese in his second appearance for the team.
While mainly used as a substitute his first season, his second season at Milan has been a breakout year in finding the back of the net. Currently second in scoring in Serie A, Il Falcone has 16 goals (0 from PKs), trailing only Edison Cavani (22 goals, 5 on PKs).
He is a speedy forward, has great technical skill and looks like he has the ball glued to his boots when dribbling. He has the ability to take long strikes and is a threat to score from anywhere around the penalty area. Along with Balotelli, Milan look to have its forward partnership set for a long time.
