5 biggest hidden talents in Italian football
Having faded away from the top of the FIFA rankings in recent years, Italy’s national team and Italian football are currently reinventing themselves. The sole focus is on producing the kind of youngsters who could be well prepared for the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup.
And with that in mind, training academies across the country are refining fine youngsters and turning them into rough diamonds. With time and influence, they’ll shine. Right now, however, they’re still the raw products who make the occasional mistake and misplace a pass. It’s all well and good, they’re young and they’re supposed to make mistakes.
Some youngsters have started showing us what they’re truly capable of already; more than others, that is. So, here’s looking at five youngsters in the Serie A and Serie B who might not grab the headlines but are talented individuals capable of greatly influencing a game:
#5 Riccardo Orsolini
20-year-old Riccardo Orsolini has already made it to the front pages in recent months thanks to securing a move to Italian champions, Juventus. However, he is still an unknown quantity to most. The Ascoli born native is one of the most exciting young players in all of Italy and his move to Maximillian Allegri’s side confirms it.
Orsolini is an out-and-out winger capable of playing on either side of the field. He loves playing with the ball at his feet with his tricks, his dribbles and his nutmegging. His quick feet, combined with his intelligence to always be available wide-out means Ascoli have really benefited from him: 13th in Serie B and safe from relegation but not that impressive enough to make it into Italy’s top level.
The 20-year-old will join his new teammates only in the summer having gone out back on loan for the last six months of the domestic season. Juventus paid €6 million to acquire his services, a figure that could well turn out to be a bargain in the days to come.