After having tailed off in recent years when it comes to producing exciting young players, Italy now back on the gravy train. A host of their young stars are serving cubs in the domestic leagues with much aplomb with much interest growing in the Premier League and other financially strong leagues.
With the kind of talent coming through, it’s about time their national team started benefiting, too. But for Italy to competitively challenge some of the big boys in the UEFA European Championships and the FIFA World Cup, they’re going to need some of the following stars to step it up another notch.
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Here are five of the most talented and valuable young talents coming out of Italy: (Under-23 only)
#5 Gianluigi Donnarumma – €20 million
Hailed as the inheritor of Gianluigi Buffon’s infamous Italian goalkeeping crown, 17-year-old Gianluigi Donnarumma has more to the throne than just the first name. The AC Milan keeper is easily one of the best young keepers in the world at the moment and is proving it with his performances on the pitch.
The teenager is being hounded by some of the biggest clubs in Europe with Real Madrid and Barcelona fighting for the red carpet. Yet, he remains humble and in search of the kind of opportunities that will better his game faster than it’ll better his bank balance.
Donnarumma is valued at around €20 million in the market but given his age and potential, AC Milan could ask anywhere in between €35 million and €45 million should clubs come in for him in the summer. His contract runs out at the end of next season and he’s yet to agree on a contract extension.
#4 Domenico Berardi – €20 million
Berardi is definitely one of those players you should buy on FIFA 17 because it accurately depicts the kind of talent he is in reality. The 21-year-old is a Sassuolo player but the club has confirmed that he’ll rejoin Juventus in the summer of 2017 – as was agreed upon when the Turin club sold him there in 2015.
The youngster is one of those exciting wingers you wish your team had. He’s like an Alexis Sanchez but Italian or a Marco Reus but with less-stylish hair and Italian. He can score goals, can create chances from the wings whilst also having the ability to do what Steph Curry seems to love doing: breaking ankles. Not literally, of course.
But Berardi’s biggest strength is his composure in tight spaces and ability to tuck away chances when presented. In the 9 games he’s played for the Serie A this season, Berardi has scored 7 goals and has recorded 3 assists which is more 1 goal or assist per game – a stat comparable to only the elite in the game.
#3 Andrea Belotti – €20 million
Remember two-three seasons ago when Tottenham Hotspurs fielded Harry Kane and no one – except Arsenal fans – had heard of him? And remember how it’s turned out for them since? That’s the story of Andrea Belotti in Italy - only that it happened at the start of this season.
The 23-year-old striker is now one of Europe’s most sought-after player. Why? Because he’s a striker, he can score goals, he’s young and he’s got the athletic ability to mix it with the very best in years to come.
This season, the Torino forward has scored a mind-blowing 16 goals and has contributed 4 assists in the 21 games he’s played. Playing for a Turin club that isn’t “ the” Turin club and scoring like he is, is an achievement in itself. A move across town or to one of Europe’s giants is excepted in the summer. €50 million or so is the touted price.
#2 Federico Bernardeschi – €24 million
Admit it, you hadn’t heard of Federico Bernardeschi until you got that scout report in one of the more recent FIFA games. The Fiorentina forward is slowly chipping away from the mediocre and establishing himself as one of the hidden gems of the Serie A.
And given he’s only 22 has the kind of career ahead of him that could make Italians drool. Bernardeschi is a right-winger with the confidence that lets him make a fool of defenders in the Italian league. I’m going to stress on that last part: he makes a fool of defenders in the Italian league.
The cheek. And with 11 goals and 3 assists in 21 games, he’s proving to be a real thorn in the side of the big boys challenging for the title. While his side is still in 8th, he has the kind fo ability to ensure they finish the league in a much stronger position.
#1 Alessio Romagnoli – €25 million
Antonio Conte was so desperate to sign this 22-year-old centre-back in the summer that AC Milan actually took to Twitter – a public platform not generally used to deal with transfer rumours – shushing the chances of Chelsea signing him.
Romagnoli is the future; he’s the defender that the Italians want at the back of the pack. He’s strong, he’s tall, he holds the ball well and has the athleticism to challenge forwards in what they do. Yet you get the feeling that he’d even more impressive – more so than a John Stones – if he played with a stable back four and a line of world-class midfielders.
You can argue saying that's anyone's dream but not many deserve it than Romagnoli. He’s currently valued at €25 million in the market – the most for any under-23 Italian – but should AC Milan decide to sell him could go for as high as €50 million given his contract runs out only at the end of the 2019-2020 season.
