Italy’s 24-player team for the upcoming friendlies is getting lots of attention, with fans all saying the same thing.
Italy’s interim coach, Silvio Baldini, has put together a fresh 24-player squad for the upcoming friendly matches against Luxembourg and Greece. This comes after the national team, the Azzurri, sadly missed out on qualifying for the World Cup once again.
Italy, a four-time World Cup winner, didn’t make it to the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, becoming the first former champions to miss three World Cups in a row. Their latest miss came after a tough penalty shootout loss to Bosnia-Herzegovina, and shortly after, coach Gennaro Gattuso stepped down.
The team’s struggles are often linked to not giving enough chances to young players and clubs not focusing enough on long-term youth development. Marco Amelia, who won the World Cup with Italy in 2006, said, “We didn’t trust young talents enough, and clubs didn’t plan far ahead.”
Now, two decades later and ahead of these friendlies in June, Baldini is trying something new by bringing in a lot of young talent. The squad’s average age is just 20 and a half years old! Exciting young players like 18-year-old Francesco Camarda are included, along with others like Francesco Pio Esposito and Davide Bartesaghi.
Many players are getting their first chance with the senior team, including Borussia Dortmund’s teen Samuele Inacio. However, some surprises came with Michael Kayode from Brentford being left out. Leading this young group is Italy’s captain, Gianluigi Donnarumma, who has offered to guide the team.
Fans on social media have been chatting about the new squad. Most say they don’t recognize many names, except for Donnarumma. One fan joked, “If you take Donnarumma off, there’s a 99.99% chance you won’t know anyone on this list.” Another said, “Baldini went a bit overboard, but it’s good for the U21 players to get some senior team experience.”
Here’s who made the squad:
**Goalkeepers:** Giovanni Daffara (Avellino), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone)
**Defenders:** Honest Ahanor (Atalanta), Davide Bartesaghi (Milan), Fabio Chiarodia (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Pietro Comuzzo (Fiorentina), Costantino Favasuli (Catanzaro), Filippo Mane (Borussia Dortmund), Marco Palestra (Cagliari), Luca Reggiani (Borussia Dortmund)
**Midfielders:** Matteo Dagasso (Venezia), Giacomo Faticanti (Juventus), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Cher Ndour (Fiorentina), Niccolò Pisilli (Roma), Lorenzo Venturino (Roma)
**Forwards:** Francesco Camarda (Lecce), Luigi Cherubini (Sampdoria), Jeff Ekhator (Genoa), Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter), Seydou Fini (Frosinone), Samuele Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Luca Koleosho (Paris FC)
It’s an exciting time for Italian football as they look to build a bright future with these young stars!