A look back at the Italy side that fell just short in the 2013 European Under-21 Championship Final against Spain.
Words: Gregory Caltabanis
A look back at the Italy side that fell just short in the 2013 European Under-21 Championship Final against Spain.
Words: Gregory Caltabanis
Every four years, football fans are blessed with the unique opportunity of seeing the sport’s top-end talents duke it out at the Under-21 Euros. Some go on to great things while others fizzle out, but the tournament has never failed to deliver captivating moments. Four years ago, Italy lost the Final to a supremely talented Spain side that featured Alvaro Morata, Thiago Alcantara and Isco. Fast forward to today and a lot of those players have established themselves as regulars for their club sides and the senior national team.
The former Pescara trio of Marco Verratti, Lorenzo Insigne and Ciro Immobile stand out from that side. After tearing up Serie B under Zdenek Zeman, Verratti was subject to interest from a number of Europe’s top clubs and eventually signed for Paris Saint-Germain. With PSG, the diminutive playmaker developed into one of the best midfielders in the world, all while gaining invaluable experience in the Champions League. Immobile, on the other hand, followed a different path.
After the Under-21 Euros, the striker joined Torino and had a breakout year, scoring 22 goals in 33 appearances. His good form prompted Borussia Dortmund to sign him, but it didn’t quite work out. Following an indifferent spell with Sevilla, he returned to Italy and soon began finding the back of the net with regularity again. Just last year, Immobile joined Lazio and is now crucial for senior Italy Coach – and his ex-Toro boss – Giampiero Ventura.
Insigne is another player who stole the headlines at the Under-21 Euros. Having been born in Frattamaggiore, 15km north from Naples, it was a no-brainer for the Partenopei to recall him from his loan spell and thrust him into a key role after Ezequiel Lavezzi’s departure. Insigne has since gone on to become a regular for both Napoli and Italy and is arguably the Nazionale’s most dangerous player in the final third. Much like Insigne, Alessandro Florenzi got consistent minutes at his hometown club with Roma after the tournament and was regularly getting into Italy’s senior set-up. However, a string of knee injuries shed some uncertainty on to his future.
Manolo Gabbiadini and Nicola Sansone complete the list of achievers from that squad. While Gabbiadini’s career at Napoli never quite took off, the former Sampdoria man is now in the national squad and was scoring goals for fun at Southampton last season. Sansone never got the chance to showcase his ability at a top club, but was a consistent force on the left of Eusebio Di Francesco’s 4-3-3 system at Sassuolo. After impressing in the 2015-2016 season, Sansone earned a move to Villarreal and has not disappointed.
The likes of Alberto Paloschi, Riccardo Saponara, Vasco Regini, Marco Capuano and Mattia Destro have all carved out respectable careers in Italy with largely mid-table sides, even if their time with the national team appears to have ended. Giulio Donati and Luca Caldirola followed a different path and took their talents to Germany with Bayer Leverkusen and Werder Bremen respectively. Neither truly took the next step in their careers and have yet to earn their senior caps.
As it is often the case, some talents don’t live up to their billing. Fabio Borini is one of these players. After putting together a decent tournament in which he scored in the semi-finals and the Final, Borini was loaned out to Sunderland. He failed to achieve any form of consistency and quickly returned to Liverpool. Unfortunately for him, it would be much of the same with the Reds and left after just one season with them. Borini would return to Sunderland and now looks set to be plying his trade in the English Championship following their relegation.
Andrea Bertolacci is in a similar situation. After a strong showing at the Under-21 Euros, the midfielder remained at Genoa, earning a €20m transfer to Milan, but injuries and poor form saw him make little impact. With a slew of midfield additions incoming, Bertolacci now finds himself on the outskirts of the first team.
Two Juventus-owned talents, Luca Marrone and Nicola Leali, have also failed to deliver on their promise and have bounced around from club to club. While Leali is currently playing for Olympiacos, the goalkeeper has been far from convincing between the sticks. Marrone had shown glimpses of his talent with Hellas Verona, but has since gone quiet in Belgium at Zulte Waregem. It’s only a matter of time before the Bianconeri release both from their books.
Similarly, Francesco Bardi hasn’t been given a shot at Inter and has been loaned to four different teams since being Italy’s starter at the U21 Euros. With Samir Handanovic getting older, it remains to be seen whether the Nerazzurri have any intention of recalling him to their first team.
In whose footsteps will the current crop of Azzurrini follow?