“We think he can be a great player in the future”🇧🇷 Roberto Mancini so talk about Simone Pafundi, 16 years old, a soccer player who, since the Udinese youth system, has seen himself projected into the national team in the hands of a fool. Last May, he almost couldn’t believe it when he was told that he had been called up for an internship at Azzurro. The coach’s call sent a shiver down his spine, made him aware that he was on the right path, but there was still a long way to go.
However, the boy born in Monfalcone to parents who emigrated from the South to the North is a little used to moving on. If he only played a few minutes against Albania or Austria, he would be the youngest debutant released by the current coach (for now the ‘primacy’ belongs to Gnonto) and also the first of 2006 to play for Azzurro. Ironically, he was born in the year of the last World Cup won by Italy. As they say… it’s not true, but I believe.
“I summoned him because we’ve followed him for years”added Mancini during the press conference in which he outlined the future and gave meaning to Italy’s next two friendlies between Wednesday and Sunday. “We have matches to play to see and evaluate…”a clear sign in view of the month of March (when the qualifiers for Euro 2024 will begin) and the next path that should lead (finally) to the World Cup after two consecutive defeats.
That’s why the recruiter leaves no stone unturned and broadens his horizons to those who may represent a resource for the not-so-distant future. This time it’s up to Pafundi to breathe some of the big air. It happened to him at the age of 8, when he played with the 10-year-old boys at Unione Fincantieri Monfalcone. He did it in black and white, when (at the time Cioffi was still there) he was catapulted from Primavera to Serie A, making his debut last season in the game against Salernitana (about twenty minutes and a few stoppage time at Arechi , in support to the 0-4 that startled the grenades). A few months earlier he had also signed his first professional contract and it seemed to him that he was touching the sky with a finger.
“We have seen great qualities from the Under teams, we think he can be a great player in the future – said the coach -. We had already called him for an internship in June and we had good feelings”🇧🇷 As evidence that confidence exists in him, there is one further consideration. “For the Pafundi it’s a bit like for Zaniolo… when he first came to us nobody knew him and in three months he became a talented player”.
Five games and 4 goals for the Under-17s are the calling card of the boy who, despite his stature (1.66m), has a heart the same size, two strong shoulders and enough talent to convince coach Corradi (former -soccer player), to give him a chance even though he is 14 years old. It turned out that in the 3 qualifying matches for the next European Championship he scored twice against Kosovo, scored goals and provided assists against Finland and Greece. For Mancini it must have seemed like a light in the darkness of these gray and bitter times.
What is Pafundi’s role? As an attacking midfielder, but can also play on the wing. He shoots with his left foot, has a low center of gravity and good dribbling. The opponent faces him his way: he waits for him to arrive and… hello, burns him with one of his shots or a quick touch on the ball because he likes the ball to travel fast. Best if glued to the foot.
Source: Fan Page IT
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
