His strike partner Dusan Vlahovic had a penalty saved against Monza and fluffed Juventus’ first chance against Napoli. Only the Leverkusen duo of Alex Grimaldo (seven) and Jeremie Frimpong and Union Berlin’s former Atalanta wing-back Robin Gosens (both four) have scored more goals among defenders than Gatti’s three this season in Europe’s top five domestic leagues.ĭefence is currently Juventus’ best form of attack.įederico Chiesa hasn’t scored for his club since September. Call him Gatti-gol.Ī player from the humblest of origins, whose CV includes little-known clubs Pavarolo, Saluzzo and Verbania, headed the winner against champions Napoli to send Juventus back to the top of Serie A. It’s an unbelievable feeling to score such a big goal.”Īnd last night, he was at it again. “What can I say,” Gatti huffed and puffed, trying to get his breath back after running to the away end. It is one of those moments that could, in retrospect, seem critical if Juventus become champions again in May. In the 94th minute, he popped up and scored a winner. Last Friday, when hosts Monza equalised in stoppage time, it looked like Juventus were going to drop two points. But Gatti is already, if not a symbol of this Juventus team, then a cult hero. It’s probably another construction-yard moment as hard to contemplate now as it was for him to imagine himself having a career in the game at all then. Whether Gatti goes on to have a similar career to Chiellini remains to be seen. But all were sold to bring in money when Cristiano Ronaldo’s contract and the Covid-19 pandemic put Juventus’ finances under strain. Then it was Matthijs de Ligt, and then Merih Demiral. When he showed up at his new club’s training ground for the first time, Gatti’s father Ludovico claims Chiellini welcomed him by saying: “Here’s my heir.” The anointed one was supposed to be Cristian Romero. Juventus struck a deal worth €10million (£8.6m/$10.8m at current exchange rates) and loaned Gatti back to Frosinone for the rest of the 2021-22 season. “Federico is like (Giorgio) Chiellini, with the feet of (Leonardo) Bonucci,” he said. He has not completely come out of nowhere.įrosinone’s sporting director Guido Angelozzi, who boarded that train north with Gatti in January 2022 ostensibly to seal the deal with Torino, had tried to upsell him. Gatti’s ascent has been more measured, less vertigo-inducing. He also played 10 times for Italy, making their squads for Euro 96 and the World Cup two years later. He lifted the UEFA Cup (today’s Europa League) at the end of that first season, the Serie A title three times in four seasons from 1994-95, the Coppa Italia in 19, and the Champions League and Club World Cup in 1996. And it was the stuff of fairytales, because full-back Torricelli won a permanent contract and much, much more. Roberto Baggio, the Ballon d’Or winner, gave Torricelli the nickname Geppetto, after the carpenter in Pinocchio. Giovanni Trapattoni, the Juventus coach at the time, asked him if he’d like to train with his team over the rest of pre-season. Gatti’s story is reminiscent of that of Moreno Torricelli, a joiner in a furniture factory who stood out in a friendly between semi-pro Caratese and Juventus in the summer of 1992. When Roberto Mancini handed him a first cap against England at Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Molineux in June last year, he had still yet to play in Italy’s top division. The 25-year-old centre-back has played at every level amateur, semi-pro, Serie D, C and B. Once Gatti laid down his trowel and gave the concrete mixer a rest, he began rising through the divisions in Italy. It’s not often a player this good emerges from the lower divisions.” “As a club, we have got to improve how we communicate internally. When he showed up outside Nonno’s house, Gatti had just completed a medical with city rivals Juventus. Much to his chagrin, Gatti did not join them.
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