Juventus midfielder Fabio Miretti admits to being surprised by his first senior Italy call, revealing he takes inspiration from Claudio Marchisio, Pavel Nedved and Kevin de Bruyne.
The talent turned 19 in August and has made the most of the recent injury crisis at Juve to become a regular in the starting XI under Max Allegri.
That also earned him a promotion from the Under-21 Italy side to the senior squad for the friendly games against Albania and Austria.
“I didn’t know about the call-up, so I only realised it when I read my name and then messages started coming in,” Miretti told the official Azzurri YouTube channel.
“It’s very satisfying. If I had to be an Italy player of the past, I think it would be Marchisio, for the career path he had. He also gave me the Golden Boy award and it was an honour to receive it from him, such a reference point for young players.”
There are others who inspired Miretti in his development and when growing up watching the sport.
“As a kid, my idol was Nedved, but now my reference point is De Bruyne, for the way he plays and moves. I really like him. De Bruyne has the best vision and a really good shot from distance too.”
Miretti has made 18 senior appearances for Juventus so far this season, contributing one assist.
hope you get enough minutes to achieve your talent
as our history of youth is the opposite, due to not playing any youth