There is much concern regarding the quality of Luciano Spalletti’s Italy squad heading into Euro 2024, but Gianluca Scamacca has the chance to be the hero needed to take the nation to dreamland.
The Azzurri are only days away from kicking off their campaign at the European Championship in Germany, where they’ll face an incredibly tough Group B, matching up against Spain, Croatia and Albania.
Whilst there is the usual hope amongst supporters, many Italy fans have been quick to express their concerns and doubts regarding the team’s chances at the tournament, with the squad generally lacking any standout stars and having less experience than many of their rivals in Germany.
At the European Championship, one player in particular has a point to prove and could ultimately become a decisive figure for the Azzurri – Scamacca. With a recent history of lacking a reliable goalscorer, the Atalanta striker has the chance to write himself into the nation’s history books at Euro 2024.
Can Scamacca be the hero?
Scamacca finds himself in a strange spot heading into the European Championship, being Italy’s number nine in a time where that’s been more of a curse than a blessing. Looking into the recent past, it’s not hard to see why.
The Azzurri’s last two major tournaments – Euro 2020 and the previous edition in 2016 – saw Ciro Immobile and Graziano Pelle don the shirt, trying to be the leading man for the national team. Both failed to inspire much of note, not looking dangerous in front of goal and not having any elements of a talismanic striker.
Painfully, it’s been 12 years since a centre forward made Italy dream, Mario Balotelli at Euro 2012. His brace against Germany in the semi-final is a defining moment of the modern Azzurri history and it’s a moment that hasn’t been replicated since, even if Federico Chiesa showed flashes of true brilliance three years ago.
Now, just days away from the tournament in Germany, Scamacca finds himself following in their footsteps. Things could finally be different this time, even if he’s only netted one goal across 16 caps for the national team since his debut in September 2021.
At 25, the striker has already started to pick up some important experience, spending time in the Netherlands before breaking through in a once-exciting Sassuolo squad, which earnt him a circa €28m move to West Ham in 2022.
Whilst he only spent a single season in the Premier League, Scamacca still did fairly well, picking up eight goals across 27 games, giving him a taste of a more intense, physically minded football. His return to Italy has shown this growth.
The 25-year-old striker played a key role in Atalanta’s successes in the 2023-24 campaign, managing 19 goals and eight assists in 44 games across Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Europa League. His work essentially forced his inclusion in the Azzurri squad, even if he’s been defined as ‘lazy’ in the past.
The fact of the matter is, Italy need a figure to rally around at Euro 2024, they need a player to stand out, pick up the squad and drive them to victory. Group B will prove incredibly tough and there’s every chance the team crash out at the first hurdle, so Scamacca has the opportunity to take on that number nine shirt and make it his own, a chance he can ill afford to waste.
Words: Apollo Heyes