Discarded by Juventus and given the cold shoulder by Inter, Leonardo Spinazzola has faced plenty of adversity in his career. As Owen Diana writes, those disappointments set the 28-year-old on his way to the top.
In a tournament filled with feel-good stories so far for Italy, Leonardo Spinazzola’s swift ascent to international stardom stands out. The Roma defender has been a key cog in Roberto Mancini’s well-oiled machine, but such success did not seem on the cards for long stretches of what has been a peripatetic career.
After joining Juventus in 2012 from Siena’s academy, the buccaneering left-back was sent on a whopping seven loan spells with six different sides. The 28-year-old had to wait until January 2019 to make his debut with the Old Lady’s first team, and just six months and 11 appearances later, he was sold to the Giallorossi for €29.5m.
Incredibly, Juve are not the only Italian giant to have snubbed Spinazzola. Inter were poised to acquire the Azzurri ace in January 2020 as part of a swap involving Matteo Politano, but the deal collapsed after the Milan club, motivated by doubts over the player’s fitness, tried to change the conditions of the arrangement.
The Nerazzurri have since been made to regret that last-minute about-face. Spinazzola starred this past season in the Eternal City, with two goals and eight assists in 39 appearances. His sterling showings were a bright spot in a challenging campaign for the capital club, who dearly missed his all-action presence in the second half of their Europa League thrashing at Old Trafford.
La Lupa’s number 37 was forced off early in Manchester with a flexor complaint, and he spent more than a month on the treatment table before reappearing in a pre-Euro friendly against the Czech Republic, just a week before the beginning of the tournament. However, he’s come out of the infirmary in fine form, picking up Man of the Match awards in the opener against Turkey and Saturday’s extra-time win over Austria.
The Foligno flyer is the fastest player in the tournament so far, with a maximum velocity of 33.8 km/h, and his rise to prominence has been similarly speedy. Real Madrid, Barcelona and PSG are reportedly interested in the Italian, while it seems just a matter of time before the Premier League’s big boys start sniffing around.
Roma could extract a pretty penny if they choose to sell, but Jose Mourinho will surely fight tooth and nail to keep such a prized asset. This summer, there will be plenty of time to discuss Spinazzola’s future, but for now, the focus is firmly on silverware with his country.
A first European Championship title since 1968 is within reach, but a brilliant Belgium outfit must be swept aside at Munich’s Allianz Arena in order to keep that dream alive. The Red Devils have won all four of their games on their march to the quarterfinals, with Sunday’s narrow victory over reigning champions Portugal a statement result.
Thibaut Courtois was terrific in that triumph, while Romelu Lukaku has carried his stunning Serie A form into this summer’s showpiece. Spinazzola and “Big Rom” could have been teammates at Inter, but the Umbrian has not needed the Nerazzurri to culminate his climb to world-class consideration. Another decisive display on Friday would be further proof of just how far the 28-year-old has come.