Toloi made his senior Italy debut in March and Matt Santangelo explains what the Atalanta captain can add to the Azzurri squad at the Euros.
Late to the Azzurri party, veteran centre-half Rafael Toloi has quickly crept into the conversation for Roberto Mancini and the potential defensive corps he will bring with him to the European Championships.
Unlike in previous years, where the likes of Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci served as the protective forces of Buffon’s goal, the pool has shrunk a bit, so much that a window of opportunity has opened for outsiders like the 30-year old Toloi to win a job.
Born in Glória d’Oeste, Brazil, the former Roma man represented his home country at the U-20 level. By possessing Italian citizenship, serving as a resident for five years, and never being capped by his home country at the senior level, Toloi became FIFA eligible to switch allegiance to Italy as recently as this past February.
From there, Mancini called him up for FIFA World Cup qualifiers in March where he played the entirety of the Blues 2-0 victory away to Lithuania. Certainly, though, through the number of steady performances he has put in for Gian Piero Gasperini and his Atalanta over the years, it is hard to deny his credibility.
Serving as one of the leading defenders in a three-man backline, the seniority Toloi has earned over 170 appearances for the Bergamo outfit makes him a valuable component to Gasperini, so much that he took over captain duties after the sudden departure of Papu Gomez last January.
Toloi will not dazzle with a sleek pass or chase down attackers in a foot race. He can be of service in 1v1 situations in the box or engage in an aerial encounter. Even if he offers some intangible traits like experience or a veteran presence, it is hard to identify where he stands out amongst front-runners Chiellini, Bonucci, Acerbi and Bastoni.
Although he won’t be a starter, even just being part of the Azzurri team at the European Championships is an honour in and of itself.