Tuttosport: Derby winner and more to come – Gabbia blossoms into potential Milan leader | OneFootball

Matteo Gabbia’s winning goal in the derby against Inter has elevated him to hero status among the AC Milan fans, and his rise could soon be recognised by his club and his country too.

As Tuttosport (via MilanNews) report, Gabbia’s late header in the derby against Inter that gave Milan the victory after six consecutive defeats against the Nerazzurri and it has already become iconic as a result on social media and beyond.

It is also the crowning moment of a player who has grown dramatically in the last year and today is a candidate to be one of the leaders in the years to come. His loan spell to Villarreal last season was cut short by six months and he returned to help a department in emergency.

For the last nine months the 24-year-old has undoubtedly been the most consistent defender in the squad, so much so that Stefano Pioli counted on him a lot. Paulo Fonseca trusted him from minute one against Venezia and Inter with the result being two wins and just one goal conceded.

This ‘new version of Matteo Gabbia’ is mature enough to become the leader of Milan and this process is already clearly underway, with the fans appreciating the fact that he embodies ‘Milanismo’ given he grew up a fan of the club.

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It is likely that the doors to Luciano Spalletti’s Italy national team will also open given the coach was present at San Siro the other evening. For now Gabbia says that the idea of playing for the Azzurri is a dream and that his priority is Milan, but the facts say that the national team needs a right-footed centre-back.

At 24 years old, his maturation is happening before our eyes and Gabbia could reveal himself to be an important resource for both Milan and Italy. In the meantime, his contract renewal is also approaching.