Atlas of the Best Young Italian Centre-Backs | OneFootball

Italian football is going through the deepest crisis in its history. The looming threat of a third consecutive World Cup absence, debates over the responsibilities of the federation’s leadership, the revolving door of controversial and contested coaches, outdated facilities, and training programmes lagging behind our European counterparts have plunged the national team into a spiral of negativity from which it seems impossible to emerge.

A common thread in the general criticism seems to converge on one point: in Italy, we struggle enormously to develop and, above all, to launch talent. Yet there is one school within our football that, even in lean years, never goes out of fashion — one that continues to produce important players and has, in recent years, increasingly attracted the attention of foreign clubs: the school of Italian centre-backs.

The Italian school of centre-backs stands firm in the crisis

Long a hallmark and defining feature of Italian football — so much so that abroad the stereotype persists that our style of play is still based on catenaccio — the production line of defenders is the one least affected by the game’s overall decline. It continues to churn out outstanding prospects, often signed and developed outside of Italy. It’s a phenomenon that’s steadily growing: on one hand, it should sound an alarm (akin to a sporting “brain drain”, with talented youngsters leaving the country in search of greater opportunities for growth and development abroad); on the other, it should serve as an incentive for Italian clubs to give their own prospects the playing time that foreign teams are more than willing to offer them beyond our borders.

Atlas of Italian Young Centre-Backs Born from 01/01/2002

Andrea Natali (2008, Bayer Leverkusen)

Not yet eighteen and already boasting remarkable international experience: first with Milan’s youth academy, then a move to Spain. One year at Espanyol and three in Barcelona’s cantera, where he shared the dressing room with Yamal and Cubarsí. Last summer, he was signed by Bayer Leverkusen after winning the U17 European Championship (played a year below his age group). He is an organised centre-back with excellent positional awareness, timing in challenges, and ball-playing ability — traits highly sought after in modern defenders, and which could be further enhanced by the German side’s playing style. He had already been called up to the first team under Xabi Alonso; with Ten Hag, a coach who made his name at Ajax working closely with young players, this 2008-born footballer — and son of a former pro — may well carve out some chances to debut among the seniors.

Leonardo Noah Bovio (2008, Inter)

Part of Inter’s youth system since 2017, he dreams of making his first-team debut following in the footsteps of Alessandro Bastoni. We saw him in action at the recent U17 European Championships: attentive, quick, decisive, and strong in anticipation, with a particularly refined right foot that allows him to handle the ball calmly during build-up play. Moreover, despite still completing his physical development, he shows great solidity in duels, both in tackles and aerially. He combines personality and aggression with an old-school composure — qualities that suggest future leadership roles. At an Inter side aiming to build around youth, his name will certainly be one to watch for the future.

Giovanni Leoni (2006, Parma)

The most exciting centre-back prospect in Italian football needs little introduction (for a more complete overview, we talked about him in an episode of Cotte). His imposing physicality has allowed him to stand out immediately at senior level: in a one-on-one battle, it’s almost impossible to shake him off (just ask Vlahović and Lukaku). Dominant in the air, strong in the tackle, and focused from first to last whistle without the slightest lapse in concentration. In his debut Serie A season, he has already won over everyone: the feeling is that whichever club secures this bright future talent will have made a huge coup. And in Milan, on both sides of the Naviglio, they are thinking very seriously about it.

Fellipe Jack (2006, Como)

A total of 170 Serie A minutes spread over 7 appearances. Not an eye-catching tally, but still a sign of the trust placed in him by Cesc Fàbregas, who did not hesitate to send him on in moments of emergency or need. A left-footed defender with good pace and confidence on the ball; unsurprisingly, the Como coach has often deployed him on the left flank. Whenever called upon, Jack has always delivered, proving that minutes can be earned when merit and commitment outweigh experience. He can be a very functional rotation option in a team that builds from the back and leaves space behind its defensive line.

Pietro Comuzzo (2005, Fiorentina)

Probably the most seasoned of our young defenders, and certainly the one who has found the most consistency, after a season in which he was a regular starter for long stretches in Serie A and a key figure in Fiorentina’s Conference League campaign (44 appearances in total). A centre-back whose defining trait is his dedication: as we described in the Cotte episode dedicated to him, Comuzzo is a disciplined “soldier” with unwavering focus. Relentless in marking, with excellent positional sense and always solid in duels; whether deployed as a pure central defender or on the side of a back three makes little difference. He still has room to improve in his build-up play, but he can already be considered a highly dependable defender.

Fabio Chiarodia (2005, Borussia Mönchengladbach)

An example of Italian talent nurtured and launched abroad: born in Germany to Italian parents, he came through Werder Bremen’s youth system and chose to represent Italy from the U15s onward. In summer 2023, he moved permanently to Mönchengladbach, where he has yet to secure a regular starting role: 10 appearances in his first season, 17 in the next (only 4 of them starts). He is a versatile centre-back, capable of fitting into both back-four and back-three systems, with excellent reading of the game, strong anticipation, and a good eye for distribution.

Luca Marianucci (2004, Napoli)

One of the most exciting and ready-made prospects to emerge from Empoli’s productive youth academy. A centre-back in both three- and four-man defences, he can also play as a right-sided stopper or even as a defensive midfielder. In the second half of last season, he became a mainstay of the Tuscan side. He boasts excellent timing in challenges, solidity in duels, and discipline in marking, with one of his greatest strengths being his big personality: he does not hesitate to take responsibility for initiating build-up play and carrying the ball forward when needed, without shying away from physical battles with opposing forwards. These qualities convinced reigning champions Napoli to sign him for around €10 million, adding to Antonio Conte’s options at centre-back — a profile the coach is sure to appreciate.

Giorgio Scalvini (2003, Atalanta)

In recent seasons, his regular presence in Atalanta’s defence was no longer news: those in the know had long considered him a certainty for the future of Italian football. Then, fate turned against him: first, an ACL tear in June 2024; then, upon returning between December and January, a double shoulder injury sidelined him again. A series of setbacks kept him off the pitch for nearly the entire season. Needless to say, his return to peak condition is crucial: Scalvini is a national team asset and one of the most outstanding products of our game. A physically imposing, extremely reliable, and versatile centre-back, he already has over 100 appearances for a top side like Atalanta and is still yet to turn 22.

Diego Coppola (2003, Brighton)

The only player to come out with credit from the debacle in Oslo. And that was on his national team debut, tasked with marking Haaland — which says a lot about the state of our game, but also hints at a possible solution. After an excellent season as a regular starter at the heart of Verona’s defence, Coppola was ready for a big move — yet it wasn’t an upper-tier Italian club that stepped forward, but Brighton, who paid over €10 million for the rights to a reliable defender strong in the air, solid in one-on-one situations, with good positional sense and comfortable on the ball. Another clear sign that, despite Italian football’s crisis, foreign clubs still look to our country for defenders — and that we lack the strength (or perhaps the will) to retain and develop our own talents.

Daniele Ghilardi (2003, Roma)

Like Coppola, his teammate in both club and defensive unit, he found great consistency in the second half of the season, regularly deployed on the right side of Zanetti’s back three. A physically well-built, aggressive, and fairly quick centre-back, he is also capable of pushing forward. Recently signed by Roma for €10 million after a series of excellent performances at the current U21 European Championship, he is firmly on the radar as one of the most promising Italian centre-backs. Aggressive and fairly quick defender who can also push forward, he still has room to refine his technique. In the hands of Gasperini — a coach renowned for maximising the qualities of his defenders — he could develop into an exceptional wide centre-back, combining his natural defensive solidity with greater technical sharpness and tactical versatility.

Nicolò Bertola (2003, Udinese)

With his breakout at the start of the season, he caught the spotlight, establishing himself as one of the most interesting centre-backs in Serie B. The consistency he maintained throughout the campaign convinced Udinese to invest in him (the deal appears to be close to completion). A right-footed defender accustomed to playing on the left side of a back three, he compensates for a not-quite-imposing frame (185 cm) with aggression and precise timing in challenges — and still manages to be a threat on set pieces, scoring 3 goals last season. Udinese, with its established tradition in scouting and developing centre-backs, may have pulled off yet another coup.

Giovanni Bonfanti (2003, Atalanta)

A quintessential product of Zingonia’s academy: physically strong, quick, trained to step out aggressively, and dominant in duels. At Pisa, he found decent continuity, making 22 appearances — 20 of them as a starter. Left-footed and used to playing as the left-sided stopper in a back three, he seems ready to try his hand in Serie A, possibly staying on at Arena Garibaldi, where he helped secure promotion to the top flight.

Riccardo Calafiori (2002, Arsenal)

Undoubtedly the most high-profile name on the list, he is the clearest example of how context — and the need to accumulate minutes and experience at senior level — can shape a young player’s development. His loan to Basel marked the turning point: a career plagued by serious injuries had begun as an attacking full-back in Roma’s Primavera, leading to his first-team debut. A rather unremarkable spell at Genoa followed, before his Swiss experience, where he successfully experimented with his new role as a centre-back. It was in Thiago Motta’s Bologna that he would truly establish himself in the position, delivering performances that prompted Arsenal to spend €45 million on the archetype of the modern central defender.