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Marco Palestra is hoping for a first international call-up in March.
While Italy have an illustrious lineage when it comes to graceful defenders with aura – recently mocked in memes for simply meaning “handsome” – a number of Azzurri leaders at the back are emerging in the mould of the old guard.
So… who exactly is Marco Palestra?
Name: Marco Palestra
Position/s: Right-back, right wing-back
Age: 21 (Born: February 23, 2005)
Nationality: Italian
Height: 1.86m (6ft 1in)
Preferred Foot: Right
Current Club: Cagliari (on loan from Atalanta)
Inter Milan passed on signing a 10-year-old Palestra, and the Milanese has been in Atalanta's academy ever since, breaking through with La Dia in 2023. Last summer, he headed out to Sardinia (all right for some) to join Cagliari on a year-long loan, where he has begun to make waves as a right-back in Serie A.
He began in midfield, before moving out to the wing, then settling on a place at right-back – and his upbringing is obviously. Palestra has the enthusiasm of a Denzel Dumfries, bombing up and down a flank all day long, but he doesn't have the power: he's elegant like a trequartista, and reads the game with a maturity that belies his 21 years – a skill that has come in particularly handy when it comes to learning the ropes of building play in the first phase, and positioning himself out of possession.
Palestra's strengths
Passing, delivery and security: It was famously said of a fellow Italian master that passing the ball to Andrea Pirlo was “like hiding it in a safe”, and Palestra has a similar quality. Not only is his passing excellent and his crossing dangerous, he's tidy in possession: he doesn't waste the ball, he doesn't take unnecessary chances and despite being 21 in his breakout season, he's unbelievably reliable.
Technical and tactical versatility: Palestri is incredibly comfortable with both feet and has played both right- and left-back in the past. This is a unicorn profile: someone comfortable as the third centre-back in the first line of play, as an inverted full-back, or as an overlapping full-back… potentially on either side. He's been used as a wing-back in a 3-5-2 and in a back four.
Composure and maturity: Calm under pressure, excellent in build-up and comfortable attacking, too, it's hard to believe Palestri is still in his breakout season. His anticipation and a reading of play that he honed in his time as a midfielder has made him one of the most precocious defenders of his age group in Italy.
1v1 defending: Palestri has a good understanding of positioning and spacing out of possession, making him a good one-on-one defender. He doesn't have the aggressive style of, say, Riccardo Calafiori when it comes to tackling: he's a disciplined defender who looks to time his moment to dispossess rather than lunge in.
Engine: Tall with a long stride and the stamina to get up and down the pitch all 90, Palestra has an underrated engine, and he covers a lot of ground. He's rarely caught out of position in transition either way.
Palestra's areas of development
Physical prowess and aggression: Despite being 6ft 1in and offering a relentlessness at full-back, you wouldn't describe Palestra as being particularly “physical”. He struggles in aerial duels and can be outmuscled by target men: not the biggest issue for a full-back, but he may find himself targeted by muscular wingers like Antoine Semenyo until he bulks up a little. This lack of aggression shows in his passivity in a low block, too.
Focus and consistency: He's still incredibly inexperienced at the top level, so naturally, it's expected that Palestra will struggle to stay switched on at all times. Again, this will come with time.
Risk-taking: Such security on the ball is a double-edged sword. Palestra is composed and safe in possession, but struggles to really slice through opponents or break lines with anything ambitious. Perhaps confidence will change that.
Palestra's ceiling
DEFENDERS Ethan Pye, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Victor Valdepenas
Marco Palestra is likely competing with Raoul Bellanova for Atalanta and Italy, with 32-year-old Giovanni Di Lorenzo surely not part of Gennaro Gattuso's long-term plans. Returning to Bergamo in the summer is likely, ahead of trying to establish himself for a club in European competition – if, of course, Atalanta can hold onto such a talent. Palestra has a rare profile found in only a handful of players in elite football: should he continue his excellent development, he could become one of the most valuable players in Europe.
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