All aboard Platform 77: Zappacosta takes the Lete POTM for March!

Pulling into the POTM station: train number 77, Davide Zappacosta. The Atalanta Express of the flank, no matter if right or left, arrives triumphantly at the newly inaugurated Lete Hall of Fame stop. An unstoppable locomotive throughout March, Zappa’s high-speed journey to the top step of the Player of the Month podium was marked by sprints, goals, and assists at every stop along the line.

Following in the executive carriages of the POTM are outgoing champ Mario Pašalić and Marten de Roon.

After kicking off the month with an assist—his 27th in nerazzurro, a tally that puts him in the club’s all-time top 10 assist-makers—for Musah’s goal at Sassuolo, helping to set the rails for a comeback attempt in Reggio Emilia, number 77 repeated the feat at the Olimpico with what would have been another decisive pass, only to see it wiped out by the offside flag on Krstović’s header.

Following the clash with Bayern in Bergamo, where Zappacosta still showed up in style—able not only to rein in Luis Díaz’s lightning bursts but also to trouble the Bavarian defense with his own high-speed sprints down the flank—his charge reached its final stop with the match-winning goal against Hellas Verona: a billiard-like strike that set March firmly back on track, closing the month with a victory just before the international break.

Just shy of repeating his triumph, this month Mario Pašalić passes the baton, yet continues riding the momentum of last month’s recipe for success, once again living by his now-classic mantra: being there when it counts.

Once more the month’s top scorer, sharing the honor with the “specialist” Scamacca and the inspired Musah, Mario left his mark first in Rome, temporarily restoring parity just before the hour mark, and then in Bergamo, netting the symbolic “gol della bandiera”—with a capital B, given his role as a stalwart and now a living part of Atalanta’s ongoing epic—against the Bavarian champions. A goal that did more than reduce the deficit: embodying the Bergamasco spirit of “Mola Mia,” it was warmly celebrated by the home crowd, the perfect capstone to 90 minutes of relentless effort and determination until the final whistle.

In the return leg, he donned the role of assistman, heading on a precise flick for Samardžić, a strike that confirmed Atalanta’s presence on the Allianz Arena scoreboard and ended the hosts’ clean sheet.

Another record for March came in minutes played: with 477 in total, no outfield player logged more time on the pitch, not even a “workhorse” like Marten de Roon.

A record-breaking bronze! In a month filled with countless personal milestones for the three members of the podium, the highlight of Marten de Roon’s March is undoubtedly his entry into Atalanta’s Legend. While in Bavaria Marten had reached Bellini atop the club’s all-time appearances list, a few days later, in the home game against Hellas Verona, the definitive passing of the torch took place.

First came the tribute at the New Balance Arena, which honored its captain with a dedicated choreography, and then on the pitch at the final whistle: a guard of honour, a lap of the field, and, dulcis in fundo, the symbolic passing of the baton as Bellini handed the commemorative shirt to Atalanta’s new record-holder—without forgetting the direction of the celebrations, this time not through tactical schemes on the green, but at the megaphone with the Curva.

Yet, far from being a “career bronze”, this month’s accolade is much more than a tribute: it is a recognition built on the rock-solid foundations of consistency, dedication, stamina, and grit that have defined every one of the Nerazzurri number 15’s 436 battles, embodying the spirit of never stepping back, regardless of the result.

Congrats to Zappa on his debut on the Player of the Month podium! And now, with Phase 1 of the voting wrapped up, stay tuned: the GOTM launch is coming soon!