Primavera: discovering Alessio Guerini

Alessio Guerini has been an Academy player for so long that he’s “part of the furniture” here in Zingonia. "Being elected captain of the Primavera is a huge honour for me”. The 2004-born defender, with also a past experience as a midfielder, has now entered his 12^th season at Atalanta. “Even though I started as a midfielder and even though I have only been moved back in the Under-15 side, I feel like I’ve been playing back here my whole life. I have to say that my stints in the midfield always come in handy in my progression".

His first-ever sign-up happened at Atalanta in the summer of 2012. For Alessio, a native of Brescia but “100% Bergamasco being born and bred in Antegnate", everything followed from there. "Before that moment I was playing at the oratory’s football team in my town. It was my father Omar who passed his passion for football down to me: when I was a toddler he brought home a mini-goal to allow me to play football. Joining Atalanta felt like a dream: despite my young age at the time, I still remember very vividly how harsh the training sessions were compared to the ones I did before. I immediately realized I had entered an elite Club and it filled my heart with utmost joy. This summer I also had the privilege of attending the first team’s training ground and it was an amazing experience: ever since day one, everybody, from my teammates to coach Gasperini and his staff, did their level best to make me feel I belonged to the group. It was a dream come true. During my eleven years here I always tried to soak up as much as possible from each and every trainer I had”.

"The advice I most cherish – Alessio fondly remembers – was given to me by none other than coach Bosi himself when I was younger. After his past tenures in the U16s and the U17s, we crossed paths this year when I was promoted to the Primavera. He had always reminded me how I have to train harder than anyone and give my 110% in everything I do, no matter how far ahead I might have already been. This is the sole path towards ongoing improvement. He always believed in me and his trust has helped me in every step along the way”.

From this year, he has also bestowed an important token to his seniority, with all the new responsibilities it entails: "The Captain’s armband! This is my third year for the Primavera, which makes me part of “the old guard” of the team now, and the responsibility is far greater: I’ll have to lead by example, passing down the values of the team on the newcomers and helping them find their feet in a new league, which has become tougher and tougher with each passing year. We’ll pick up from a demanding match with the least desirable outcome: we approached the match with the wrong attitude. After the break, we’ll build up from this defeat by trying to do better against Cagliari".