Primavera: uncovering Lorenzo Riccio

Like father like son, for the Riccios, football is a family thing. To Lorenzo, the 06s' midfielder in the Primavera ranks, football is like bread and butter. "Having lived in my father's footballing pockets ever since a tender age, mimicking him was a mandatory step. As such, I was already drawn to football: aged 2 or 3, I already had a ball at my feet. With what I was playing at home, I smashed plenty of vases until they swapped a regular football with a foam one as a preemptive measure". After a long career as a professional footballer, his father Luigi switched to the sidelines after hanging up the cleats: after entering Gennaro Gattuso's staffing, he worked his way up to the coach's inner circle. "Despite being a midfielder too, his playing style as a mezzala was more offensive-oriented. From time to time I ask him to let me in on a few tricks of the trade. His advice is to always enjoy myself on the pitch, fun is at the heart of it all. And, of course, to never hold back, sacrifice always pays".

Despite a childhood on the road to follow his father in each and every single professional step, Lorenzo is proud of his roots: "Sure, while I was born in Tuscany and I live in Gallarate, my father, just like my grandfathers, is a Neapolitan born and bred... As for my mother, a native of Udine, she moved to Tuscany with her family, where she met my dad during his stint for Pistoiese. Let's just say that I have the best of both worlds (he states with a smile, ed). By the way, my paternal grandfather Vincenzo was also a professional athlete, a cyclist in his case. Football has always been my one and only love". After taking his first footballing steps with Cedratese, a neighbouring club in the Varese hinterland, Atalanta came knocking on his door in the summer of 2016: "I still recall my first pre-season camp in Brentonico under coach Bassi: I knew right away how the overall level picked up. While I mainly played as a winger in my childhood, also dabbling as a wingback for a while, as soon as I joined the Atalanta ranks, I took hold of the midfield where I covered all the roles. My best accomplishments thus far? Surely my debut for the Primavera last year, barely 16. And then the first International call-up for Italy's U16s: it was a dream coming true and I have to thank everyone at Atalanta for it, from my teammates to my coaches and so forth. Having also donned the armband for Italy's U18s, this feat filled me with pride and duty in equal measure".

Last season he made over 20 Primavera appearances despite being three years underage and the youngest of the group: "While it was a key year for my growth, which also brought many satisfactions in its wake, to me is a starting point nonetheless: I'm just getting started and the road ahead is long".

At a stone's throw from his training ground, Lorenzo has many good examples to take notes from and to follow: "Training with the first team is always a great experience: be it for the lively pace, the quality of the passes and the shots, I long for these joined-up session as if they were a cherished occasion. You can soak up much from top players such as Éderson and Koopmeiners: every occasion is good for "snatching" a few tricks here and there. I'm on very good speaking terms with Éderson, so much so that I try to chat him up whenever I can: he is the salt of the earth, humble like no other, and always open to let me in on some useful advice".

After staying off the field for quite some time, Lorenzo finally recovered from a minor injury suffered right after scoring his first goal with the Primavera in the Coppa Italia road game against Inter: "After being on the mend for roughly a month, I'm now in top shape: this setback strengthened me both physically and mentally. On the grounds of the key win claimed against Empoli on Sunday, we've climbed up to the 2nd place in the standings. From now on, we just have to keep pushing. I was also this far from scoring, with only the keeper denying me the goal with a key save. I hope to find my scoring ways pronto, even though what truly matters is the team". Perhaps a free-kick goal, one of Lorenzo's strongest suits: "We try and test it without fail: whenever I can, I burn the midnight oil after the regular sessions spending time with the coaches to hone my free-kick skills from every angle".

Football is not Riccio's be-all though: "How can I forget about school? My mother Maila keeps me on the ball, lending me a helping hand whenever possible. I know the importance of carrying on with my studies. Now in the penultimate year of Scientific high school, one of my main goals is graduating. I'm doing it for her too... As for my other pastimes, I dig to hang out with my friends to play padel or shoot pools. And then, of course, I fancy listening to music, usually before hitting the pitch as a way to muster focus, Neapolitan rap is my go-to musical genre: during the Sanremo festival, I rooted for Geolier, my favourite singer. I get psyched up for matches with his songs: "Me vulev fa ruoss" is basically my walk-up song".