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Not since the days of the young Francesco Totti has a player been earning such rave reviews for his performances with the Italy Under-21 national team. Sebastian Giovinco has been dazzling journalists and fans all around the continent, and it seems; the player could be destined for greatness.

Background

Born in Turin on January 26, 1987 Giovinco comes from a family that is well-known for its football talents, and his father even played as a defender for Beinasco; a small village near Turin.

Sebastian joined Juventus in 2001 at the age of 14, but it wasn’t until quite recently that the player started to become really well known. Giovinco started off by impressing in the “Campionato Primavera” tournament in the 05-06 season, when Juve went on to be crowned champions.

The pint-sized playmaker picked up from there, and the signs of improvement were becoming evident. The following year a Giovinco-inspired performance fired Juve past Palermo in the “Viareggio” tournament as the young lad bagged himself a brace. He scored again the following game; and with the Old Lady plying her trade in Serie B at that time, an official debut was on the horizon.

Debut

Sebastian successfully integrated himself into the first team and on May 12, 2007 he was introduced as a substitute against Bologna. Giovinco marked his debut with a splendid defense-splitting assist for Trezeguet’s tap-in.

“That was a great day and I will never forget it. After all the time spent with the youth teams, this was a dream come true,” declared the player after the game.

Empoli

Giovinco was sent out on loan to Empoli for the 2007/08 season, but at first he was handed limited opportunities by Luigi Cagni. It took until week six for Giovinco to score his first ever Serie A goal. Heading into the final ten minutes, it looked as if Empoli and Palermo were going to share the spoils, until Giovinco thumped an instinctive low-driven shot to put his side ahead. The Azzurri went on to win 3-1; their first win of the season.

Despite these efforts, it wasn’t until week 11 that Giovinco attracted all spot-lights. Trailing 2-1 to Roma deep into injury time, Giovinco scored an outstanding goal from a free kick that floated over Roma’s No.1, Alexander Doni.

Following Alberto Malesani’s appointment as the new Empoli coach midway through the season, it became evident that Giovinco would be playing more prominently, and he started six consecutive games. When Cagni returned later in the campaign, he was left with no choice but to rely on the 21-year-old. Giovinco ended the campaign with a respectable 6 goals in 20 starts (34 appearances), but unfortunately he couldn’t save the club from relegation.

International

Following last year’s Under-21 European Championships, a lot of vacancies had to be filled in the Azzurrini line-up. The likes of Raffaele Palladino, Giampaolo Pazzini, and Alessandro Rosina were all now over-age and it meant that a new generation had to come through, with Giuseppe Rossi and Giovinco at the head of this.

Although it was already accepted that Giovinco was one of the most promising young Italian talents, no one could have imagined that he would take the Azzurrini’by storm the way he has.

This has of course given the opportunity for the Italian media to do what they do best; start the comparisons.

According to the Italian legend; Dino Zoff, “Giovinco has more creativity than [Alessandro] Del Piero, but he needs to prove he has the right determination and the personality to succeed.”

“Sometimes he can be devastating. We will find out in the next few years if he can become the new Del Piero,” said another former Juventino Gianluca Pessotto.

Self Belief

Although in terms of skill, quality, and technical ability Giovinco is proving that he belongs amongst Italy’s elite; it is well known that skill counts for little if it is not accompanied by mental strength or more specifically; self belief. The game has witnessed many skillful players that at one point were destined for great success, only for time to prove otherwise.

Antonio Cassano, for example, a player blessed with the so-called “natural talent”, was even labeled as the most promising youngster in Europe, only for his ill-temper and lack of self-discipline to hamper his career.

Giovinco, on the other hand, has shown calmness, composure, and level-headedness. It also seems as if he has the self-confidence required to rank among the finest.

“I love all the No 10’s that Juve have had past and present – we are always talking about great champions,” Seba explained.

“But I don’t feel inferior to anyone, especially in my generation. “I’m not scared of competition in the future, as I know that I have to improve and I feel ready.

“My dream is to win a World Cup and a Ballon d’Or.”

Pint-Size Giovinco

The critics might argue that a player of such small stature might never develop into the world’s best. Well, as everyone probably recalls, FIFA’s Player of the Century, Diego Maradona, was of a similar height to Giovinco, yet he relied on his strong legs and low center of gravity, which in turn gave him an advantage in short sprints; turning a potential weakness into a deadly strength.

As Giovinco’s former coach at Empoli, Cagni explains: “The first day at Empoli last summer I told him his height wasn’t a problem. He will be a problem for opposition teams because he is so fast.”

Final Word

Never has the game denied anyone of extreme talent the chance to test their skills, regardless of the player’s physical aspects. The modern game has grown more interested in the mental attributes, and what players are capable of offering on and off the field.

As Giovinco’s own idol, Del Piero, has proven to everyone last season; it is not about your size, height, strength, or even the fact that you have ‘natural skills’, its about having the mental toughness to overcome all obstacles that the game throws at you by making use of that so-called ‘natural talent’.

Natural talent is certainly something that Giovinco is not lacking.

Omar Mufti