Mattia Caldara

[Socrates 7962]

[Socrates 7962]

 

 

 

Mattia 'The Poet' Caldara, the heir

to Italy legends Nesta and Scirea

 

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/blog/espn-fc-united-blog/68/post/3073447/

mattia-the-poet-caldara-the-heir-to-italy-legends-nesta-and-scirea

 

 

Mar 3, 2017

 

"We are very pleased and proud to have signed Mattia Caldara," Juventus general manager Beppe Marotta purred on Saturday. Little wonder, because the 22-year-old Atalanta centre-back, who signed for the Bianconeri in January before being loaned straight back, had just scored twice to bring his team a 2-0 win at Napoli and help widen his new parent club's gap at the top of Serie A to 12 points.

 

The fact that Juventus acquired Caldara in January for €15 million with add-ons went somewhat under radar as he will stay with Atalanta until the summer of 2018. However, his part in the destination of the Scudetto shouldn't be underestimated.

 

After all, he netted the crucial equaliser for Atalanta against Roma in November on the way to a 2-1 win. And, on Saturday, he was the star at both ends as his club managed to keep a clean sheet at Napoli -- with the Partenopei failing to find the net on home soil for the first time since December 2015 -- and also put a major dent in their title aspirations.

 

Caldara was responsible for another shock against Napoli on his full debut for Atalanta, too: in the 1-0 win in early October. Gian Piero Gasperini, the coach renowned for fearlessly promoting youngsters, made revolutionary changes to the lineup after a problematic start to the season, and the centre-back was hugely surprised to find himself in the starting XI just hours before kick off. However, he performed brilliantly and it has been impossible to imagine Atalanta without him ever since.

 

So impressive was Caldara's contribution that Juventus decided to purchase him in January, clearly believing that he can be the long-term heir to Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli.

 

"I thought it was a joke. I didn't believe it after a dozen of appearances in Serie A," the youngster remarked at the time, but the champions were serious.

 

It was also a symbolic move. Gaetano Scirea -- arguably the greatest Juventus and Italy central defender ever -- joined the Turin club from Atalanta, where he grew up, in 1974, so expectations are bound to be high.

 

Caldara is too young to have witnessed the legendary captain in action, or even to have met him -- he was born five years after Scirea was tragically killed in a car crash in 1989 -- but he has another role model in Alessandro Nesta and wears the famous No. 13 shirt which the now-retired defender wore for Lazio, Milan and Italy. He asked for it on loan spells at Trapani and Cesena in Serie B, and got it at Atalanta upon returning to his beloved club in the summer.

 

Scirea and Nesta were both known as gentlemen; graceful and elegant defenders who led by example, committed few fouls, based their game on supreme positioning and intelligence, and never made headlines off the pitch.

 

Caldara is on the path to becoming the same type of player too -- he is quiet, thoughtful and very smart. In fact, despite his very young age, he could be the most well-read footballer in Italy. Had he not chosen football as his profession, another option would have been studying languages and literature, and he is especially fond of Russian classics.

 

Caldara has read Fyodor Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment" twice and has enjoyed all of Leo Tolstoy's famous works including "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina." His huge old backpack, which he has kept from his school days, is always full of books, and his Atalanta teammates have become used to the fact that he prefers staying in his room to playing the Playstation -- something he claims is a waste of time. Andrea Petagna, the towering striker who is having a superb season as well, fittingly nicknamed his roommate "The Poet."

 

The defender has a good sense of humour too. When asked in a Gazzetta dello Sport interview about the possibility of convincing his teammates to share his hobby, he replied that there are much better chances of Atalanta qualifying for European competition next season. "For them to read? I should better shut up or they would eat me," he remarked. 

 

Caldara knows that he is different. A little shy, he didn't have the easiest of times when leaving home for the first time in 2014 and moving to Sicily, where his performances at Trapani were not consistent enough. That is why he sought help from his family, and especially arranged a ticket for his father Stefano to visit his first away game at Carpi.

 

After the match, however, he found out that Caldara Sr. was unable to bring himself to enter the stadium and wandered around the town instead. For some reason, Stefano believes that he might bring bad luck to his son, and is even afraid to watch his games on TV.

Caldara has represented Italy at the U-21 level but has yet to make his senior debut.

He has been missing quite a lot of action in recent months, because Caldara is having a breakthrough season. Atalanta have conceded just 12 goals and kept 11 clean sheets in 18 league matches with the youngster in the starting lineup. He shows great composure, is calm under pressure, and is first to the ball more often than not. Those qualities make the Nesta comparisons quite relevant, and there is one specific field where Caldara performs much better than his legendary idol.

 

Nesta was never a prolific scorer -- with just seven Serie A goals to his name in the entire career -- but Caldara managed to find the net five times already and the brace at Napoli made him the top scoring defender in Italy this term.

 

He is naturally most dangerous at dead ball situations, but the second goal on Saturday was scored on a quick counter attack, as he raced up the the pitch and finished the move with some aplomb. Veteran Juve fans remember Scirea joining attacks that way and though it is far too early to be making such comparisons, his talent is clearly enormous. 

 

Italy coach Giampiero Ventura agrees, singling Caldara out as one of the best prospects for the future and calling him up for the national team training camp last month. He could well be the man to take over the mantle from Bonucci, Chiellini and Barzagli for both club and country, and a trip to the World Cup next summer is not impossible either. Even his father might be tempted to watch then.

 

It would be quite symbolic as the tournament takes place in Russia, the country of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy. For Caldara, it won't be a story of "Crime and Punishment," but he should be able to discuss his favourite authors with plenty of people there.

[Socrates 7962]

 

 

 

Caldara: ‘Not ready for Juventus yet’

 

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/100388/caldara-‘not-ready-juventus-yet’

 

 

Mar 30, 2017

 

Atalanta defender Mattia Caldara never thought of moving to Juventus in January - “I have to grow”.

 

The Bianconeri have already signed the centre-back, but he’s been loaned back to the Orobici until the summer of 2018.

 

“All the fuss around me is gratifying, but I’m not the type who thinks about it,” Caldara told reporters after a visit to the Atalanta store.

 

“Did I think of moving to Juve in January? Absolutely not, I have to grow with Atalanta to be ready for Juventus.

 

“The Europa League? At this point in the season we can’t settle, we need to try for it.”

[Socrates 7962]

 

 

Caldara: Atalanta the right call

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/102645/caldara-atalanta-right-call

 

 

May 15, 2017

 

Mattia Caldara believes he has made the right call in staying with Atalanta for another season as opposed to joining Juventus.

 

Caldara signed a four-and-a-half-year contract with Juve back in January, but the centre-back agreed to remain at Atalanta for another 18 months as part of his €15m transfer to the Bianconeri, which could rise to €25m.

 

“We’re sorry that we didn’t win on Saturday, we could’ve moved up to fifth in the table,” the Italy Under-21 international told Sky Sport Italia.

 

“We need a point to reach our goal and we’ll try to get it against Empoli, although it won’t be easy.

 

“We’ve had an extraordinary season. Not even we believed it at first, but as time passed, we began to.

 

After our win at Chievo, we realised that we could have our say.

 

“Juventus? You can’t refuse them. However, I have another year on my contract with Atalanta and I think I’ll gain more experience by staying here so I can be ready for the Bianconeri. Juve don’t wait around for anyone, so I have to be prepared.

 

“I’d definitely learn a lot from BBC [Buffon, Bonucci and Chiellini], but it would be hard to get a game, so having another good season with Atalanta, also in the Europa League, would undoubtedly be useful to me.”

[Socrates 7962]

 

 

 

Caldara or Can replace Bonucci?

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/105781/caldara-or-can-replace-bonucci

 

 

Jul 14, 2017

 

Juventus could recall Mattia Caldara early from Atalanta after Leonardo Bonucci’s €42m move to Milan, or revamp Liverpool’s Emre Can.

 

Bonucci has now completed his transfer to San Siro, pending a medical, by signing a five-year contract.

 

Max Allegri now has to replace the centre-back, who is valued not just for his defensive skills, but also the ability to start moves from the back with precise long passes.

 

According to Sky Sport Italia, the Bianconeri do not seem intent on spending a lot of money for a new defender, as they already have Daniele Rugani and Medhi Benatia in the side.

 

Juve have already signed Caldara from Atalanta for €15m plus up to another €10m in bonuses, but left him on loan in Bergamo until June 2018.

 

That plan could well change, with the 23-year-old Italy international called to Turin this summer instead.

 

Another alternative mentioned by La Stampa is represented by Emre Can.

 

The 23-year-old German international plays primarily as a midfielder, but has been known to take over at centre-back with similar passing skills to Bonucci.

 

Allegri had already requested Can for the midfield, but this signing could effectively provide options in both positions.

[Socrates 7962]

 

 

 

'Caldara won't go to Juve yet'

 

 

http://www.football-italia.net/105874/caldara-wont-go-juve-yet

 

 

Jul 16, 2017

 

Atalanta President Antonio Percassi confirmed Mattia Caldara will not be heading to Juventus a year early. “He’s staying with us.”

 

The defender has already been bought by Juve for €15m plus up to another €10m in bonuses, but left on loan in Bergamo until June 2018.

 

When Leonardo Bonucci made his shock transfer to Milan on Friday, it was reported that Juventus could recall Caldara early to fill the gap.

 

“Caldara is staying with us,” Percassi told fans at the pre-season event at the Stadio Azzurri d’Italia.

[Socrates 7962]

 

 

 

 

Caldara: Better choice than Gagliardini  

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/116757/caldara-better-choice-gagliardini

 

 

Feb 5, 2018

 

Mattia Caldara believes he made a “better choice” than former Atalanta teammate Roberto Gagliardini by joining Juventus next season.

 

Gagliardini left Atalanta for Inter in January 2017, but the midfielder has played little under Luciano Spalletti this season and Caldara feels he was right to delay his move to Juve.

 

“Gagliardini’s decision to join to Inter immediately? In my opinion, he showed he was a great player at Atalanta and deserved to join Inter,” the defender told Radio Anch’io Sport.

 

“Now he’s not having a good time of it, but he’ll be part of Italy’s future. Still, I think I made the better choice.”

[Socrates 7962]

 

 

 

 

Caldara takes Juventus medical

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/123923/caldara-takes-juventus-medical

 

 

Jul 3, 2018

 

Mattia Caldara is taking his Juventus medical this morning, as he prepares to join after his loan at Atalanta.

 

The Bianconeri bought the centre-back in January last year for a fee of €15m plus €10m in potential bonuses, but loaned him back to the Orobici for 18 months.

 

Caldara is under contract until 2021 and will join up with Massimiliano Allegri’s squad for the forthcoming season.

 

This morning he took his medical tests at the J-Medical facility, but as he is already under contract this is merely a formality.

 

 

JuventusFC

 

✔@juventusfcen

 

 

A familiar face arrived at #JMedical today! Ciao Mattia Caldara! 

12:04 PM - Jul 3, 2018

[Socrates 7962]

 

 

 

 

Caldara ‘excited’ for Juve experience

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/124429/caldara-excited-juve-experience

 

 

Jul 13, 2018

 

Mattia Caldara admits he is ‘very excited and curious’ about learning from Cristiano Ronaldo, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli at Juventus.

 

Caldara chose to delay his arrival at Juve by 18 months, but the defender insisted he made the right decision, confessing ‘I wasn’t ready’ to leave Atalanta.

 

“It’s a very important time for me, I’m aware of it,” he began at his official unveiling on Friday.

 

“I know I’m at a great team, I’ll have to show why I deserve to be here every day. I’m also very excited and curious to see how Cristiano Ronaldo trains and understand how he can stay at these levels for so long.

 

“Continassa? This is a training complex of the highest level, with perfect pitches and structure, as well as a great gym.

 

“Mentality? It’s enough to see how Chiellini and Barzagli work to understand the winning mentality of this team.

 

“I could’ve joined a year ago, but I always gave everything for the Atalanta shirt. I think Perin is right when he says that the Juve train passes only once in a lifetime.

 

“My lawyer, family and I decided to wait, I wasn’t ready. It’s a big change, especially in terms of mentality, so it was the best choice for everyone.

 

“Nesta and Chiellini? My idol has always been Nesta, that’s why I chose the No 13. Over the years, I’ve also learned to value Chiellini. I have his poster in the room.

 

“Playing with him fills me with pride, and he’s already helping me a lot in training. There’s a lot of competition here, there are some good players in my position, but it makes me want to give more and improve myself.

 

“I’m happy to be here, and I’ll need [that motivation] to get higher and higher. From Chiellini, I have to learn how he marks his man. He’s unique for that.

 

“As for Barzagli, I admire how he reads the ball, both in possession and not so.”

 

 

Juventus new boy Mattia Caldara reveals Mario Mandzukic is ‘the toughest player I’ve marked’, while his ‘most impressive opponent’ was Douglas Costa.

 

In the second and final part of his Juve unveiling on Friday, Caldara also heaped praise on his family and Atalanta Coach Gian Piero Gasperini, claiming he ‘wouldn’t be here’ without them.

 

“The objective is to play as much as possible. I’m aware that it’ll be complicated, but I’ll try to play for my chances and show I’m worthy of this jersey,” he continued at his official unveiling.

 

“Family? Without them I wouldn’t be here. I’ve always been close to them during times of difficulty, so I thank them, as well as my girlfriend, who is always close to me.

 

“I’m lucky to be surrounded by people who love me. Gasperini? He gave me so much in these two years, he told me not to be afraid and to show my qualities.

 

“I’ll always be indebted to him. Without him I wouldn’t be here because he extracted from me something me that I didn’t even think I had.

 

“The toughest player I’ve marked? It’s always been Mandzukic in terms of physicality and character.

 

“Ronaldo? It’s better that I don’t have to think about marking him! Thank goodness he’s my teammate…

 

“Allegri? I understood him immediately because he’s won so much. He knows how to manage great players, he knows when to have a joke and when to be strict.

 

“We haven’t said much until now, but he also agreed with my arrival. Most impressive opponent? Douglas Costa.

 

“He always gets past at least two players, he’s phenomenal. I lived those games [against Juve] with even more motivation because I wanted to show that I was good enough for them.”

[Socrates 7962]

 

 

 

 

Juventus reject Caldara offers

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/124748/juventus-reject-caldara-offers

 

 

Jul 20, 2018

 

Multiple reports suggest Juventus have turned down offers from Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea for Mattia Caldara.

 

The Bianconeri signed the centre-back in January 2017, but loaned him back to Atalanta for 18 months.

 

The young Italian has now joined up with Max Allegri’s squad, but is yet to make an appearance for the Old Lady.

 

According to both Sky and calciomercato.com, Borussia Dortmund made an offer of €35m plus €5m in bonuses to bring Caldara to the Bundesliga.

 

In addition, Chelsea offered around €30m to sign him instead of his Juventus teammate, Daniele Rugani.

 

Finally, calciomercato.com reports, Paris Saint-Germain also made a €30m offer, but all three were immediately rejected by the Bianconeri.

[Socrates 7962]

 

 

 

 

 

Caldara plays down Milan links

 

 

https://www.football-italia.net/124923/caldara-plays-down-milan-links

 

 

Jul 24, 2018

 

Mattia Caldara insists that while ‘it’s nice’ to be linked to Milan, ‘I’m fine’ at Juventus.

 

Reports surfaced on Tuesday that Milan were prepared to sell Bonucci back to Juve if they received Caldara in exchange, but the former Atalanta defender made it clear he did not want his stay in Turin to be short-lived.

 

“Milan? It’s nice [to be linked], but I’m here and they’re things for my agent. I’m fine here,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

 

“First few days in the US? We’ve been doing muscular and running work. It’s great to be here, I feel very comfortable.

 

“Allegri? Today we tested the offside trap with four at the back. I come here after two years of playing in a back three, but Allegri has some interesting concepts, which I want to learn, and I’m very curious.”