MILAN – Bang, bang, bang – the metronomic sound of a ball hitting a wall, as the lad repeats the task over and over again with power, accuracy and dedication. Football's magic reaches even as far as the heart of a Trentino valley.
Andrea Pinamonti was born in the depths of Italy's mountainous north, far away from the nearest city and more than 30 minutes from the nearest major road. Nevertheless, nothing could hinder the passion he had, and has, for the game. His unrestrained insistence, surprising even for those closest to him, eventually won over his father, who signed him up to a summer football school when he was only five years old.
The coach at that football school all those years ago, Roberto Vicenzi, was the first to lay eyes on Pinamonti. He was struck by the ability, desire to play and determination to improve from this little boy – even when all the other children were at least three years older. Vicenzi forced him to work on his weaker foot and so Andrea would begin to spend hours outside at home: just him, the ball and a wall. He'd only have one shoe on, the left one, to force him to work purely with that foot, gradually increasing his power and accuracy.
It would be the same after training sessions with Bassa Anaunia, the first club to sign him up, and then Chievo Verona, even after the hour and a half it took him to get home. The same wall, the same foot. Sustained by the dream of joining Inter because, coming from a Nerazzurri-mad family, that was his destiny. There were no hesitations at his first trial for the club: head of grassroots Giuliano Rusca and talent scout Pierluigi Casiraghi – both key men at Inter's flourishing youth academy – had seen enough and let the practice match continue, as Andrea kept on banging in the goals.
It's been four years since he made his dream of joining Inter come true. He started off in the Giovanissimi category, but Andrea, born in 1999, has the physique and ability that has always allowed him to play in older age brackets. Even his arrival in the Primavera squad last year was ahead of schedule; he quickly convinced Stefano Vecchi, who threw him on against Udinese: bang, goal number one (and a screamer at that).
Despite often being at least two years younger than his team-mates and competitors, Andrea made a habit of coming on as a sub and nearly always hitting the back of the net. In one magical week, he notched a brace against AC Milan for the Allievi before coming on for the Primavera in the dying minutes against our cross-town rivals a few days later and scoring again to make it 3-0. Up next was Lazio: goal. Then Roma: goal. Short on game time; heavy on goals.
At the tender age of 17, he's already made his starting debut for the first team this season against Sparta Prague in the Europa League. He quickly caught the eye with his assist for Eder's opener: controlling a cross with his left foot, he protected the ball back to goal and laid it off for his oncoming team-mate to score. His childhood dreams, while he was patiently working on his weaker foot in the garden against the wall, were coming true and he was right where he was meant to be: bathing in the magic of San Siro but with the same sense of calm as his days in Cles. "It's just another game," he'll think, no need for any stress. He was equally unflustered when faced with his first post-match interview as a senior player.
Andrea is a guy who puts every last drop of sweat into any match he plays and this is why people think so highly of him at Inter. They're all waiting for the next sound of a ball being struck by his left peg; this time there won't be a wall in front of him but a bulging net.
Carlo Pizzigoni
