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Opinion
The beautiful city of Monza is better known for the Italian Grand Prix than its Serie A side, which is perilously perched just above the relegation zone.
But just as the F1 cars zip around the track at break-neck speeds, there’s Aussie teenager rising rapidly through the football hierarchy in the Monza under-15s side.
Danilo Treffiletti is not a name that will ring many bells for Australian football followers.
The Sydney-born midfielder played his junior football with prominent developmental clubs of NSW, including APIA Leichhardt and Maccabi Hakoah, before leaving Australia and moving to Italy with his family.
Transferring from Atlanta’s AC Ponte San Pietro junior side to Monza for the 2021-22 season, Treffiletti has experienced a whirlwind 18 months of growth
So much so that his performances with the Monza youth team have the Italian FA trying to fast-track his international selection.
Treffiletti was named the best midfielder in the annual Coppa Quarenghi, where his Monza side made it all the way to the final before losing to European powerhouse Juventus.
He has also been in scoring form in the Bracco Cup, where the unfancied Monza have been able to flex their muscles against the likes of established clubs Inter Milan, AC Milan, Atalanta and Roma.
Determining a player’s best midfield position at under-15 level can be quite a challenge when they are capable of playing multiple roles.
Treffiletti initially looks like a classic regista, always wanting to be on the ball and with a very good passing range and ability to dictate the pace of the match.
(Photo By Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
However, with his attacking instincts and output, he may actually be better suited long term as a trequartista.
A trequartista will drift between the midfield and forward lines creating and scoring goals as well as having the vision and flair to do something spectacular.
In a recent match against Parma, the Australian prodigy was dribbling towards goal, only to be fouled on the edge of the box. Picking himself up from the floor, the diminutive playmaker curled the resulting freekick past the goalkeeper.
There are areas of improvement still needed, like with any teenager, but the elephant in the room may be Italian football’s reluctance to trust young players.
With Italy missing out yet again on another World Cup appearance in 2022, pundits and coaches have been quick to point out the correlation in the lack of playing time for young players.
In a recent report published by the CIES Football Observatory, there were eight clubs from the 40 biggest professional international leagues in the world that haven’t used a single home-grown academy player yet this season. Three of those sides are in Italy’s Serie A.
Another damning stat for Italian football is that Serie A ranks last out of the big five European leagues when it comes to home-grown under-23 players seeing game time, with only an alarming 5.5 per cent.
Turning professional in Italy is already hard enough for any junior player, especially one with a decision to make in terms of which country to represent.
Joeys coach Brad Maloney should be trying to persuade the Treffiletti family to pledge allegiance to the green and gold. The last thing Australian football needs is to lose out on another highly touted prospect with Italian heritage.
Australia has already been snubbed for the services of Roma’s Cristian Volpato, who has resisted the country of his birth’s overtures while progressing to the Italian international under-19 side.
Fast-rising Parma defender Alessandro Circati is still assessing his options but is at least receptive to the idea of declaring for Australia.
Perhaps the best thing for Danilo Treffiletti to do is concentrate on enjoying football.
A lot can change in the coming years for the Australian-born teenager, who is still not old enough to drive a car, let alone make a decision about which nation he wants to represent.
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