Once upon a time there was Giovannino, a shy and reserved boy who dreamed of becoming a footballer. In the sports centre of Valdottavo, a small hamlet in the province of Lucca, he was the tallest in his class. And the strongest. So began twenty years ago the tale of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, today one of the best full-backs in the circuit and captain of a Napoli side marching swiftly towards its third ever Scudetto.

"I have grown up a lot in these years," he said in a press conference from the Coverciano training camp, "I feel I have improved in many aspects. Playing in a great team helps because you are up against strong players and against strong opponents. The role of the full-back has evolved in recent years, we are often the leaders of the team”. Flexibility is a must: "In the 3-5-2 I can play both defence and in the midfield”.

A few days ago, 'Giovannino' confessed that he shudders at the mere thought of being compared to a certain Diego Armando Maradona, the only captain in the history of the Neapolitan club to have been crowned Champion of Italy. Meanwhile, on Thursday, in the stadium named after the legendary 'Pibe de Oro', he will meet those fans who, Sunday after Sunday, see the finish line getting closer and closer. 37,500 tickets have already been sold for the challenge against England: 'I hope that there will be the same passion that there is when Napoli play, I know the energy that those people can bring, I know how they can help us in terms of drive. Playing with Italy at the Maradona will be special".

At the basis of Napoli's extraordinary season is the same ingredient that took the national team to the roof of Europe: "In addition to the game we play, we like to have fun on the pitch. It was like that with the national team at the European Championship, then some results made us lose our light-heartedness. We must rediscover this, playing together and with enthusiasm. I want to bring a bit of what we have at Napoli to this national team". There is no shortage of similarities between Spalletti and Mancini: "They both don't look at names, with them those who deserve to play get the start".

England is tied to his fondest memory in the national team, with which he made his debut in October 2019, collecting 25 appearances (and three goals), including one in the Wembley final. Compared to the European triumph, Di Lorenzo does not see a weaker Italy: "The group has changed a bit, but we have players of great quality, with an important mentality. England is a great team, last time at San Siro we won playing a very good game. We will all have to give our best".

In his youth, Di Lorenzo also played as a striker, so much so that he earned the nickname 'Batigol'. Today, another Argentine-born bomber like Batistuta, but with an Italian passport, has been called up by Mancini to reinforce a department bereft of Immobile and Raspadori: 'Retegui has introduced himself well, we have a few more days to get to know each other better. Beyond the technical qualities, you can see that he is a decent guy and we immediately put him at ease'. The thought then goes to Gianluca Vialli: 'We miss him. He left us something beautiful, he was profound in the way he spoke. Thursday's match will be the first without him and we have an extra duty, we'll have to put in even more effort for him.

The squad

Goalkeepers: Marco Carnesecchi (Cremonese), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint Germain), Wladimiro Falcone (Lecce), Alex Meret (Napoli);
Defenders: Francesco Acerbi (Inter), Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino), Matteo Darmian (Inter), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Emerson Palmieri (West Ham), Alessio Romagnoli (Lazio), Giorgio Scalvini (Atalanta), Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma), Rafael Toloi (Atalanta);
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Davide Frattesi (Sassuolo), Jorginho (Arsenal), Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma), Matteo Pessina (Monza), Sandro Tonali (Milan), Marco Verratti (Paris Saint Germain);
Attackers: Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo), Wilfried Gnonto (Leeds United), Vincenzo Grifo (Friburgo), Simone Pafundi (Udinese), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Club Atletico Tigre), Gianluca Scamacca (West Ham United).