Imagine being born in a small village and having a dream: to wear the national team shirt. Matteo Lontani, with thick curly hair and footballing quality, achieved the feat by becoming the second debutant for the Azzurrini, in an official competition, after being selected by coach Massimiliano Favo in this European Championship (the first was Ballo against Poland in the Azzurrini's opener) .

"Being here is the fulfillment of a dream," underlined the Under 17 National Team midfielder. A dream which, after being included in the list of 20 players for the final phase of the tournament, came true yesterday when he started the game against Sweden in Paralimni from the first minute: "For me, who comes from a small village (Savio di Cervia, ed.), is something incredible," added the Juventus player. "The national team was a goal but, having never been lucky enough to be part of this group before, I didn't expect a call up, yet it came (smiles, ed.)". It is a call up that was both wanted and unexpected, and one he wants to take full advantage of, starting from the quarter-finals with England, scheduled for Thursday 30 May (19:30 CEST) at the AEK Arena in Larnaca: "They are an excellent team," the Italian-Cuban player said. "They got through a tough group, but we are a strong, united squad of players and are aware of our abilities: we want to continue dreaming."

Born on 26 March 2007 in Ravenna to father Marco and mother Yaquelin, to whom he owes his Cuban origins, he started playing football at the age of six with Savio Calcio, an amateur club from Emilia-Romagna ("we had a very strong team and won practically every match") before joining Cesena's youth sector in the summer of 2015. After six seasons there, a call from his favorite team arrived: Juventus ("I couldn't believe it; it was beautiful") who, in that period, included his idol Paulo Dybala among the first team squad ("I was always inspired by him"). This season, for Juventus Under 17s, led by Claudio Rivalta, he has made 21 appearances so far, scored three goals and made one assist: "We are aiming for the Scudetto". And by aiming high, Matteo is reaching, one step at a time, seemingly distant goals.

UEFA European Under-17 Championship

Group Phase

Group A: Cyprus, Ukraine, Serbia, and Czechia.
Group B: Denmark, Austria, Croatia, and Wales.
Group C: ITALY, Sweden, Slovakia, and Poland.
Group D: France, Portugal, Spain, and England.

Group C Schedule

Matchday 1 (Tuesday 21 May)
Slovakia 0-0 Sweden
ITALY 2-0 Poland

Matchday 2 (Friday 24 May)
ITALY 2-0 Slovakia
Sweden 2-2 Poland

Matchday 3 (Monday 27 May)
Sweden 1-2 ITALY
Poland 4-0 Slovakia

Table: ITALY 9pts, Poland 4, Sweden 2, Slovakia 1.

Knockout stages

Quarter-finals

Wednesday 29 May

Q1) 17:30 local time (16.30 CEST): Czechia vs. Denmark, Ammochostos Epistrofi Stadium in Larnaca
Q2) 20:00 local time (19:00 CEST): Austria vs. Serbia, AEK Arena in Larnaca

Thursday 30 May

Q3) 20:30 local time (19:30 CEST): ITALY vs. Group D runner-up, AEK Arena in Larnaca
Q4) 18:00 local time (17:00 CEST): Group D winner vs. Group C runner-up, Antōnīs Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca

Semi-finals (Sunday 2 June)

S1) 18:00 local time (17:00 CEST): Q1 winner vs. Q3 winner, AEK Arena in Larnaca
S2) 20:30 local time (19:30 CEST): Q2 winner vs. Q4 winner, Antōnīs Papadopoulos Stadium in Larnaca

Final (Wednesday 5 June)

20:30 local time (19:30 CEST): S1 winner vs. S2 winner, Limassol Stadium in Limassol