Kevin Zeroli, AC Milan and Under 19 national team midfielder, shows class and elegance on the pitch and a calm nature off it.

Born on 11 January 2005 in Busto Arsizio in the province of Varese, he kicked a ball for the first time at the age of 4: "Before I became passionate about football," the Italian says, "I did karate and artistic gymnastics: all the credit goes to my uncle (Massimiliano, ed.), who I played with at home." If his uncle passed on to him the passion for football, leading him to enroll in the Ardor Busto Arsizio football school shortly thereafter, the real opportunity in professionalism came thanks to his older brother, Bryan: "He played in the same club as me," he recalls, " and he was very good: he had several trials with professional clubs." Precisely during one of these, specifically with AC Milan, Kevin was noticed by Rossoneri scouts: "I had gone with my parents (father Gianluca and mother Charity Oronsaye, whose Nigerian origins derive from the latter, ed.) to see my brother play. He he was good, but also very emotional and, during that trial, some coaches (Andrea Biffi and Massimiliano Sorgan, ed.) made me come onto the pitch to do a bit of passiing to make him relax." And thanks to those dribbles, in August 2012, he joined the AC Milan youth sector through which, over time, he earned a place in the Azzurrini setup: "I am honored to be part of the national team group," he underlines, "and I want to do well every time I go out to play."

On Tuesday (14:30 CET, livestream on the FIGC website), the Azzurrini will be in action at the stadio Guido Teghil in Lignano Sabbiadoro (free entry) as they face Georgia in their last game in Group 5 of the European Championship Elite Phase, which will decide whether they will qualify or not for the finals, scheduled from 15 to 28 July in Northern Ireland: "We have two results out of three possible," adds Zeroli, "but let's not make any calculations: we are reigning European champions and we want to defend the title."

Squad List

Goalkeepers: Renato Bellucci Marin (Roma), Federico Magro (Lazio);
Defenders: Wisdom Amey (Bologna), Davide Bartesaghi (Milan), Fabio Cristian Chiarodia (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Christian Corradi (Hellas Verona), Filippo Calixte Mane (Borussia Dortmund), Filippo Pagnucco (Juventus), Marco Palestra (Atalanta);
Midfielders: Aaron Ciammaglichella (Torino), Luca Di Maggio (Inter), Jonas Harder (Fiorentina), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Mattia Mannini (Roma), Marco Romano (Genoa), Kevin Zeroli (Milan);
Forwards: Lorenzo Anghelè (Juventus), Giulio Misitano (Roma), Simone Pafundi (Losanna), Diego Sia (Milan).

Staff - Head of delegation: Gianfranco Serioli; National Youth Coordinator: Maurizio Viscidi; Coach: Bernardo Corradi; Assistant Coach: Mirco Gasparetto; Goalkeeping Coach: Graziano Vinti; Fitness Coach: Marco Montini; Match Analyst: Francesco Donzella; Doctors: Paolo Manetti and Cristiano Benelli; Physiotherapists: Giuliano Gepponi and Tommaso Cannata; Nutritionist: Micol Purrotti; School Tutor: Gabriele De Fraia; Press Officer: Alessandro Paoli; Secretary: Aldo Blessich.

Schedule, results, and Group 5 standings in the Elite Phase

Matchday 1 (Wednesday, 20 March)
Georgia 0-1 Czechia
Scotland 1-3 ITALY

Matchday 2 (Saturday 23 March)
Czechia 1-2 ITALY 
Scotland 2-3 Georgia

Standings: Italy 6, Czechia and Georgia 3, Scotland 0.

Matchday 3 (Tuesday 26 March)
14:30 CET: ITALY vs. Georgia (Stadio Guigo Teghil, Lignano Sabbiadoro)*
14:30 CET: Czechia vs. Scotland (Stadio Giuseppe Morigi, Manzano)

*live streaming on the FIGC website.