Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella is a gift from the gods of football, in the words of Italian journalist and Nerazzurri supporter Fabrizio Biasin.
Barella was one of Inter’s best performers on Sunday as Antonio Conte’s side defeated Juventus 2-0 in the Derby d’Italia, setting up Arturo Vidal’s opening goal before adding the second himself after half-time.
His displays for the Nerazzurri this season are reportedly attracting interest from Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, although Barella is thought to want to remain at Inter for many years to come.
“Guys, I’m a jealous character and I want everything Nicolo Barella has, perhaps even the surname,” Biasin wrote in his editorial for TuttoMercatoWeb on Tuesday.
“I’d like to be 20 years old and be the star player of my hometown club, like he was at Cagliari.
“I’d like to approach football with the same gift of simplicity he has: ‘That ball is coming to me and it will stick to my foot. Always.’
“I’d like to have been a key player for Italy’s under-15, under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-20s; I’d like to have won a runners-up medal the European Under-19 Championships in Germany in 2016; I’d like to have won the award for the best footballer born in 1997 two years in a row (2012 and 2013) and I’d like to have been at the heart of Gigi Di Biagio’s under-21 side.
“Guys, we’re in danger of being in ‘chosen one’ territory with Barella here, in that group of players that are formed and then leave their mark everywhere they go.
“Woe betide anyone who doesn’t realise it’s too early to pass definitive judgment, but woe betide those who are pretending not to see what’s in front of them too.
“Nicolo Barella is a gift from the footballing gods; they knew what kind of state Italian football was in a few years ago and sent us a prodigious Sardinian talent with whom we could attempt to kick-start our movement.
“Even if it didn’t go exactly like this, forgive me: some of us would like to believe that’s what happened.”
Barella has scored two goals and provided eight assists for Inter in all competitions this season, putting him in a special group of five players born after 1997 to have contributed five assists or more in Europe’s top five leagues during the 2020-21 campaign.
Italy coach Roberto Mancini today tipped the former Cagliari man to be the star player of this summer’s European Championships.