Tommaso Martinelli: Fiorentina goalkeeper has ambitions to become the next Buffon

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The Italian goalkeeper school has become world famous, which is underlined by the fact that some of the most valuable players have profited from it or are still profiting from it—from Gianluigi Donnarumma and Mike Maignan over Alisson to Guglielmo Vicario. It isn’t a coincidence that just before one of the best goalkeepers in history stepped down, Gianluigi Buffon, a young player of the same academy, received his first test with the Squadra Azzura: Tommaso Martinelli.

Even though it was an exception under extraordinary circumstances that the 17-year-old was nominated by former Italian national team head coach Roberto Mancini. Mancini had called up a group of players in 2022 who were deemed of national interest. But the abilities and the talent of Martinelli, who was born just a few kilometers away from the Azzurri training base in Coverciano, go far beyond his goalkeeping abilities.

After all, the native of Tuscany started his playing career as a center-forward. Martinelli began his career at the amateur club US Sales in Florence, where he benefited from his significant height. Certainly, he was a good forward, but with every centimeter he grew—he is now 195cm tall—the decision came closer to move him many meters back to a position where he could shine brighter. Enio Quintavalle, who is both an important figure at Sales and the honorary president of APPORT, the Italian federation for goalkeeper coaches, was the driving force behind the position change. Quintavalle died in 2016, and Martinelli honors his former mentor with a tattoo on his forearm.

Tommaso Martinelli: "Everything happened so quickly" at Fiorentina

It was a tight connection that never got raptured, even when Fiorentina signed Martinelli as a ten-year-old after they had discovered his abilities. Martinelli trained daily with Fiorentina but also continued to train with Sales. Those extra sessions went a long way to cement his abilities further. Indeed, Martinelli stands out thanks to his positioning, his calmness in every situation, his ability to anticipate situations before they happen, and the fact that he can use both his feet. All those abilities make him the future of his club and perhaps also the Italian national team.

“Everything happened so quickly,” Martinelli said in a video interview with the official Fiorentina homepage. “I two steps at once [to the Primavera—the U19]. The call-up to the national team was crazy. I was in a meeting with the U17 coach when I received a message from the club organizer … and I was so very happy.” Just as happy as he was on Jan. 25, 2023, when his club beat Inter Milan to win the Supercoppa Primavera. “That was my first cup,” he said with joy on his face.

One day, after a long career, all of this might seem like nothing, like a small moment. But for a player at the beginning of his career, these moments are still incredible. Indeed, Martinelli has already outgrown his club’s academy. After playing 25 games in the Primavera last season, he has managed just two games this year. But that is because Martinelli is now spending more time with the first team, where he is being coached by Vincenzo Italiano. Already a regular on the bench, it is only a question of time until he will make his professional debut. The eternal Gigi Buffon made his debut for Parma aged 17 and nine months in Nov. 1995. Can Martinelli follow in his footsteps and make his debut as a 17-year-old? Time will tell.

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