Nicolò Tresoldi scored a hat-trick against Inter and is courted by Italy, but his only Italian coach reveals the striker ‘was rejected by Atalanta, Milan, Fiorentina, Bologna and Juventus.’
The 22-year-old is a sensation at Club Brugge and proved why with three goals in their surprising 4-3 Champions League victory at San Siro last night.
He moved to Germany with his family as a child, and started his career in the Hannover 96 youth academy in 2018, but it could’ve all been so very different.
Tresoldi snubbed by Serie A clubs
La Gazzetta dello Sport contacted Tresoldi’s only coach in Italian football, where Marco Bedini was in charge of the Fontanelle youth side at the age of 12, scoring goals against kids two years older.
“He had trials with Atalanta, Milan, Fiorentina, Bologna and Juventus, but they all said ‘we’ve already got players of that level,’ and rejected him,” revealed Bedini.
“They said it to me as well. Nico would return to Gubbio as if nothing had happened and just continue scoring goals.”
Tresoldi’s father Emanuele was a defender at Siena, but Nicolò was fielded as a centre-forward, and here again the Italian clubs were looking for someone more physically imposing.
“I used him as a centre-forward, despite the fact he didn’t have the kind of height and structure that most strikers do. Nicolò had never played football at that level, for a while he was playing tennis as much as football.
“He travelled around to have trials with various clubs, he also played five-a-side football and made the difference there too.”
The move to Germany was dictated by his mother’s career working with an airline company in 2017.
“Every now and then he returns to Fontanelle and meets up with his old friends in the football team. He’s still tied to his origins, but don’t ask me if he will choose Italy or Germany, because I do not know. His heart will decide.”
It is well known that Tresoldi is a Milan supporter, which is why scoring the hat-trick against Inter at San Siro was extra special.
His first coach reveals some Champions League inspiration in the role.
“Even at the age of 12 he’d score in any way, with his right foot, left, headers, sneaking into the box. After all, his hero was always Pippo Inzaghi. At times he’d imitate Inzaghi too, we’d have specific training sessions to show him how to move inside the penalty area.”