Every young calciatore on the Peninsula dreams of clawing their way through the youth ranks of their hometown club and one day dawning its jersey under the lights of a Serie A fixture.
For one 21-year old, the childhood dream shared by many went from a future aspiration to a real-life opportunity on the grandest stage, this past Sunday. The entire Biancocelesti faithful were introduced to the new kid on the block in a remarkable way and his name is Cristiano Lombardi.
It was about to reach a boiling point of pure euphoria for the traveling supporters of Le Aquile. As Ricardo Kishna flew down the left flank in full control, Ciro Immobile matched his speed, going into high gear with a lung-bursting run in the open space between Atalanta’s Rafael Toloi and Leonardo Spinazzola. The former Ajax winger unleashed a a grass-slicing pass right into the path of the former capocannoniere, who forced Marco Sportiello into ground save with a one-time strike, but the Atalanta shot-stopper could not parry the driven ball away from danger. In that one moment, the world stood still for a fresh faced Italian winger in the midst of bolting into the box. A sprawling Sportiello, a rolling rebound and a golden opportunity to realize a dream. With quick flick of the right-foot, the ecstasy of the moment can only be expressed by the words of Lazio commentator, Guido De Angelis:
“É gol di Lombardi! L’esordio in Serie A, Cristiano Lombardi! Esordio in Serie A, terzo gol della Lazio!”
The former Primavera player, who had never stepped foot onto a Serie A pitch prior to Sunday, had struck the spilled ball into an empty net and had collected his first ever top-flight goal. Leaping over the advertising board, his instant reaction was to stand tall in front of the protective glass and share his celebratory emotions with the Lazio supporters. Rome had just witnessed the arrival of 21-year old, Cristiano Lombardi.
During the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and SS Lazio at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia on August 21, 2016 in Bergamo, Italy.
Born in the city of Viterbo, Lazio, the 5’8” winger developed his footballing education within the youth system of the Biancocelesti. Like most young players in Italy, he participated in the 2012/2013 edition of Viareggio Cup, where he made only a single appearances throughout the prestigious tournament. In the same year, he dazzled as a 18-year old in Alberto Bollini’s Primavera squad where he finished the campaign on seven goals, which included a hat-trick in a 6-1 win against Virtus Lanciano. The same squad where he called Keita Balde and Danilo Cataldi as teammates. The following season, he would better his tally with eleven goals in 21 games, leaving many to hope for a maiden call-up to the First-Team. Lombardi became a full-back’s worst nightmare while down in the youth league, using his combination of speed and close control to bomb down the right flank and link up with his attacking teammates inside the 18-yard box. His defensive awareness, fearlessness in tackles and ability to break up plays where a welcomed addition to his game, constantly tracking back to support his teammates when possession was lost.
Although he did make two bench appearances for Edy Reja’s squad, his number would not end up appearing on the linesman electronic board in either game. Instead, he would be shipped out on loan to Serie B side Trapani in 2014 to improve his game and gain experience at the professional level. Faced with more experienced defensive units on a weekly basis, he could only muster a solitary assists and no goals in 13 appearances. In a 2015 interview with LazioZone.it, he revealed how the experience in Serie B helped him develop as a player and instilled in him a greater sense of confidence:
Certainly, the pace is a lot higher because you are playing with players who have much more experience on their shoulders. It is precisely what young players are missing and it can only be acquired by accumulating as much playing time as possible. The more minutes you play, the more confidence you gain and everything becomes easier, instead when you are forced to enter a game in progress, you begin to tire because the players you find in front of you have all the rhythm from the start. You will always train at your best, however it is the match that counts and if you do not play, you will miss out.
Upon his return back to Lazio, there was no time for Lombardi to unpack his bags as his next destination would take him down to Lega Pro with Ancona. An extra year in the professional ranks continued to paid dividends for the then-20 year old, notching four goals and two assists over 25 appearances. At the conclusion of the Lega Pro season, it would be expected for Lombardi to resume his routine of being sent out on loan, however with the hiring of Simone Inzaghi and the departure of Antonio Candreva to Inter, Lombardi would soon be thrust into the spotlight quicker than he first thought.
When the team sheet was released for their opening match against Atalanta, Lombardi was announced in Lazio’s Starting XI on the right wing in Simone Inzaghi’s 4-3-3. Trust and confidence was immediately put in the 21-year old to partner Kishna and Immobile within the attacking trident up top. 33 minutes into his Serie A debut, the Viterbo native would silence the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia in Bergamo and immerse himself into the energizing pulse of the Lazio faithful. With an extremely bright future ahead of him, Cristiano Lombardi can become the hometown star that captures the heart of region, should he bring his goal scoring touch to the main-stage on a regular basis.
The post A Goal-Scoring Debut To Remember: Introducing Lazio’s Cristiano Lombardi appeared first on IFD.
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