When Bonucci came to Milan, it seemed as if we had found the
perfect experienced defensive partner for Romagnoli for at least the next few
years. But actually, we found the perfect partner for Romagnoli for a very long
time, because Bonucci’s short-lived stay at Milan allowed us to swap him back directly
for the next generation center back, Caldara. Depending on how he develops, we
might not see him as much as we might like this season, but it won’t be long
before he will become the destiny of our defense.
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| Welcome to Milan, you are already worshipped |
Mattia Caldara was born in Bergamo, Italy, which is the
hometown of Atalanta BC. It was only natural, then, that he should play for
Atalanta’s youth sector. He started with them at the age of nine years old and
continued all the way through the Primavera up to the first team. In fact, he
made his first team and Serie A debut on his birthday in May of 2014. However,
to gain more experience, he was sent out on loan to Serie B.
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| The young Caldara playing for Atalanta's Primavera team |
For the 2014-15 season, he played with Serie B side Trapani,
making 21 appearances for the club and scoring two goals, both in May. Then he
was sent to Serie B side Cesena for the 2015-16 season on a loan with option to
buy. There he started 29 matches, scored two goals, and also received two red
cards. Luckily, the option to buy was not exercised, and he went back to
Atalanta.
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| Old friends celebrating a Caldara goal for Atalanta |
This time at Atalanta, he became a starter. He scored seven
goals in the 2016-17 season, and made 31 appearances. He also played alongside teammates
Conti and Kessie, whom he joined up once again this year at Milan. Atalanta
finished a remarkable fourth place that year, and Caldara played his part in
that.
That summer, Juventus purchased the player, but left him on
loan at Atalanta. He played another 33 appearances for the club, including
playing in Europa League. He had three goals in Serie A, helping Atalanta to a
seventh place finish and also helping them reach the round of 32 in the Europa
League.
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| His summer crush |
This summer had to be a bit confusing for him, as he began
his summer in June with Juventus. However, even in his press conference upon
arriving at the club, he said “My idol when I was young was Alessandro Nesta, I
tried to emulate him as much as I could and I’ve even chosen the number 13 that
he used to wear.” Obviously, that is something that he and Romagnoli have in
common, but Romagnoli already had the number 13 at Milan and so he chose the
number 33 instead.
From being at Juventus in June and even playing a couple of
friendlies with them in the ICC tournament this summer, suddenly at the
beginning of August, he was throwing Milan jerseys into the Piazza Duomo to
cheering Milan fans. He then made an appearance against Real Madrid wearing the
Milan jersey. Bonucci’s loss of a moral compass was Milan’s gain, though. Milan
upgraded to a newer model in a straight swap deal, and pissed off entitled Juve
fans, too. It was a win-win.
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| Welcome to Milan, you are finally home |
Caldara has yet to play for Milan in competition, but was
called up for the Italy senior national team in June and again this month. He
has also featured for Italy’s U21 team prior to that. Gattuso has said that he
will need some time to adjust to playing in a four man backline, rather than
Gasperini’s three man backline at Atalanta. But it is only a matter of time
before he breaks through, and I believe that he will start ahead of Musacchio
before the season ends.
Caldara is not a typical football player. Upon arriving at
Milan, it was disclosed that he likes to sit by himself and read, rather than
play video games. And not just any reading, either. He likes to read
Dostoevsky, and I doubt too many other footballers even know who or what that
is, let alone how to spell his name. I have a feeling that his book-smarts will
also translate to footballing IQ, which is a huge blessing to a center back. He
is also close to his family and his girlfriend, and being from Bergamo is great
for him, given its close proximity to Milan.
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| Bonus points for trolling with the Champions League patch |
It is always hard to know how a young player will develop.
At 24, he is very young to have been a starter in Serie A. And considering Romagnoli
is a year younger than him, Milan are either crazy or set for the next decade
when it comes to their center backs. Romagnoli has already proven the later,
and now it is time for Caldara to prove his defensive destiny. And many Milan
fans believe that he absolutely will.
This post inspired by the music of Muse’s
“Uprising”