The news that everyone in Cagliari was waiting for has arrived : Elia Caprile has been called up to the senior national team for the first time.
The young rossoblù goalkeeper, a protagonist in Serie A with the Cagliari shirt, is among the 27 Azzurri chosen by coach Gennaro Gattuso for the World Cup qualifying matches against Moldova (November 13 in Chisinau) and Norway (November 16 in Milan).
This is an important milestone for Caprile, the result of solid performances and constant growth between the posts.
The team will gather on Monday at Coverciano to prepare for the final two group matches. Italy, fresh from five consecutive victories after a poor start in Oslo in June, is already assured of a playoff spot, but is still hoping to overtake Norway, the current league leaders with a superior goal difference (+26 to Italy's +10).
Alongside the new addition Caprile, Gattuso also recalled Buongiorno, Ricci, and Scamacca, confirming a young and growing squad. For the Cagliari goalkeeper, however, this call-up means doubly: it's a sign that even an island of passion like Sardinia can end up wearing the Azzurri.
The list of those called up:
GOALKEEPERS: Elia Caprile (Cagliari), Marco Carnesecchi (Atalanta), Gianluigi Donnarumma (Manchester City), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham);
DEFENDERS: Alessandro Bastoni (Inter), Raoul Bellanova (Atalanta), Alessandro Buongiorno (Napoli), Riccardo Calafiori (Arsenal), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Inter), Matteo Gabbia (Milan), Gianluca Mancini (Roma);
MIDFIELDERS: Nicolò Barella (Inter), Bryan Cristante (Roma), Davide Frattesi (Inter), Manuel Locatelli (Juventus), Samuele Ricci (Milan), Sandro Tonali (Newcastle);
FORWARDS: Francesco Pio Esposito (Inter), Moise Kean (Fiorentina), Riccardo Orsolini (Bologna), Matteo Politano (Napoli), Giacomo Raspadori (Atletico Madrid), Mateo Retegui (Al-Qadsiah), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio).
