From the nascent star Cantore to the living legend Bonansea and then the captain and bomber Girelli: he passes through the great company that can bring our football back to the center of attention after the disappointments of men.
While we are asking ourselves if we manage to participate in the next World Cup men of USA 2026 after having failed the last two occasions and having already ground two CT (first Mancini and then Spalletti) Italian football lives the dream of returning to play a final for the women’s European. In Geneva Italy-England is played And the blue of the CT Soncin come to us from the victory against Norway that came to the ninetieth thanks to Cristiana Girelli, captain and symbol of this group that gave us a few nights of exciting football after the sadness of men.
Youth and experience
Andrea Soncin was a good striker, One of those who easily marked in Serie B with Atalanta, Padua, Grosseto and Ascoli. He also played a few games in Serie A and at the end of the player’s career the “cobra” (as they called him for the ability in the sixteen meters) he embarked on the coach’s career. After the experiences in Venice he was chosen by President Gravina as the CT of the women’s national team and has restored enthusiasm to Club Italia, a little depressed since the last few seasons. No revolution, but a team that is a mix of youth and experience. The star is Sofia Cantore26 years old, external striker or second tip, in the heart of his career, he was probably the most decisive player of the last season. They noticed in the United States and so it will be the Italian first to try his hand at the American professional championship with the Washington Spirit shirt. In the match with Norway it was the winning weapon together with Cristiana Girelli (35 years old). The captain is perhaps at the last great appointment of his careerhas reached 399 career goals and tonight wants to make round figure. The other veteran of the group is Barbara Bonanseaonly a year younger than Girelli. From his goals to Australia in 2019 the magic of “world girls” was turned on. And here he is still there, brought to shiny after a great season in which he helped to bring Juventus back to the top of the Italian movement. In the national team since 2012, in Switzerland he is part of the Juve Block returned dominant (8 out of 23) and in the guidance to the Guardian European Championship he was called “living legend”. Tactically it is essential for Soncin’s game because it covers the whole left wing and with its suffocating pressing puts the opponents in difficulty. Over time and experience, he got back a bit his range of action, becoming a player across the board.
The growing movement
The victories of the blue in this European can be a springboard for the movement as it was for England which from 2022 to today has recorded a 239% increase on appearances at the stadium for championship matches with over 74 thousand spectators at Wembley for the Fa Cup final (in 2022 there were 49 thousand). In Italy this was the year of the turning point with the federation’s decision to open to professionalism and the obligation for the Serie A teams to open a female section. A job that saw in the front row Federica Cappelletti, the widow of Paolo Rossi, who performs with great enthusiasm the task of president of the female division.
