Matteo Palma: Udinese wunderkind could be the next Giorgio Scalvini

Talents Calendar

©TM/IMAGO

As a 14-year-old, the Berlin native Matteo Palma moved to Italy, his father’s home country. While his older brother Léonard (19) remained part of the Hertha academy, Matteo opted to join Serie A club Udinese Calcio. By moving countries, Palma also started for Italy’s U15, even if the German Football Federation (DFB) has since convinced him to change allegiances. Next year, the defender is supposed to be one of the main pillars on the path to defending the U17 European Championship and World Cup titles.

Palma is always ahead of his peers. When he was 15, he debuted for Udinese in the Primavera 1, and when he was 16, he received his first professional contract, which six months later was renewed by another year until 2027—Udinese doesn’t want to lose the talent’s qualities to the competition. Whether it is in Italy or within the DFB, Palma receives plenty of praise. The same is true for new head coach Kosta Runjaic.

The German head coach has been a big fan of Palma and has promoted the talent to the first-team squad shortly after taking the job. Then, in preseason, the talent received countless opportunities to show his skill sets. Palma is a regular in the matchday squad. In the second round of the Coppa Italia against US Salernitana (3-1), he made his debut with five minutes to go—at 16 years, six months, and 12 days, he is the fifth youngest player in club history.

“Palma is a young player with an impressive physical presence,” Runjaic said. “He is a good boy who never feels pressure on the pitch. He looks older than his age. I like him, even if he is still very young. He played many minutes in the preseason. I want him to continue to work with the first team. I don’t know yet when, but I am sure that he will make his debut in Serie A very soon.” All he must do is to continue to work hard.

German tower of Palma stands out in Italy

At 194cm, Palma has the size to be a tower in the backline while also being a modern center-back. The German, however, can also play as a right-back. Because of his size and fast rise to the top, Palma is often compared to Italian national team player Giorgio Scalvini from Atalanta.

“Palma is a very athletic center-back who uses his size well in aerial duels,” Transfermarkt Lead of Content Italy Transfermarkt Aniello Luciano said. “Despite his size, he is very mobile and fast. His excellent timing allows him to cover space, play great passes, and be dangerous in the final third. He has a good personality and isn’t afraid to take risks, playing an early ball, putting pressure on the forward line, and has an excellent buildup play. His right foot is definitely better than his left and that is something he has to work on.”

If Palma continues on a similar trajectory to Scalvini, the German and Italian federations will battle over the talented defender. For now, Palma has opted to represent Germany, but Italian media continues to underline his Italian heritage to win him over to their side.

From December 1 to 24, we introduce new players from different countries born in 2007 and 2008. Area managers, users, and data scouts come into play as experts throughout the series. You can follow all those players by adding them to your TM watchlist.