GdS: ‘Little Maignan’ – why Milan have high hopes for Alessandro Longoni

AC Milan have a number of interesting young talents in their academy, and Alessandro Longoni stands out among them.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (seen below) label Longoni ‘the little Maignan’, and he is tracing the path that Gianluigi Donnarumma did around a decade ago. The Primavera’s number one has just finished an Under-17 World Cup with Italy and he had a starring role.

Italy managed to secure third place in the tournament in the final against Brazil, and it was thanks to Alessandro – a 17-year-old born in January 2008 – who saved two Brazilian penalties (and came very close to saving a third) after the score was 0-0 in regulation time.

They were two flashes of brilliance that earned them a very welcome third place on the podium. The first was a dive to his right that was like Maignan’s save on Calhanoglu, then there was a repeat at the other end.

The close-ups that the cameras provided at the moment of the shot were particularly revealing: an icy gaze, him and the ball isolated from the rest of the world for a few seconds.

On the right path

The ability to adapt to various situations is one of the key qualities for a goalkeeper, who must be able to move from managing moments of a match when he’s under pressure to participating in the build-up and even saving penalties.

Longoni has already made tangible contributions for Milan’s Primavera team, too. For now, he’s staying there, part of the Milan Futuro project, which focuses on managing situations and developing talent just like his.

This is also because there are other well-established young players like Lorenzo Torriani (who is a full member of the first-team squad but is playing with Milan Futuro to gain experience) and Matteo Pittarella (who replaced Torriani in Allegri’s squad).

Meanwhile, Longoni is training with his coach Luca Castellazzi – the former Inter goalkeeper – to improve. His strengths? He is excellent with low saves and quick reactions between the posts. What needs improvement? Effectiveness when claiming high balls.

Longoni joined Milan at the age of eight and stayed there not only because of his technical prowess, but also for his unique character. While off the pitch he’s a very calm person, who loves reading even while his team-mates have their heads buried in their smartphones.

Looking back at his career, it’s clear that saving penalties one of his specialties. He had a big hand in the 2024 European Championship victory, when he saved a penalty against England in the quarterf-inals, paving the way for Camarda’s decisive spot-kick.

For Milan Primavera last season he saved four: one in the league and three in the Coppa Italia, two of which were saved against Inter in the quarter-finals. Maignan might just have a mini version of him coming through the ranks.