Sampdoria’s turn to 17-year-old
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German youth international Matteo Palma was on the field for 16 minutes for Udinese Calcio in the 2-2 draw against Pisa on Saturday, helping them win their 26th point. The 17-year-old defensive talent increased his playing time to 115 minutes this Serie A season – plus 256 in the Coppa Italia. In his age group, only Atalanta’s Honest Ahanor (796 minutes) and Lecce’s Francesco Camarda (634) have more (perennial favorite statistics). The fact that a central defender receives as much trust as Palma does from coach Kosta Runjaić so early in Italy is not a given and shows what potential the Berlin native has. At the age of 16 he learned from one of the greats: Fabio Cannavaro.
“It was of course something special to be coached by a Ballon d’Or winner,” said Palma in an interview with “Bild” about the current national coach of Uzbekistan, who led Udinese to narrow relegation in 2024. “He taught us defenders in particular a lot – for example about the right distance from the attackers, preparing for individual opponents or heading the ball. So he gave me almost everything a central defender needs.” Cannavaro was followed in Friuli by Runjaić, under whom the club has stabilized again and is currently aiming for a position in the upper midfield in tenth place.
However, Cannavaro is not the direct role model for Palma, the 1.94 meter tall U18 national player named Sergio Ramos, Virgil van Dijk – and Nico Schlotterbeck: “Schlotterbeck is not only very good physically, but also on the ball. That is also extremely important for central defenders in modern football. I want to have that mix too, I’m working on it.”
This is how the transfer market experts assess Palma’s development
Transfermarkt’s Serie A expert Aniello Luciano, content manager for the Italian version of the site, thinks Palma has done really well so far “given his age, the competition and his level of development.” This is one of the reasons why the December market value update recorded a doubling to 5 million euros. But you can’t yet compare him with Atalanta’s star starter Ahanor (market value of 25 million euros), “neither in terms of his characteristics nor in terms of his technical-tactical maturity.”
Palma, who moved to Italy with his father in 2022 and previously played in the youth ranks of Hertha BSC, is “a spatial defender with a special physique that requires playing time and continuity. He is probably best suited in a back four or centrally in a back three, as he plays to his strengths in man-marking and is not quick and technically adept enough to shape the game, change coverage or correct mistakes. If you want to make a comparison, then he might be similar to that with the necessary differences early Radu Drăgușin.”
Jatin Dietl, Area Manager of Transfermarkt in Italy, added: “I can only add that he could have started the season against Hellas Verona on the first matchday, but then got injured. That was bad luck. He then played his first game against Sassuolo at the end of September, and that was a very, very poor performance, which is why he was immediately substituted at half-time. However, I know that the expectations for him are high. Personally, to be honest, I would have expected – or hoped for – a lot more playing time. But I think Udinese are patient and the two events mentioned above have probably also contributed to a more difficult start than expected.”
Palma between Italy and Germany – playing time at Sampdoria?
Palma, whose contract initially runs until 2027, could possibly get more playing time in the second half of the season in the 2nd league with a former top club: Sampdoria Genoa is said to be interested in a transfer. Luciano would consider this a “good situation for him.” However, Palma told “Bild” that his short-term goal was to finish “in the top half of the Serie A table” with Udinese. “In the long term, I personally want to stay injury-free, continue to develop while having fun and of course win titles at some point. Ideally, I would also like to play in the Champions League and a World Cup. These are huge dreams that you have to work hard for – but I’m ready for that.”
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M. Palma |
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At a World Cup, he would theoretically be eligible to play for four nations: his father is of Italian and Austrian descent, his mother is of German and Cameroonian descent. Palma played for Italy in the U15, then moved to the DFB. According to his own statement, he doesn’t yet know 100 percent what the future will look like: “They’re both huge football nations. I feel great at the DFB, but of course I can’t yet say what the next few years will bring. At the moment I want and have to do my best for Udinese – everything else is a fantastic bonus.”
