Riccardo Montolivo

In Italy it seems it takes a decade for a new number ten playmaker to come on the scene. This year a number of them have come onto the scene, but the one who has been able to flex his muscle the most in the senior Italian squad has been Riccardo Montolivo.

The Fiorentina playmaker has been putting in great performances with his club and lately has caught the attention of Marcelo Lippi.

Montolivo’s style cannot really be compared to any other playmaker in the Italian history books. He has molded himself into a player whose reaction is quick and on point. His passing is superb and he also has a keen eye for the goal.

Watch any Fiorentina game where he has appeared and you will notice the incredible talent and bag of tricks this young man has. He is highly coveted by a lot of teams, but seems content with staying with Fiorentina. If he stays with the club the way Alex Del Piero has stayed with Juventus, he could help Fiorentina reach the heights they haven’t achieved since Rui Costa and Batistuta last played for them. He could also find his way to one of the bigger Italian clubs such as AC Milan. The Milan club is a little crowded right now, but he can still add something to the club especially since Andrea Pirlo and Clarence Seedorf are getting close to their retirement years.

Riccardo has a great future ahead of him with the Italian national team and it would be a fool who doubts this young man.