As the ball hit the back of the net, Manuel Locatelli raced across to the far corner of the Stadio Olimpico in Turin, aware that his 86th minute strike had almost certainly decided the latest edition of the city’s fiercely contested Derby della Mole. Jumping over the advertising hoardings, he held his arms aloft and basked in the jubilant celebrations of the Juventus fans as they enjoyed beating their local rivals.
He knew they would relish it, because he is one of them.
Not too long after his brother signed his contract with the grand Old Lady of Italian football, Mattia Locatelli shared a picture from 2003. In it, Manuel is celebrating the club’s 27th league title, and that was a huge factor in him opting to wear that same number now he is playing for the team he has always supported.
The journey to wearing the black and white shirt – or, more accurately, to start wearing it again – has not been easy. A native of the Lombardy town of Lecco, Locatelli began his career in the Atalanta youth sector before joining AC Milan at the age of 11, and shone as he rose through the ranks.
At 15 he was first called to train with the first team by Max Allegri, but would have to wait until April 2016 to make his debut. Locatelli’s first goal came when he was sent on as a substitute against Sassuolo in October of that year, and he followed it up with a sensational strike in a match with Juventus just six days later.
His star was seemingly on the rise, but he would eventually begin to spend more and more time on the sidelines in favour of more well-established veterans like Lucas Biglia and Riccardo Montolivo. Locatelli would ultimately be sold to Sassuolo in a €14 million ($16.2m) deal and admitted in an interview with Corriere dello Sport (via MilanNews.it) that he “had lost faith in myself.”
The change of scenery would ultimately be the making of him, but in that aforementioned interview he also revealed that he owes a huge debt of gratitude to his Coach there, Roberto De Zerbi. “He helped me to grow both on a technical-tactical and human level,” Locatelli continued. “I have matured. But it wasn’t all hearts and flowers between us, there were arguments too. Indeed, real quarrels.
“After those confrontations I was angry with him, then I realised that he was telling me certain things to help me grow. I thought I had to play all the time, but instead I found myself on the bench, often after being scolded in training. I didn’t understand that the problem was me, not the Coach.”
Two seasons with the Neroverdi saw Locatelli blossom into a genuine star, prompting inevitable links with some of Europe’s top clubs. Perhaps prompted by the fact his mentor De Zerbi chose this summer to leave Sassuolo for Shakhtar Donetsk, the midfielder decided to do the same, but that wasn’t straightforward either.
Locatelli wanted to play for Juventus, and Juventus wanted Locatelli, but the negotiations dragged on and on throughout the transfer window. The deal would eventually be completed just four days before the first game of the season, and according to an official statement from the Bianconeri, they signed him on a two-year loan, at the end of which they are obligated to buy Locatelli outright for €25 million ($29m), with a potential €12.5 million ($14.5m) in further bonuses to be added on should the club achieve various goals.
The early returns show that deal is an absolute steal as he instantly revitalised a midfield that has, in truth, been dire since the exit of Paul Pogba in 2016. Rather than making the kind of top level acquisitions they so obviously needed in that department, Juve cycled through a plethora of ill-fitting pieces, hoping various combinations of Miralem Pjanic, Blaise Matuidi, Aaron Ramsey, Sami Khedira and Emre Can could get the job done.
That three of those players arrived on free transfers show just how badly the Old Lady was cutting corners, but Locatelli has transformed that substandard unit into a functional one that has immediately looked far more balanced. The imminent return to fitness of Brazil international Arthur should help further still, but it is impossible to ignore the impact Locatelli has already made, bringing the energy and drive that the team had been so sorely lacking.
Just as they were for Italy at the European Championships in the summer when he helped the Azzurri lift the trophy, those traits have been evident every time he steps on the field. Locatelli is always seeking the most viable attacking option, pushing his team onto the front foot at every available opportunity.
In the past week alone, the 23-year-old weighed in with his first Juve goal against Sampdoria where he added an assist for good measure, then delivered an incredibly mature performance against reigning European champions Chelsea. According to statistics from WhoScored.com, that match saw Locatelli register four tackles, a game-high four interceptions and two clearances in a clash that demanded defensive resilience.
But while the Bianconeri managed just 27% possession against the current Premier League leaders, Sunday’s derby with Torino saw them back in the driving seat. Locatelli was a key figure in the high press demanded by Allegri, constantly buzzing around the final third of the field as he probed for weaknesses, eventually finding one as he slotted home a memorable goal before running under the curva to celebrate.
Oh, and the next morning he got engaged too.
There is no doubt that Manuel Locatelli is living his best life, and he’s smiling while he does so too. The boy in the Juventus no.27 shirt is now a man.