Player Focus: Zaza Works His Way to Top Thanks to Sassuolo's Italian Loyalty

Edvard Munch’s Expressionist masterpiece The Scream hangs in Oslo’s National Museum. After Simone Zaza scored his first goal for Italy in Tuesday night’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Norway at the Ullevaal Stadion, Sky Italia’s Alessandro Alciato remarked that the bald striker looked a little like the figure in the painting. He tried to get him to imitate the famous pose: hands to the side of his face, mouth open. Zaza briefly obliged. 

His lack of a celebration after opening his account in international football had been remarked upon. There was no wail, nor cry of jubilation as you might expect. Maybe his shot’s deflection off Håvard Nordtveit took some of the shine off it. But it remained a moment of great personal significance for Zaza. Growing up in Metaponto, a beach town famous for its ancient Greek temple, he was aware that only one player from his region Basilicata had ever played for Italy. That was Franco Selvaggi, a member of the 1982 World Cup winning squad. 

It’s something Zaza has only been too aware of since he started his career. “Basilicata is a little overlooked,” he told Guerin Sportivo. “There are talented kids but no one takes the trouble to come and see them. Things have changed a bit in recent years. Francesco Colonnese, Gianvito Plasmati, Antonio Giosa, Rocco Sabato and Gianluca Sansone have all managed to reach Serie A. In my case luck played a part. If an Atalanta scout hadn’t seen me playing for Bernalda when I was 11 my life would have perhaps taken a different turn.” 

Consider the example of his best friend and strike partner from those days Francesco Lopapa. “It was a great feeling because ‘Pollo’ and I were close and dreamed about a future in football. We had similar qualities and were a great pair. I stuck with playing [and got noticed] while he instead dedicated himself to his studies enrolling at the University of Chieti. Some career paths like mine are decided by chance.” 

Zaza left home for a place in their famous academy at 13, receiving his football education from their great talent nurturer Mino Favini. He was top scorer for Atalanta’s Under-17s as they claimed the Beppe Viola trophy and for the Primavera until they reached the Super Cup which was lost on penalties to Sampdoria. 

Believe it or not, Zaza actually made his Serie A debut five years ago, entering as a substitute in the final 10 minutes of a 2-0 defeat to Chievo. He’d make another couple of appearances before a contract dispute led to him being frozen out for six months. Hundreds of kilometres away from his family - Zaza has his mother’s name Caterina tattooed on his arm - and denied the adolescence of many of his friends outside of football, he acted up and got a reputation as a testa calda - a hot head. “Some labels come to be stuck on you too soon,” he reflected. 

Signed by Samp on the recommendation of their general manager Beppe Marotta and chief scout Fabio Paratici - both now at Juventus - he stepped down to youth team football again. A loan followed to Juve Stabia in Serie B but Zaza hardly played. “I never got discouraged,” he recalled, “also because my parents and ‘Pollo’ gave me a big hand. I understood that the moment had come to start over with all the determination possible. I needed to play with continuity.” Zaza would get that at third division Viareggio. 

Rather than consider it a demotion and a sign of his falling status, he instead saw it as an opportunity. It was a turning point. Zaza scored 11 times in 18 games, earned a move back to Italy’s second tier with Ascoli and went even better there finishing the season before last with a tally of 18. Promoted to the top-flight, Sassuolo signed him. Marotta and Paratici hadn’t forgotten about Zaza either and arranged for Juventus to co-own his rights. 

Another of their shared players, the younger Domenico Berardi witnessed his star ascend higher than Zaza’s in their first Serie A campaign. A teenager at the time and another kid from Italy’s south, he made the headlines after scoring 16 goals including a poker in a memorable win against Milan which precipitated Max Allegri’s dismissal, not to mention hat-tricks against Fiorentina and Samp. Zaza’s year by contrast was more understated. 

“Last year I got more yellow cards (10) than goals (9),” he joked while on international duty this week. “They say I’m a striker who kicks defenders instead of getting kicked. I recognise myself a little in that description.”

Unlike the player he replaces in the Italy squad Mario Balotelli, though, Zaza isn’t reckless. He puts himself about. That was evident in Sassuolo’s opening game of the season when, among other things, he scored the goal of the weekend in a 1-1 draw with Cagliari. “He shoves, he moves [get it, Balo?], he jostles, defends the ball, and works the 'keeper even after a 40m gallop. In short, the complete repertoire,” wrote Alex Frosio in La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Worthy of the national team.”

Less talented than Balotelli, Zaza and his partner Ciro Immobile are also less static and more willing to run. It’s that spirit and hustle that so appeals to Italy’s new coach Antonio Conte. “It’s hard being a striker in his system,” Zaza acknowledged after the Norway win. “You have to work for the team and run a lot.” But work and run he did. 

Nor does he lose focus about what his role is: Zaza is there to finish. He averaged just 4.0 accurate passes per shot last season and only took 11 touches before unleashing one, both of which were among the fewest in Serie A. 29.5% of his shots were on target. “When he carries the ball, he reminds you a little of Christian Vieri,” wrote Stefano Agresti in Il Corriere dello Sport, “a less powerful and more agile Bobo.”

Zaza is symbolic of a number of things: Conte has said he will pick men first and players second because when the going gets tough, it’s character that pulls you through. Like several members of Conte’s Nazionale from Leo Bonucci [Pisa], Andrea Ranocchia [Arezzo/Bari], Emanuele Giaccherini [Cesena] and Matteo Darmian [Padova] to Alessandro Florenzi [Crotone], Ciro Immobile [Pescara] and Zaza they’ve all gone down the divisions to get playing time, they’ve all had to prove and sacrifice themselves and work in the less glamorous environs to get where they are today. Nothing has been gifted them. 

Zaza is also emblematic of the issues surrounding the Italian game. Juventus could have signed him outright this summer. Rather than invest in top Italian talent however they sold their share in Zaza to Sassuolo for €7.5m (while also negotiating a buy back clause worth double into the terms) and chose to buy a foreign one, Alvaro Morata, for €20m instead. 

Right now Juventus may consider it better for Zaza’s development to stay at the Mapei Stadium (and he seems to think so too). But why are Sassuolo the only team putting faith in local youth? This small club continues to be bold in going against the grain. Last season Italians played 45.9% of the minutes in Serie A. At Sassuolo they played 84.9%. All of their goals were scored by Italians. And while Fiorentina were putting out all-foreign XIs, they were instead fielding all-Italian ones, doing so 10 times and staying up too. 

If Zaza was the star of the senior Italy team this past international fortnight, winning a penalty against the Netherlands and scoring the icebreaker in Norway, Berardi also shone for the Under-21s, getting the winner in a come-from-behind must-win game against Serbia. “This week has been like a dream,” Zaza said. If only the rest of Italy would wake up and follow Sassuolo’s example.

What did you make of Zaza's performances for Italy? Let us know in the comments below