In-form striker Gianluca Scamacca said on Thursday he wants to make history with Italy as he prepares to make his major tournament debut against Albania at Euro 2024.
Atalanta forward Scamacca’s superb club form has earned him a place in the national team squad and he will spearhead the Azzurri in their first Group B match of the defence of their European Championship title on Saturday.
“We are a young team in a new cycle. It took some time to get to our best but I think they are ready, I am ready and I want to help the team progress as much as possible,” Scamacca told reporters at Italy’s training camp.
“We want to emulate the 2020 team that won the Euros and the 2006 team that won the World Cup.”
“Those teams are the examples I want to follow because they made history, and personally I want to make history with the national team.”
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With coach Luciano Spalletti moving completely away from the team that won the European Championship three years ago, Scamacca is one of a number of new faces playing for Italy in Germany.
The 25-year-old impressed in Italy’s final pre-tournament game against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday, his first appearance for the national team since being left out by Spalletti for games against Venezuela and Ecuador in the United States in March.
Spalletti’s slamming of players “playing PlayStation until 4am” was widely interpreted as a target of Scamacca, whose excellent performances at the end of the season have earned him his trust once again.
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Scamacca has been in good form since the start of March, scoring 12 goals and providing four assists for Atalanta as they won the Europa League under attacking manager Gian Piero Gasperini.
“He (Spaletti) has ideas that suit me perfectly so I’m comfortable with both styles of play – an attacking style and a lot of possession,” Scamacca added.
“Over the last few months I’ve gotten better physically and started playing more consistently and you can see the results.”
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After Saturday’s opening match in Dortmund, Italy will face Spain and Croatia in Group B.
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