Goal.com 50: Marco Motta (49)

 50. Robinho (Manchester City & Brazil)

49. MARCO MOTTA (Roma & Italy Under-21)

 48. Luis Fabiano (Sevilla & Brazil)

Despite their stagnant approach to the transfer market this summer, Roma have moved to complete the signing  of wing-back Marco Motta from Udinese in a co-ownership deal, and rightly so.

An anonymous figure at the Stadio Friuli until January, he found himself thrown in at the deep end in the Eternal City following Cicinho’s injury and passed the test with flying colours.

He debuted against Genoa at the Olimpico with all the confidence of a veteran and a couple of weeks later appeared totally immune from the collective stage fright afflicting his side when the Lupi travelled to the Emirates to take on Arsenal in the Champions League.

In one of his forays behind enemy lines he almost netted a vital away goal, but Gunners goalkeeper Manuel Almunia finger-tipped his rasping drive over the crossbar.

In the return leg at the Olimpico, the 23-year-old was immense, along with Norwegian John Arne Riise, and the pair kept Roma afloat after Juan’s injury further affected an already decimated side. Roma would ultimately lose out in a dramatic penalty shoot-out, though.

But the European experience stood him in good stead and he carried his fine form into the league, in which he was consistently the stand-out performer as Roma’s campaign gradually fizzled out.

However, his season could have ended on a higher note as an Azzurrini side boasting the likes of Sebastian Giovinco and Mario Balotelli flew to Sweden for the European Under-21 Championship.

Motta In Action | The flying full-back for Azzurrini

Pierluigi Casiraghi’s men were among the favourites to win the competition, with Motta superbly marshalling the young guns throughout. However, a mixture of tactical errors and bad luck contributed to their demise, Italy ultimately paying the price for their profligacy in the semi-finals at the hands of the clinical Germans, who then went on to sweep aside England to be crowned champions.

Being recognised by UEFA as one of the ten players who made a lasting impression on the tournament was just a small consolation for the former Atalanta youngster, who had hoped to lift the first major trophy of his career after winning the Toulon tournament in 2008.

But time is on his side, and after drawing the curtain on his career with the Azzurrini, his steady progress cannot go unnoticed by Italy boss Marcello Lippi, who is still scratching his head over the dismal Confederations Cup expedition and has promised to bring some young blood into the Nazionale over the coming months.

We’ll see. But with Gianluca Zambrotta nearing the end of his illustrious career, he should look no further than Motta and Inter youth product Davide Santon for his back line if the Azzurri are to stand any chance of defending their title at next summer’s World Cup.

Vince Masiello, Goal.com

PREVIOUS: 50. Robinho (Manchester City & Brazil)

49. MARCO MOTTA (Roma & Italy Under-21)

NEXT: 48. Luis Fabiano (Sevilla & Brazil)