Napoli: CDS hails Vanja Milinković-Savić, the steel guardian | OneFootball

Monumental, unflappable, and mystical: the Serbian goalkeeper embodies the idea of quiet strength between the Napoli posts, according to the dean of journalists, Mimmo Carratelli.

Napoli, CDS celebrates Vanja Milinković-Savić, the steel guardian: his black beard as a talisman

There is an image that remains etched in your mind when watching Vanja Milinković-Savić between the Napoli posts: that of an imposing, almost sculptural goalkeeper who dominates the area like a mythical figure, writes Carratelli in Il Corriere dello Sport.

With his arms outstretched, he looks like a modern Vitruvian man, an Atlas holding up the world, a footballing version of Christ the Redeemer. Within him coexist symbols of strength and calm, discipline and spirituality.

Origins and destiny of a giant

Born in Ourense, Galicia, to a Serbian father and Bosnian mother, Vanja is the younger brother of Sergej Milinković-Savić, an established midfielder. Standing two meters and two centimeters tall, he represents the tower of his family, a human bell tower watching over Napoli’s goal. On the pitch, Vanja is not spectacular, but austere and precise. He doesn’t dive to amaze, but to block. He doesn’t celebrate with flamboyant gestures, but keeps his joy within: he is a worker of saves, a professional of silence.

The black beard, symbol and shield

His black beard is his trademark, his talisman. It’s not just an aesthetic detail: it’s a mark of identity, almost a ritual. “He is a prophet, a monk, a warrior,” writes Carratelli. And indeed, that beard, dark as a Balkan night, has become an integral part of his charisma. In front of the penalty spot, penalty takers don’t see a goal, but a figure that hypnotizes them: an ancient and mysterious presence, like Rasputin before the Tsar.

The nightmare of penalty takers: the composure of the chosen one

In recent months, Milinković-Savić has become the worst nightmare for penalty takers. He has saved penalties from Camarda, Morata, Pulisic, Retegui, Pasalic, Insigne, and Džeko, displaying icy calm and a rare ability to read the game. His strength lies in the simplicity of his actions, the confidence of his movements, and his ability to maintain absolute concentration. For him, every save is a natural act, not a miracle: a way to reaffirm his presence, as if every shot were a ritual already written.

In the tradition of great goalkeepers

Carratelli compares him to the greats of the past: Taglialatela, the “Batman of Ischia” who stopped the champions’ penalties, or Dino Zoff, the Friulian legend made of discipline and silence. From Zoff, Vanja has inherited composure and positional sense. But there is something different in him, something otherworldly: a cosmic calm that seems to come from another planet. If Zoff was earthly perfection, Milinković-Savić is celestial majesty.

The beard as destiny

In an increasingly spectacular football world, Vanja represents the dignity of the ancient craft of goalkeeping. He doesn’t put on a show, doesn’t seek applause. He defends his space with the discipline of a monk and the determination of a soldier. And in that beard, black and thick, he seems to guard all his strength, his faith, and his mystery.

It is the beard of the goalkeeper and the prophet, the symbol of a man who defends not only a goal, but an idea: that of football as a silent and relentless art.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.