Italians left gobsmacked by Coletta: Benfica midfielder dubbed robot | OneFootball

Federico Coletta, an 18-year-old Italian midfielder whom Benfica secured last summer for €1 million, is making headlines in his home country, where people are looking on in astonishment at the fact that Roma let him leave. According to Gianluca Falsini, the coach who guided him for three years in the youth ranks of the Italian club, the now-Benfica player "is the smartest player he has ever coached".

"Together, we won two championships. Along with Di Nunzio [still in Roma's academy], I think he is, by far, the smartest player I have ever coached", he began by saying, in comments to 'La Gazzetta dello Sport'.

"That is his greatest quality. I could explain anything to him and, within ten days, he had already understood it. It was impressive. Bonus number two: his mentality, because he is practically a robot, a professional from a very young age. He is an ambitious guy, he always wanted to win. I remember a period when, for two or three matches, he could not score or provide an assist. He handled it badly, you could even tell in training. Then he broke through and everything went back to normal," he highlighted.

The flaws of the now-Benfica player were also discussed: "Few, only his physical build and his speed over long distances. In the first 5-10 meters, he is hard to keep up with, but after that he loses a bit. In Italy he might have more difficulties, but the style of play they have in Portugal helps him. They exchange passes, they give him more time. And that way he can be devastating."

Coletta, who is compared to Davide Frattesi, the Inter midfielder developed at Roma, is seen as yet another player to be launched by José Mourinho - who saw Benfica protect his image - especially because he knows the Special One from their time in Italy. "I have known him since the Roma days, I speak with him often," the player recently revealed.

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