Ivan Provedel is an Inter player | OneFootball

At first, he scored goals. Plenty of them. Yet even as a child, Ivan Provedel's real dream was not to score, but to protect the very goal he so often found the net against; a childhood paradox that would go on to define his footballing journey. His early years were spent building a reputation as a prolific striker on the pitches of Friuli. First in Visinale, a small village south of Pordenone, then in Treviso, before joining the youth ranks of Pordenone, the city where he was born on 17 March 1994. The youngest of six siblings, Provedel has both Italian and Russian roots through his mother. That connection would later reveal a remarkable coincidence: his grandparents had once lived next door to the legendary Lev Yashin. In hindsight, it felt like the first sign that his destiny lay between the posts.

As a teenager, Provedel continued to score at an astonishing rate. At 15, he finished the Regional U15 Championship with Pordenone having scored 27 goals, numbers that pointed towards a future as a centre-forward. But his ambitions lay elsewhere. At the age of six, he had fallen in love with Francesco Toldo's performances at UEFA Euro 2000. The Inter goalkeeper became his idol, and from that moment Provedel wanted to follow the same path. He learned to play as a striker, but something always pulled him towards the opposite end of the pitch.

The turning point came after that remarkable 27-goal season. "I'll play in goal, or I'll stop playing." It was Renzo Zanet, goalkeeping coach at Liapiave, who gave him the opportunity he had been waiting for, offering him his first chance between the posts. It marked the beginning of a long climb. In 2010, Provedel joined Udinese's academy before taking another major step in 2013, leaving Friuli for the first time to sign for Chievo. From there, his career became a journey through different clubs, cities and divisions. He moved to Pisa as a 19-year-old, spending a season in Serie C before joining Perugia, where he made his Serie B debut. Spells at Modena and Pro Vercelli followed before another breakthrough arrived with Empoli, where he made his Serie A debut against Frosinone on 21 October 2018.

Patience has always been one of Provedel's defining qualities. Measured and resilient by nature, he completed his studies at high school, learned to play the piano and never allowed setbacks to derail his progress. Relegation with Empoli did not shake him, nor did a move to Juve Stabia in Serie B. Ironically, it was there that his name first captured widespread attention - not because of a spectacular save or a trophy, but thanks to a dramatic headed equaliser against Ascoli during the 2019/20 season, the kind of goal he had scored so many times as a youngster. That season proved another turning point, earning him a move to Spezia and a return to Serie A. From there, everything accelerated. Consistency, authority and outstanding shot-stopping established him as one of Italy's most reliable goalkeepers, performances that earned him a transfer to Lazio in 2022 under Maurizio Sarri.

His impact in Rome was immediate. Thrown into the starting line-up for the opening match of the season at the Stadio Olimpico, Provedel impressed on his debut as Lazio opened the campaign with a 2-1 victory. He went on to enjoy a remarkable first season, recording 21 clean sheets in Serie A to equal the all-time single-season record jointly held by Gianluigi Buffon and Morgan De Sanctis. Those performances earned him the award for Serie A's Best Goalkeeper for the 2022/23 season, recognition of a journey shaped by the bold decision he had made years earlier to exchange goals for gloves.

And yet, the striker within him never truly disappeared. Instead, it produced one of the most extraordinary moments in Champions League history. On 19 September 2023, making his debut in Europe's premier club competition, Provedel surged forward in stoppage time against Atlético Madrid and headed home a dramatic equaliser. Another towering header. Another finish worthy of a centre-forward. With that goal, he became only the second goalkeeper ever to score from open play in a Champions League match.

Now, after four seasons with Lazio, Ivan Provedel has fulfilled the dream he first imagined as a six-year-old boy. He is ready to don the Nerazzurri shirt and defend Inter's goal, following in the footsteps of the Francesco Toldo whose performances first inspired him to become a goalkeeper. One dream achieved. Many more to come.