The assist that Alex Castiello dished out on Saturday against Inter was more than just a key pass. Instead of seeking personal glory despite being in a scoring position, the Atalanta Primavera 07s’ striker opted to assist a better-located Vlahovic, who capitalized on his teammate’s pass and scored the late equaliser to make it 1-1. “When I saw Vanja in a better scoring position out of the corner of my eye, I just thought that passing the ball to him would have surely culminated in a goal; especially given the on-rushing opposing defender about to perform an undercut on me. I just went for the better option. It doesn’t matter if I score or give an assist, as long as my performance is functional to the team’s objectives. I guess it’s just a part of who I am. Goals will come my way eventually, I’m certain of that”. So far, Alex has already provided three assists in all competitions and is currently on streak, having his two latest key passes been dished out in the back-to-back league matches against Juventus and Inter. “I’ve always been a selfless player. I still recall a training match we played one day right after joining Atalanta roughly 10 years ago: it was a game with two coed teams, namely Nerazzurri against “Whites”, and it was held on a mountain pitch. On that day, not only did I score many goals, but I also provided many assists as well”.

Despite being among the youngest of the Primavera pack, Alex is nonetheless a seasoned veteran of the whole Atalanta Youth System thanks to his extensive tenure throughout the Academy having been a Nerazzurro since January 2014. “To think that, when I first entered the Club I had yet to turn 7. Atalanta are now a second home and a second family to me”. His first family lives in Milan, though. “Close to Viale Certosa. Being both my mom and my dad of Neapolitan origin, I used to travel southbound to Napoli and spend my holidays there. There in Acerra, my father’s neighbourhood, I spent my days playing down the street: leaving home after lunch, I usually came back home at night. Moreover, before hitting the pitch, I always listen to the songs by Geolier, a singer from Naples and one of my absolute favourite artists”.

“I’m the youngest of three brothers  – Alex goes on-. I can safely say that it was both my older brother Christian, born in 2000, and my father who sparked my passion for football: when I was younger, I never missed one of his matches. Plus, being a boisterous kid myself, not a day went by that I didn’t play with my other brother Denny, born in 2003, at home. Being him a goalkeeper and me a striker, we tested each other in scoring and saving: to us, they were joint training sessions of sorts. And this custom stayed to this day: penalties, free-kicks, mano-a-manos you name it. The problem there was that, since we were playing in the living room, we ended up smashing everything in sight: glassware, vases, the whole lot… My parents had no choice but to enrol me in Lombardina’s football practice”.

Then off to Alcione before finally joining Atalanta, where he rose through the ranks of the Academy – an even more impressive feat considering he was usually underage for the competition, as was the case of the U17s last year – all the way to the Primavera, where he now has to face older opponents, up to three years older, on a regular basis: “The call-up at the beginning of the season and, foremost, the confirmation in the Primavera’s roster that followed after the training camp were a source of utmost pride and satisfaction for me. When I first entered the camp I was certain that, once all the injured strikers had recovered, the possibility of not making the cut and even being demoted was not so far-fetched. Yet, after a budding preseason, coach Bosi told me that he would have taken my application into account. I’m thrilled about how the season has been unravelling so far, especially given how the team is going strong. I also had a chance to play a couple of training games against the First Team in my Under-23s’ try-out. Hitting the pitch side by side with players you had only seen either at the stadium or on the telly before is a mind-blowing experience: after the initial shock, you just try to soak up everything that might be helpful as much as possible. While I was strictly marked by Palomino, it was Muriel who struck me the most, truly a one-of-a-kind player”.