When it comes to seeing the world through black-and-blue tinted glasses, Pietro Tornaghi surely is an authority on the topic: after joining Atalanta merely a child, he climbed up through the Academy ranks all the way to the Primavera. Most recently, his name was surely marked in red last Monday, as Atalanta imposed themselves 4-1 over Torino. “Playing all together as a team, we showcased an unrelenting display and brought home a key result. Still, we’re not out of the woods yet, another demanding match, against Roma this time, awaits. While the reverse fixture coincided with my first feature in the starting XI, I still harbour bittersweet feelings about it given the loss we suffered. On the flipside, I began to play more regularly since then”. As a matter of fact, from that day onward, not only did Pietro rack up 10 appearances at the heart of the U19s’ defence, but he was a starter in the last eight. “After a lifetime here- Pietro goes on – this shirt is truly like a second skin. I also owe my footballing path in Atalanta to the many sympathetic coaches I had the chance to work with over the years: they really taught me and developed me so much. Ever since a very young age, I was awestruck by the amount of care and attention implemented here at Atalanta to ensure your growth, day in and day out. And at the same time, by how politeness and sportsmanship are the first core values you are taught and prompted to. I still recall how often people raved about our good manners and fair play whenever we played away games or tournaments. This has always been a top-list priority here at Atalanta. As such, given my tenure here as a Nerazzurro, I always try my best to instill these values in all the newcomers; it’s my own way to help them fit in a new group”.
Pietro first donned the black-and-blue jersey in the summer of 2012: “Were I to put my finger on someone, I guess it was my great-uncle Guido Armanni, former Leffe centreback, who ignited my passion for football, even though I always fancied watching it at home on the tv for as long as I can remember. Native of Grezzago, I took my first steps in Trezzo sull’Adda, first playing at my parish club before moving to Tritium. Barely six months in and I received Atalanta’s call: I wasn’t yet 7 when they took me in. I still recall my first try-out and the happiness I felt the second after knowing that Atalanta was knocking on my door: to be fair, it was a no-brainer. Like any other rookie, I started off paying my dues under the mentorship of coaches Andrea Pandolfi, Battista Righi and Ferruccio Gatti, who are still working for Atalanta. A few months after my arrival, Comi and Manzoni also walked through the Bortolotti gates. Which makes you think that ,after all these years, it’s still the three of us: we started this path together and now we are all “under the same roof” playing for the Primavera”.
Pietro, is not the only Tornaghi playing for Atalanta’s Youth sides, though. “My younger brother Stefano, born in 2011, plays for the U13s side as a left-footed winger. Given that we’re always playing together in our garden in summertime, I tend to give him the odd footballing advice from time to time. I guess I see myself in him: after starting off as a striker, they moved me on the flank to capitalize on my speed and also because I wasn’t as tall as I am now . The same thing could be said about my brother: he’s always dashing up and down the wing. Then, as I climbed up in tiers, I was moved further back on the field: after a brief stint as a full-back I then carved my space as a fully-fledged centreback during my U17s days. And in the meantime I grew up: while I was a bit over 170cm tall as an U15s’ player, I grew 15 cm in a year or so. And now I stand at 190cm tall. Still, I grew accustomed to being a centreback, I feel like I’m here to stay. Whenever we have the chance to train with the first team I keep my eyes peeled on Scalvini: he too climbed the Academy ladder all the way up to becoming a First Team starter and leaving his mark in European competitions. He truly is a role model”.
