The black and white Marco Silvestri loves to collect. Video games, comics, cards… collectibles to be precise. And, trophies, certificates of esteem. Prizes like the one assigned to him these days by the fans of the Udinese Club Association.
The Emilian goalkeeper, then, is the winner of the Zebretta d’oro for the year that has now come to an end: his 2022 palm of the prestigious award created by Messaggero Veneto together with Auc, an award that has come, think about it, already to the its twenty-first edition.
A special edition, consequently, and fought, remained in the balance until the last vote. In fact, the summit was played with teammate Deulofeu, the “cat” born in ’91, but good at clawing, feline, that last useful preference to allow him to win in the final head-to-head. Fifteen, therefore, the nominations received against the fourteen collected by the Spaniard.
Trifles, a trifle, however sufficient to crown the path taken by the former Verona player since his arrival in Friuli, in July 2021. Having come to protect the posts left unattended by his colleague Musso, Silvestri was soon able to engrave, catching without worries the legacy left to him by the Argentine… Golden Zebretta included: the imposition of the current Atalanta guardian from 2019.
The prize then passes from glove to glove, except to meet, in the transfer, the hands of world champion De Paul, winner in 2020, and former captain Nuytinck, elected in 2021.
In the history of recognition, Silvestri is therefore the fifth player able to bring Zebretta back between the posts after the exploit dated 2005 of the pioneer Morgan De Sanctis. Later, Samir Handanovic and Orestis Karnezis and Juan Musso also managed to claim the title (the Slovenian and the Greek on two occasions even).
Both thus managed to undermine, albeit slightly, the undisputed dominance of the record-man in this area: the five-time champion Antonio Di Natale.
In the golden register of the trophy awarded to the best player of each calendar year, Totò is the most present. Other Juventus glories keep him company such as Nestor Sensini, first winner of the award, in 2003, and Dusan Basta (2013).
To join the club, Silvestri had to overcome stiff competition. In fact, if we find the “diez” Deulofeu just one distance from him, the Brazilian Becao follows with ten votes. Seven nominations for captain Pereyra, two in favor of the German Samardzic as well as the former Molina, on top of the world a few days ago in Qatar. A preference for Walace; absent, surprisingly, bomber Beto.
In the same context, as per tradition, the supporters affiliated with the Auc awarded the Balon d’aur, a symbolic honor given to the best international footballer of the year.
The winner was Karim Benzema – already Ballon d’Or for France Football – in spite of the various Haaland or Mbappé. And Messi? Only two mentions: few, perhaps due to a collection of nominations that took place shortly before the triumph of the “flea” at the World Cup. —
© breaking latest news