"There were constant shivers last night. I will tell the truth, I was moved." That's Tiziano Spartera — the academy coach who first worked with Edoardo Motta at age ten — watching his former pupil save four consecutive penalties to send Lazio to the Coppa Italia final against Inter.
Spartera runs ASD Soccer Spartera in Casale Monferrato, a small academy that doesn't often produce players who star on nights like the one in Bergamo. He spoke to Tuttomercatoweb after the match, and the pride was barely containable.
From timid kid to penalty shootout hero
The Motta that Spartera describes from those early sessions is almost unrecognisable from the goalkeeper who stared down Atalanta's penalty takers. "He was timid," Spartera said. "He was afraid to come off his line, he would cling to the goal." The coach's remedy was simple and deliberate — force the kid to talk, to organise, to take up space. "I gave him courage and calmness."
The mental foundations were already there. "He had a clear objective and trained harder than the others. He studied and worked without ever complaining." Novara, who had first priority through the academy's affiliation, passed. Juventus didn't.
From Juve's development system to loan spells at Reggiana, Motta eventually landed at Lazio — and then Provedel got injured, and suddenly a 23-year-old was the answer to a fairly urgent question. Against Atalanta, he answered it with a save from Scamacca and four straight penalty stops. That's not fortune. That's nerve.
The Italy question
Spartera didn't hedge when asked about Motta's international ceiling. "Certainly his future is bright, definitely as a future international." He also drew a comparison that carries real weight in Italian goalkeeping history — Francesco Toldo. Commanding, physically imposing, cut from a similar cloth.
His one note for improvement? "Physically he needs to build himself up a little more." That's the only caveat from the man who knows him best.
Spartera also landed a broader point that Italian football has been slow to absorb. "In other countries, at 23 they already have the experience to play for the national team. You need to believe in youngsters and not punish them at the first error." Motta is 23. He just saved four penalties in a Coppa Italia semifinal. Italy's goalkeeper situation is worth watching differently now.
