Alessio Cacciamani’s new five-year contract has given Torino a marker for the future, but the 19-year-old is treating it as a reason to work rather than a destination. Now established in Ignazio Abate’s Serie A side, the left-sided player wants to help turn the Granata’s opening weeks in a better direction, beginning with Monday’s meeting with Udinese.
Cacciamani has become a regular in the league while continuing his studies towards his school-leaving qualification. His message is clear: personal progress has value only if it brings points and performances for Torino.
A journey from the Marche to Torino
- Cacciamani began in Chiaravalle, the town in the Marche where he grew up. He retains strong affection for local club Biagio Nazzaro, as well as Fano and Ancona, describing each stage as important to both his football education and his development away from the pitch.
- He joined Torino in 2023, having left home at 16. His first season required an adjustment to academy life, the pace of the club and living in a boarding environment.
- Once he became familiar with the people and routines at Torino in his second year, he felt more settled and says his improvement became steady.
- Last season’s Serie B loan at Juve Stabia brought him into senior football and put him under the guidance of Abate, now his coach at Torino.
- The experience also led to an unexpected national-team call-up before Cacciamani earned his current role as a Serie A starter.
Looking back at Juve Stabia, Cacciamani recalled a demanding but formative campaign alongside the staff and squad. He said difficult spells had drawn a response from the group and that the year had been particularly intense on a human level.
“It was very nice to find Abate again at Torino,” he said. “I am very grateful for what he gave me last year. The loan helped me grow as a person. I entered the adult game, among real professionals who taught me how to approach this sport and how to look after the details.”
Trust from the club, responsibility in the side
The contract renewal has underlined Torino’s faith in a player developed within their system. Cacciamani said the agreement showed the confidence placed in him by the club and president Urbano Cairo, while stressing that the work completed so far must only be the start.
“I am experiencing this beginning of the season as a starter calmly, but with a great desire to work and improve,” he said. “We have to keep believing in work, even when some matches have not gone our way. The renewal is not an arrival point; we have to continue in the same manner.”
Abate has used him on the left of a five-man midfield, a position Cacciamani learned during the previous campaign. He feels comfortable there and believes he has advanced in both sides of the game, although he accepts that his defensive contribution still needs development.
The coach gives him room to decide his actions in possession, while Cacciamani cites Gareth Bale as the player who most inspired him, particularly for his athletic power and ability to carry the ball forward.
Yet the Torino player has avoided grand claims about what he can guarantee. “The one thing I can promise is my complete commitment and my love for these colours and this shirt,” he said. “Sacrifice and hard work are what I can assure.”
Udinese and the wider season
Monday’s match with Udinese offers Torino an immediate chance to make their start to the campaign more productive. Cacciamani wants the team to apply the ideas of Abate with the right spirit, rather than look too far ahead to final targets.
Balancing football with preparation for his diploma is not straightforward, he admitted, though he believes academic work can help keep his mind active for football as well.
“My objective is to do everything I can for the team, because that comes before anything else,” Cacciamani said. “We want as many points as possible and to play with the attitude the coach asks of us. At the end of the year we can take stock, but commitment must always come first.”
