Pierluigi Gollini’s return to a Serie A starting shirt at Como carried the weight of a long wait and a familiar coach’s faith. At 31, the goalkeeper had gone two years and six days without beginning a league match, yet he answered the opportunity at the Stadio Sinigaglia with the authority his teammates expected.
A goalkeeper’s long route back
Gollini arrived in Como with 204 professional appearances behind him, as well as one senior Italy cap, but recent seasons had offered limited chances to show that experience. His previous spell in the national-team picture belongs to a different era of Italian football.
- On 15 November 2019, Gollini replaced Gianluigi Donnarumma late in Italy’s 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Zenica.
- Francesco Acerbi, Lorenzo Insigne and Andrea Belotti scored in a match that gave Roberto Mancini’s side nine wins from nine in European Championship qualifying.
- That result was Italy’s tenth successive victory, taking the national team beyond Vittorio Pozzo’s previous record.
- At the time, the 24-year-old Gollini was one of the recognisable figures in Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta side.
- Years later, Gasperini again placed his trust in him when Mile Svilar was ruled out for at least a month.
Gasperini’s backing
Before the match, Gasperini made clear that the selection was not a gesture towards an inexperienced deputy. He described Gollini as a goalkeeper with ability and a substantial career behind him, stressing the seriousness with which he had trained in recent months.
The coach also recalled that he had been the manager to give Gollini sustained football, taking him to a level where he spent a couple of years as Italy’s second-choice goalkeeper. In Gasperini’s view, Gollini needed the backing of the entire group as he stepped into the side.
“Pierluigi has worked diligently and professionally,” Gasperini said. “He is not a newcomer: he has quality and experience, and I am confident he will do well. He has trained properly and the squad must support him.”
Reward at the Sinigaglia
At Como, Gollini justified that confidence. The embrace from his teammates after the final whistle was a meaningful response to a player who had waited patiently for a major opening and made the most of it.
The chapter does not end with one afternoon on the lake. Further appearances are expected, with Mourinho’s Real already the next test on the horizon. For Gollini, the message is simple: no fear.
