8 of the Best Serie A Players You May Not Have Heard of

Cristiano Ronaldo. Kalidou Koulibaly. Diego Godin. Serie A is back baby! The Italian top-flight has come back swinging, bringing some of the most exciting and

Cristiano Ronaldo. Kalidou Koulibaly. Diego Godin. Serie A is back baby! 

The Italian top-flight has come back swinging, bringing some of the most exciting and talented prospects in Europe to the shores of Italia. We all know who are the top dogs in every division, but there are always some dark horses to keep your eye on. 

OSCAR DEL POZO/GettyImages

Some go unnoticed in smaller teams. Others are just breaking into their side, ready to burst onto the European scene. And then there are those who have simply flown under the radar of Twitter and GIFs for years on end. 

Don't get me wrong, Juventus and Napoli are great to watch, but look a little bit further down the table and you might find some absolute ballers you didn't even know existed. 

Like these guys below.

 Andrea Pinamonti

🇮🇹 Andrea Pinamonti: Cool as a cucumber 🥒

What's your favourite panenka in football history?#U20WC pic.twitter.com/ZIOfiWFwom

— FIFA (@FIFAcom) June 2, 2019

This kid has a bright future ahead of him. Andrea Pinamonti is an exciting product of the Inter academy, and he is cutting his teeth at Genoa this season following his loan spell at Frosinone last year.

Pinamonti was unable to prevent I Canarini from an inevitable return to Serie B, but the youngster's performances stood head and shoulders above his teammates during a miserable campaign. 

Full of pace, trickery and a nose that can sniff out a chance anywhere on the pitch, the Italy Under-21 international is one of the hottest young talents in Serie A right now. 

One to watch.

Alessio Cragno 

Enrico Locci/GettyImages

Cagliari are in safe hands for the foreseeable future, as I Rossoblu possess one of the best young shot-stoppers in the league. Cragno starred in Sardinia last year, putting in a string of top performances and gaining a call-up to the senior national team in September 2018.

Cragno's season has suffered a false-start, however, as the 25-year-old is recovering from a shoulder injury which he picked up during pre-season. Robin Olsen is currently occupying the number one spot, but Cragno will expect to regain his place when the time comes. 

Another big season ahead for the Cagliari Cat. 

Sandro Tonali

Alessandro Sabattini/GettyImages

Brescia may be newly-promoted to the Italian top-flight, but Sandro Tonali already looks part of the Serie A furniture. 

The 19-year-old is strikingly similar in appearance to Italy legend Andrea Pirlo, and on the pitch there are some distinct parallels with the World Cup winner too. The Brescia boy's passing and calmness on the ball is remarkable for someone with so little experience, but he also gets about the pitch with much more intensity than his role model.

He's a box-to-box combative midfielder, with an elegance and grace to his play which is hard to come by in the modern game. 

Tonali has stayed at Brescia to help Le Rondinelle ensure Serie A status next season, but with Europe's elite watching his every move, it's unlikely he'll still be there in 12 months time. 

Francesco Caputo

Gabriele Maltinti/GettyImages

Francesco Caputo scores goals. Pass it on.

Until last season, Caputo was a couple of years away from being known as a 'nearly man', plying his trade in the lower leagues of Italian football, but never quite having the quality to be a success in the top flight.

In 2017/18, the Italian forward scored 26 goals in 41 matches to help Empoli gain promotion to Serie A, and the 32-year-old bagged another 16 the following season, as his side attempted to escape the drop. 

Unfortunately, Caputo and Empoli were unable to avoid relegation, but their top scorer secured a deserved move to Sassuolo, where he has already opened his account for the coming season. The Italian Teemu Pukki is on course for another great year amongst Serie A's elite. 

Nikola Milenkovic

Nikola Milenkovic vs Juventus

42 passes
81% pass accuracy
1 dribble won
2 tackles won
1 interception
5 clearances
4 aerials won

Solid as a rock. One of Serie A best defenders. 💜 pic.twitter.com/ntYszJEv8M

— Football Talent Scout - Jacek Kulig (@FTalentScout) September 14, 2019

Nikola Milenkovic's time at Fiorentina has coincided with a very tough period in the Viola's history. The death of leader and captain Davide Astori in 2018 shook the club to its very core, but amongst all the pain and suffering, there is hope in Florence.

Milenkovic is proving to be one of the most consistent and capable centre-backs in Serie A, and despite Fiorentina's wretched run of form in 2019, the Serbian defender remains a beacon of hope for Vincenzo Montella's side. 

Fiorentina's fortunes will undoubtedly improve, and with that Milenkovic will flourish into the player he has threatened to become for the last couple of years. 

Lorenzo Pellegrini

Sir Alex Ferguson: “Give me Lorenzo Pellegrini and 10 pieces of wood and I’ll win you the Champions League.” pic.twitter.com/l1F8lO6aZJ

— tottiana (@scudzeko) September 15, 2019

All the talk at Roma is around a young trequartista called Nicolo Zaniolo, but the fact is the young starlet has been pushed out to the right-wing to accommodate this baller.

Lorenzo Pellegrini has flattered to deceive during his second spell at Roma, but the 23-year-old is finally coming into his own under new manager Paulo Fonseca. Pellegrini bagged a hat-trick of assists against Sassuolo in Roma's most recent domestic game, and demonstrated an eye for a pass which a certain Francesco Totti would be proud of.

Born and bred in Rome, we may be witnessing the coming of age of the new heir to the Stadio Olympico throne.

Stefano Sensi

MIGUEL MEDINA/GettyImages

Okay, maybe you've heard of this guy, but you're gonna hear a whole lot more about him in the future - trust me. Stefano Sensi was a standout performer in the Sassuolo midfield last season, and earned himself a move to Italian giants Inter for the 2019/20 campaign.

His energy and box-to-box style makes him a force to be reckoned with in the centre of the park, and Sensi's ability to pick a shrewd pass and keep possession makes him invaluable to his side.

Plenty to come from this rising star of Italian football.

Josip Ilicic

Whack out YouTube guys and girls, and strap yourselves in. This man is magic. It's not often you come across a 6'2" trequartista with the touch and balance of an angel, but Josip Ilicic has all of that and more.

On his day, Ilicic is the most talented and destructive force outside of the top two or three Serie A sides, but therein lies the problem. The 31-year-old can be incredibly frustrating at times, flitting in and out of games without any real impact.

But when the Slovenian attacker is on song, the world dances to his tune. Ilicic has got everything in his locker: an array of inconceivable passes, tricky dribbling and a wand of a left foot, which can win a game in the blink of an eye for Atalanta. 

A mercurial talent, watch him whilst you have the chance.