Video of the Week: Toto’

The best player of these early days of the calcio season is without a doubt Antonio Di Natale. In the first day of the season Di Natale scored 2 wonderful goals vs. Palermo and yesterday he saved Italy with 2 goals vs Cyprus. (That makes 9 goals in 22 appearances now for the Azzurri)

Di Natale is a late bloomer. The Napoli born fantasista grew up in the Empoli youth system (like other Neapolitans like Vincenzo Montella and Francesco Lodi just to name a few) and after graduating from the Primavera was loaned out for 2 seasons to Serie C2 sides, first Iperzola and then Viareggio. After an impressive season at Viareggio, Di Natale was brought back to Empoli, where he became a protagonist for 5 seasons (3 in Serie B, 2 in Serie A). Di Natale was the leader of the squad and formed an excellent partnership up front with Tommaso Rocchi, and the duo were very successful when the Tuscans were promoted to Serie A. He impressed in Serie A, even gaining a few call-ups from National Team manager Giovanni Trapattoni. When Empoli was relegated in 2004, he moved to Udinese, where his career took off. Di Natale became and still is the talisman of the squad, and was made captain. He has scored some stunning goals from the Friuli side. Di Natale has improved greatly over the years and his technique and skill is simply sublime. Ignored for 2 years by Marcello Lippi, Donadoni took notice of the little fantasista and made him a national team regular, where he was one of the best players in qualifying. He had a disappointing Euro 2008, but he is back in the national team fold under Lippi where he looks to still be an important player for the Nazionale. Videos after the jump.

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