Desperation or masterstroke? Why Italy have called up a second-division striker

Analysis

Tom Weber | Writer

After a dramatic coaching search, Italy re-hired Roberto Mancini this summer, and the Euro 2020 winner has immediately made some big calls.

With the Azzurri having missed out on a third consecutive World Cup in March after losing a UEFA playoff to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties, major changes were yet again necessary.

Gennaro Gattuso left his role as manager, while Gianluigi Buffon resigned as sporting director. The FIGC, Italy's federation, appointed Paolo Maldini as the latter's successor, with his former AC Milan teammate Leonardo acting as advisor.

Maldini was tasked with sourcing a replacement for Gattuso and tried to go big: he held talks with Pep Guardiola following his exit from Man City. After several days of deliberation, the Spaniard rejected the offer, citing a desire to spend time with family after a draining decade in England.

Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti also rebuffed an approach, so Maldini turned to his old friend Andrea Pirlo, who was chomping at the bit to lead his country. However, the FIGC vetoed his appointment over ties with a Russian gambling firm, prompting Maldini to quit 16 days into the job.

Mancini rings in the changes

The chaos-stricken federation thus brought back Mancini, who had brief spells in charge of the Saudi national team and Qatari side Al-Sadd following his first Italy tenure, which had ended in 2023.

Mancini wasn't the most inspiring hire, but the start of a new World Cup cycle always feels like a new era and inherently provides some hope. That's certainly the case for Italy.

The 61-year-old has called up nine uncapped players as part of his first squad, including 20-year-old youngsters Eddy Kouadio and Alessandro Romano. Those are not the most eye-catching new faces, though.

The player whose call-up has received the most attention is Mohamed Ali Zoma, a 22-year-old forward. What's special about him? Well, for one, he doesn't even play in a top division. In fact, he has never played first-tier football.

Good strikers are in short supply in Italy, but what makes Zoma's inclusion even more remarkable is that it has come at the expense of Mateo Retegui, who has been snubbed, presumably because he is playing in Saudi Arabia.

What's ironic, though, is that it was Mancini who handed the Al-Qadsiah striker his Azzurri debut in 2023 when he was a completely unknown quantity at Tigre in Argentina.

Who is Mohamed Ali Zoma?

Zoma has been called up by Mancini because he has been tearing it up in the 2. Bundesliga with fallen giants Nurnberg. The 22-year-old has bagged six goals in six games, albeit those stats are skewed because he scored a hat-trick against Dynamo Dresden on opening day.

Nevertheless, Zoma has arrived in the Italy camp in red-hot form after netting back-to-back winners against Hannover and Karlsruhe, respectively - and he isn't even a traditional No.9.

Far from it, the rapid attacker is playing on the left wing this season, while he primarily featured as the more withdrawn player in a front two with either Piet Scobel or Adriano Grimaldi when he scored 14 times last term.

Zoma has been nothing short of sensational in the 2. Bundesliga. Eyebrows were raised when Nurnberg spent €1.5 million on a forward who was playing at UC AlbinoLeffe, a club in Serie C most people outside of Italy have never heard of.

It now looks like an incredible piece of business - and Nurnberg know that they have unearthed a special player. This summer, they reportedly turned down an offer in the region of €20m from a Premier League club.

Following their most recent demotion from the Bundesliga in 2019 and subsequent 2. Bundesliga relegation battles in the early 2020s, Nurnberg had to change their recruitment model in order to stay afloat financially. They began to aggressively target younger players with sell-on value.

This has worked a treat in recent years. Nurnberg's five most expensive sales ever have all been made after 2024, with Finn Jeltsch, Casper Jander, Nathaniel Brown, Can Uzun and Stefanos Tzimas yielding handsome profits.

It is perhaps no coincidence that Nurnberg have produced several big-money attackers since Germany legend Miroslav Klose took charge of the team in summer 2024. After all, the former striker was the men's World Cup all-time record goalscorer prior to this summer's edition.

Zoma has certainly benefitted from Klose's coaching. Thanks in no small part to his goals, Nurnberg have enjoyed an unbeaten start to the season and sit second in the 2. Bundesliga through six games, only behind the miraculous Hertha BSC, who seem unfazed by a summer exodus of 16 first-teamers.

Unsurprisingly, Zoma has become the first player from the 2. Bundesliga to be called up to Italy's senior national team. The fact that he's coached by former Lazio star Klose may have played a part.

"He wasn't even on their radar, and suddenly they see Nurnberg and realise who the coach is," Klose joked when asked about Zoma's call-up. "If only they knew what he's capable of."

He added: "I don't really need to give Mo any advice because he is a very humble and shy boy. This call-up won't change him in the slightest... It's fantastic for him. You could see his eyes light up, he was so excited. It is totally deserved.

"Everyone at the club played a part in his call-up, but a lot of it was his own doing. Mo has forged his path and taken the necessary steps to develop. He always wants to improve, and this is his reward."

Klose is hopeful that Zoma will actually get a chance to impress during this extended break, which will see Italy take on Belgium, France and Turkey twice. "I hope that he comes back with a cap or two," the 48-year-old said.

Thanks to Klose and Zoma, Nurnberg have enjoyed their best start to a season in almost 30 years. With a national team call-up under his belt and Premier League interest increasing, the Italian is likely to become Nurnberg's next big-money export.

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Written by

Tom Weber | Writer

Tom Weber is an experienced, multilingual sports writer who specialises in European football and American soccer as part of his freelance work for FootballTransfers.

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