Ever heard the name Michael Cayud, the 19-year-old is playing for Fiorentina and is one of the rising stars in Serie A!
Fiorentina haven't won the Coppa Italia since 2001, but with Cayud's arrival, they seem to see hope of ending the title drought!
Fiorentina reached the Europa League final and Coppa Italia final last season, and although they failed to reach the top, their strong momentum has continued into this season. They are currently facing Viktoria plzen in the quarter-finals of the Europa League, and they are also leading in the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia and are just one step away from the final.
And Cayud was definitely a big contributor to Fiorentina's attempt at the trophy. The young defender has excellent physicality and defensive skills, and he is not afraid of the opponent's sharp knife in the strong dialogue, and he has a strong winger like the Georgian genius Quaratskhelia firmly watched.
Despite Kayud's young age, his football career is legendary. Born in Italy and of Nigerian descent, he trained in the Juventus Academy in his early years before starting his career at Fiorentina. In just eight months, he made his debut from Fiorentina to the main right-back, which is enough to prove his ability!
Tough defense is one of his greatest weapons. In the face of a 1v1 situation, he will not easily fall to the ground and tackle, but will limit his opponent's breakthrough through positioning and physical confrontation, forcing his opponent to make the wrong choice.
His speed and power allow him to quickly close gaps with offensive players and use his upper body strength to dominate the confrontation.
Cayud's tackling timing is also excellent, and he is able to play with composure and composure in both front-facing and back-to-back attacks. Even if he didn't have time to make a standing tackle, he was able to clear the ball at the last minute with a sliding tackle. What's even more reassuring is that even if there are occasional misalignments, he has an excellent ability to catch back and quickly make up for the gaps.
In addition to his excellent defense, Cayud's athleticism is equally impressive. Not only is he fast, but he also has excellent stamina, which allows him to function on both ends of the floor. When the team needs an assist, he always plugs in in time and at the same time ensures consistency at the back.
What's even more rare is that Cayud's feet are very flexible. Not only is he adept at crosses from the right with his dominant foot, but his left-footed skills are just as good and he can even make cameos at left-back when necessary.
His excellent dribbling skills and ability to change direction allowed him to always get away from opposition defences and, in some cases, even make cameo appearances on the wings to create more attacking opportunities for the team.
Of course, no player is perfect, and neither is Cayud. His current performance on the offensive end of the pitch is slightly inferior to the defensive end, especially when it comes to passing decisions.
Don't forget, though, he's only 19 years old!
He also scored the winner in the Under-19 European Championship final last summer as Italy won the title. I believe that over time, his offensive ability will also improve.
Cayud's impressive form has already caught the attention of the European giants, and it is likely that he will leave Fiorentina in the future to join a bigger club.