Lorenzo Palmisani dreams of a career like Gianluigi Buffon’s

The new prodigy hoping to follow in Gianluigi Buffon’s footsteps is Lorenzo Palmisani. The 22-year-old Frosinone goalkeeper came to his team’s rescue several times against Como. Frosinone won 2-0, a result that also ended Como’s five-month unbeaten run.

Como coach Cesc Fàbregas acknowledged the scale of the goalkeeper’s display after the match. “Palmisani made an enormous number of saves. If we had won 4-1 today, it would not have been a surprise,” he said regretfully.

The victory was Frosinone’s third in five matches. The promoted side, coached by Massimiliano Alvini, had also benefited from Palmisani’s contribution in its opening outings: he had kept two clean sheets in his first five matches. After recording a second clean sheet against Como, the goalkeeper was named man of the match. The national press gave him a rating of 10, along with an accolade.

Admiration for Buffon is central to Palmisani’s story. His father, Piero, says his son has always looked up to the legendary goalkeeper: “Lorenzo has always thought about Buffon.” Speaking about the former goalkeeper’s influence, he added: “I don’t want to know how many videos of Gigi he has watched in his life.” Piero also recalled that the family had been worried about him.

For the Palmisani family, of which Lorenzo is the youngest, recent weeks have been especially emotional. His mother, Graziella, described the welcome the goalkeeper has received in Alatri: “All our fellow citizens are very happy for us. Here in Alatri, they love Lorenzo.” Some people even come to their home to meet him, she said. She admitted that she gets “goosebumps” when she sees people in the street wearing a shirt bearing his name, while warning that he must not get carried away with himself.

The goalkeeper’s profile has risen quickly: two years ago, only a few people in Alatri wore a “Palmisani” shirt. Before joining Frosinone, Lorenzo, then aged 22, was keeping goal for Lucchese in Serie C. His performance against Como has now brought fresh attention to his ambition to make Gianluigi Buffon his model.