One of the surprises of European football last season, Bologna has in its youth sector an Italian-Brazilian goalkeeper who has already been called up to the Italian youth national team and is considered one of the great promises of a country that boasts a long tradition between the posts, with idols such as Buffon, Zoff, Zenga and Pagliuca.
Born in Salvador, Renato Widmer D'Autilia He is only 16 years old, but he is already part of the U20 team. Red Blue, which will compete for the first time in its history in the Uefa Youth League, the Champions League for young people.
The athlete's youth career began to take off in 2019, when he left Brazil, where he played for Palmeiras, to live in Italy, after his father, who is Italian, received a job offer in Milan. With the change of country, D'Autilia took the opportunity to try his luck on the basis of International.
“Off the field, I had no difficulties, especially because my father is Italian and I already knew the country and the language. The difficulty, in fact, was on the pitch, as I went from professional football in Brazil, where 11-year-old children are already technically developed, to Italian football, where things happen more slowly”, said the goalkeeper in an interview with Ansa .
In three years wearing the Nerazzurra shirt, D'Autilia He always played in categories above his age and was an Italian under-14 champion, but he refused the economic benefits and the proximity of his family in Milan to live a promising adventure in Bologna.
“My heart is Brazilian”
Known for valuing young players, Bologna attracted the Italian-Brazilian with their project and signed him in 2022. His good performances were rewarded with chances in the Azzurri's under-16 team, although the goalkeeper has not yet decided whether he will play for Brazil or Italy when he becomes a professional.
“I haven't had the chance to choose yet, as the CBF, for now, doesn't call up players who play abroad. Both countries represent an important part for me, Italy being my father's country, and Brazil being my mother's country and where I was born and raised. However, I can say that my heart is Brazilian, so let’s see what happens in the future”, she commented.
In total, the promise played three friendlies for the Azzurrini, one with the under-15s and the other two with the under-16s. However, the matches would not prevent D'Autilia from defending Brazil in the future, as FIFA rules allow athletes to change teams even if they have already played for the youth teams (up to under-21) of another nation.
Standing at almost two meters tall, an aspect that makes the archer a difficult wall to overcome, D'Autilia stated that he is inspired by Manuel Neuer, as well as Luca Bucci and Gianluca Pagliuca, goalkeeper for the Italian team that faced Brazil in the World Cup final. 1994 World Cup.
Aiming for more opportunities in Bologna's “Primavera” team, led by Claudio Rivalta, D'Autilia aims to accumulate games throughout the season, mainly in the Youth League, even though he is much younger than his teammates.
“Here in Italy, nothing has been free for me, everything I have achieved has always been based on a lot of work, effort and sacrifice. I have been working daily to evolve, be ready for the professional and achieve the maximum of my possibilities”, he concluded. (Handle)
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