The call-up of 18-year-old Sampdoria striker Lorenzo Mezzotero to the Azerbaijan senior national football team has attracted considerable attention in Italian sports media. The invitation of the young forward, who recently scored his first goal in Serie B, has not only prompted positive assessments of his progress but also sparked debate over whether Italy is at risk of losing a promising player.
As İdman.Biz reports, following the announcement of Azerbaijan’s squad on November 6, several Italian media outlets published dedicated articles about the decision. Some journalists viewed head coach Aykhan Abbasov’s move as a timely step in the race for a player eligible to represent two national teams.
One of the first outlets to react was the respected sports portal TuttoMercatoWeb. Journalist Tommaso Maschio gave his article a particularly telling headline: “Azerbaijan Is Not Wasting Time and Has Beaten Italy to It.”
The article notes that Mezzotero is enjoying an unforgettable week: after scoring his first professional goal against Virtus Entella, he received a call-up to the senior national team of Azerbaijan, having already made three appearances for the country's U21 side.
“Italy could lose another talent,” the outlet warns, stressing that Azerbaijan’s decision could have an impact on the forward’s international career.
The portal Chiamarsi Bomber took a similar view. Journalist Giulio Piras headlined his article: “Mezzotero Called Up by Azerbaijan: Italy Risks Losing a Talent Born in 2008.”
The author draws attention to how quickly the Azerbaijani side has acted. In his view, while the young striker is only beginning to attract wider attention in Italy, Azerbaijan has already offered him an opportunity to take the next step in his international career.
The Samp News 24 portal took an even stronger stance. In an article by Elia Serra, the outlet posed the question: “Is Italy Losing Another Talent?”
“Mezzotero is yet another young player our football is losing to another country,” the article states. The journalist believes the situation raises questions about Italian football’s ability to identify and attract young dual-nationality players in a timely manner.
However, Italian media have also offered a different perspective. Journalist Maria Floris, writing for the same Samp News 24, described the call-up to Azerbaijan’s national team as further confirmation of the striker’s rapid progress.
“The golden period of the young talent continues!” the outlet notes, highlighting that a call-up to the senior national team at the age of 18 represents significant recognition of Mezzotero’s abilities.
The news was greeted with particular enthusiasm by Club Doria 46, a portal specialising in Sampdoria coverage. Journalist Marco Grassini described the call-up as a well-deserved reward for the player's performances.
“This is not a dream, Lorenzo. It is all happening for real!” the author wrote emotionally, recalling that the striker had only recently made his debut for Azerbaijan’s youth national team and has now been given the opportunity to represent the senior side.
The outlet was quick to declare that Mezzotero had already made his final choice in favour of Azerbaijan. However, from a legal standpoint, the situation is more complicated. Under current FIFA regulations, a call-up to a national team does not, in itself, permanently tie a player to that association. Moreover, even making an appearance in an official match does not necessarily rule out a subsequent change of national association.
Under Article 10 of FIFA’s Regulations Governing the Application of the Statutes, a player who has made no more than three appearances for a senior national team, including both official and friendly matches, may still be eligible to switch associations, provided certain conditions are met. In particular, the player's last appearance in an official competition must have taken place before turning 21, at least three years must have passed since his last appearance for the previous senior national team, and he must not have participated in the final tournament of a FIFA World Cup or a continental championship.
Therefore, to rule out a future switch of national association under this provision, Mezzotero would need to make at least four appearances for Azerbaijan's senior team, including at least one in an official competition. An appearance in a UEFA Nations League match would be an important first step in this direction, but would not, by itself, permanently tie the player to Azerbaijan.
It is also important to note that Mezzotero’s three appearances for Azerbaijan’s youth national team do not count towards the above limit of senior international appearances. This legal distinction was also highlighted by the Italian portal DiariodelWeb. Journalist Filippo Vincenzi specifically stressed that “a call-up to the national team is not the same as making an appearance.” According to him, definitive conclusions about the striker’s international future can only be drawn by taking into account his actual appearances on the pitch and the relevant provisions of FIFA regulations.
Against the backdrop of the reaction in the Italian media, another interesting detail deserves attention. Several days before the official announcement of the national team squad, the İdman.Biz editorial team sent an inquiry to the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA), asking whether head coach Aykhan Abbasov was considering calling up Lorenzo Mezzotero to the senior national team.
In its inquiry, our outlet highlighted FIFA’s current regulations, which allow young footballers with dual nationality to change national associations under certain conditions. Given Mezzotero’s progress in Italy, the question of calling him up at the right time appeared particularly relevant.
Unfortunately, the editorial team received no official response to its inquiry. However, just a few days later, the announcement of the national team squad, which included the 18-year-old Sampdoria striker, served as a response of sorts.
Of course, İdman.Biz does not claim that the inquiry sent by our editorial team in any way influenced the coaching staff’s decision or contributed to the player's call-up. We have no information to support such a claim. Nevertheless, we could not overlook the timing of the inquiry and Mezzotero’s subsequent inclusion in the squad.
The main question now is whether the young forward will get an opportunity to prove himself on the pitch. On November 13, Azerbaijan will face Liechtenstein away from home in the UEFA Nations League, before playing a friendly against Andorra on November 16. If Aykhan Abbasov gives Mezzotero playing time in the competitive fixture, Azerbaijan will take another important step towards securing the promising striker for the country's football future.
