Two years ago, he spent a month in hospital; today, he made his debut for Inter: “As an Inter fan, I enjoyed this stadium to the fullest. I couldn’t wait.”

Matteo Lavelli walks serenely on the San Siro pitch with the eyes of someone who no longer wants to look down at his feet to see if there is a black hole next to him. Two years ago, he risked falling into one. Behind his Serie A debut—about ten minutes against Bologna at San Siro—is a climb with his bare hands. In 2024, he risked dying from meningitis.

Matteo, 19, a quick and fast striker who grew up idolizing Cristiano Ronaldo, was hospitalized for a month. He started training camp with the Primavera late and was afraid he wouldn’t make it, that he would have to give up his dream and even something worse. Two years later, here he is, happy and serene in the jersey of Inter, his team: “Chivu told me to do what I know how to do, I tried to adapt immediately. As an Inter fan, I enjoyed this stadium to the fullest, I couldn’t wait.” Chivu threw him into the fray in a 3-1 win that was dominated from start to finish. All this after seeing him make his debut among the pros with the U23s. A few stats: 16 appearances in Serie C, one goal in two games in the Coppa Italia, another in the Youth League and another in the Primavera Super Cup, won against Cagliari. All this after another troubled summer: Lavelli, like Frattesi, underwent hernia surgery and took a while to regain his fitness. This led to a few games in the Primavera and limited playing time in Serie C at the start of the season. From the end of October onwards, Vecchi gave him more minutes.

THE PRIMAVERA JOURNEY—  Last year, under Zanchetta’s guidance, he won the Primavera championship with four goals in the league and a decisive assist in the championship final. He also scored a couple of goals in the Youth League against Arsenal and Manchester City. Not bad for someone who played right back at the parish youth club as a kid. Matteo, known to everyone as “Pocho” because of his surname and its similarity to Lavelli, grew up in Bernareggio, in Brianza, after cleverly dribbling his way through swimming and rugby. His father Diego played in Serie C and is now a scout. It’s all about feeling. Two years ago, he scored 20 goals in 26 games with Zanchetta’s Under-18 team. Before donning the Nerazzurri jersey, he played for Monza and Renate. Among his role models, in addition to Ronaldo, is Marcus Thuram. On Sunday, he made his Serie A debut, coming on as a substitute. The black hole has now been closed.