Genoa – The pupil of the Jaguar. Filip Stankovic is the latest in the long list of goalkeepers forged or improved by Luciano Castellini. Felino between the posts of Turin and Naples but also in grasping talent at first glance. “What told me Filip was going to make it? The choice. Son of an important midfielder like Dejan and yet he immediately decided to be a goalkeeper. Does he know what that means? That he has a calling».
The road has been traced: Stankovic Junior will take the place of Audero between the blucerchiati posts. Yesterday afternoon Emil was in Bogliasco, but he only worked out in the gym, at the end of the session he said goodbye to everyone and in the evening he was in Milan: for him there is Inter, today the medicals, then the signing, an expensive loan with the right to buy (which could become an obligation upon the occurrence of certain conditions) to 7 million. With Filip (yesterday with Inter in Salzburg, where Sommer made his debut) ready to take the opposite route but with a counter payment for the Nerazzurri. And with dad’s blessing. Deki, despite giving his soul on the Sampdoria bench, failed to avoid Serie B in the damned last season.
But Sampdoria and its fans have remained in his heart. And the thought that Filip can help Doria find Serie A again fills him with pride. But, as Castellini says, for years in charge of goalkeepers in the Nerazzurri youth sector, Filip is a particular son of art, who has chosen a role that is profoundly different from the one in which his father was a champion. The new Stankovic midfielder is his brother Aleksandar, also from Inter and very promising, with whom he shared pitch and room in the recent tour in Japan. “We have already realized a first dream,” said the two. Twenty-one years Filip, 18 Aleksandar, raised in the myth of Dejan. And of Sinisa.
On the goalkeeper’s Instagram profile stands out the moving photo of Mihajlovic his godfather. Luciano Castellini would have known him later, “as a child when he was 1 meter and 30 tall. His only problem with him is that he was small, then he suddenly exploded upwards and now he is one and 87”. Raised in the Inter youth team, Under-17 Italian champion as captain in 2019, in the last two seasons he gained experience in the Netherlands, at Volendam: promotion to the Eredivisie and then salvation, with the former Nerazzurri Wim Jonk on the bench.
«Filip is a very good goalkeeper, he did two important years in Holland. He was already mature as a child – Castellini says – his father forged him well, he’s not an exuberant, but a moderate and it’s a good quality for a goalkeeper. He’s a really interesting guy who always keeps his feet on the ground.’ The idol was Julio Cesar, the model in the daily work was Handanovic. Among Filip’s admirers is the former Nerazzurri patron Massimo Moratti. Simone Inzaghi also respects him a lot and in the pre-season, after the farewells of Onana and Handanovic, Stankovic Jr stood out with good performances.
“It’s only because we are dealing with Inter, and therefore we are looking for a goalkeeper who already has some experience – observes the Jaguar – but Filip is ready to play in Serie A: in a mid-table team, he would certainly have been the starter. Genoa is a prestigious square, if, as it seems, he will be with the Sampdoria, it will be an important year for him». Among the requirements Pirlo asked of the goalkeeper, there is mastery with the feet. «Yes, he’s good at this too but I’m for the old theory: if you don’t know how to play with your feet, you throw it long and you’re always 0-0 – Castellini smiles – Whoever plays well with his feet, three ca…te all’ years ago, which then cost you points. When I was in Taurus I was also very good with my feet, I didn’t use them because they told me they would fine me if I did. It was like that in my day.”
And between the poles? “Philip is complete, attentive, physically strong, agile, serene. I realize that I filled it with positive adjectives, I hope it makes me look good. A defect? I can’t talk bad about my boys. Physically he reminds me of Di Gregorio, he too was not a giant and has become one of the best in Italy. I hope Stankovic emulates him. I am happy for him, I will come to see him and I will always follow him with great affection».
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