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Described by Italy coach Marcello Lippi as someone that "reminds [you] of a young Paolo Maldini", Davide Santon has certainly made Serie A and much of Europe sit up and take notice with some accomplished displays at full-back for the Nerazzurri. Despite having to jostle for a place in the team with the likes of established stars Maicon and Maxwell, the tall, attack-minded defender has forced his way into Inter coach Jose Mourinho's plans with the Portuguese coach praising him most notably on his personality and tactical versatility. Indeed, he is a spirited individual yet one that knows he must continuously work hard to maintain his rapid development in the coming season since Mourinho gave him his opportunity to shine in a 1-0 win over Sampdoria in January 2009.
The latter comment from Mourinho on Santon's versatility refers to the young star being equally adept at playing in the right or left-back position, and excelling in them both too as Manchester United found out in their 08-09 Champions League ties. The 18-year old successfully nullified the threat of world class stars such as Dimitar Berbatov and Cristiano Ronaldo, leading the latter to describe him as "a great footballer", but also caught the eye with his offensive play, using his impressive speed (he started out as a winger in the Inter youth teams), strength and intelligent movement to keep the United defenders on their guard.
It seems Santon has the near-perfect attributes for the full-back position- his aforementioned pace and strength are obviously important assets to have in this position, and his typically Italian defensive composure, high levels of stamina and technical ability really mark him out as one destined for the top. AC Milan fans will surely wish they had taken him on board aged 14 as so far at least he looks ready-made to make the Italian full-back positions his own for years to come, and perhaps one day emulate the achievements of the legend Maldini.
In March 2009 Santon made his debut for the Italy Under-21 side, and barely two months later he earned his first senior cap in a friendly against Northern Ireland. Although he was included in Lippi's 23-man squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, he unfortunately had to withdraw due to injury, but now is hoping to build on his impressive debut season for Inter in the 2009-10 season.
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