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Milena Bertolini, the manager of Italy’s women’s national team, officially called up 26 players on Monday for the first phase of the Azzurre’s Women’s World Cup preparations.
Nearly a third of them wore bianconero on the club football level this season.
A total of eight players from Juventus Women have received the call-up to Bertolini’s training camp, one that will eventually see Italy’s roster cut down to the mandatory 23 players for the upcoming Women’s World Cup in France. Those eight players — seven of which have been regular starters for Juve’s Scudetto-winning team this season — are as follows:
- Laura Giuliani (goalkeeper)
- Sara Gama (defender)
- Lisa Boattin (defender)
- Valentina Cernoia (midfielder)
- Aurora Galli (midfielder)
- Martina Rosucci (midfielder)
- Barbara Bonansea (midfielder/winger)
- Cristiana Girelli (striker)
Rosucci, the lone non-regular this past year after undergoing major knee surgery late in the preseason build up, will be the only Juventus player who will report to the training camp right away. The other seven players will on May 8 after receiving a bit of an extended holiday with their season coming to an end a week later than other Serie A Femminile with Juventus’ win over Fiorentina in the Coppa Italia on Sunday.
Barring any kind of pre-tournament injury, a large portion of the eight-player list of Juventus callups above are locks to be a part of Italy’s squad. Gama is Italy’s captain, after all. Giuliani has been Italy’s starter in goal for a couple of years now. Girelli and Bonansea are two of Italy’s attacking options and goal scorers, each finishing with 13 goals during the league season. Cernoia and Galli were mainstays in Juve’s midfield all season long.
And if Rosucci’s match fitness is deemed good to go as well — she only made a few appearances off the bench after rejoining the squad in the final month of the season — then it could be a complete eight out of eight for Juventus Women on Italy’s roster.
Gotta say, having a third of Italy’s representation in France be that of Juventus Women, it will be quite the accomplishment for a team that wasn’t even playing competitive games two years ago.