Francesco Aiello: A Sicilian-American pursuing his Calcio dream in Italy
Anthony Barbagallo interviews Francesco Aiello, a Sicilian-American footballer pursuing his Calcio dream in Italy. We talked about his journey so far, the difference between Italy and the US football styles, and his future career goals.
By Anthony Barbagallo
Born in Orlando, Florida, Francesco Aiello is looking to make it as a professional footballer in Italy. The 19-year-old winger, who recently left Sicily, has now joined Montecatini Calcio - an Eccellenza side located 20 minutes from Florence.
While growing up as a young kid in the US, Francesco played football (soccer) for the Orlando City Soccer academy. But thanks to his father boasting Italian football contacts back from his playing days, Francesco was able to get a foot in the door at the age of 15.
Francesco had the opportunity to start his youth football career in Sicily, joining the likes of Monreale Calcio and the Palermo juniors. Aiello initially followed his Calcio dream on the island and city where his father comes from. He told Sicilian Football that some of his Palermo-based relatives didn’t live far from the Stadio Renzo Barbera - Palermo FC’s stadium.
“Going to watch Palermo inside the Stadio Renzo Barbera was a surreal experience. Sitting in the middle of the stadium gave you a perfect view of the action and movements of every player”, Francesco said.
After spending some time in Palermo, Francesco made the trip to the Campania region. Here, the young winger got an opportunity to play with the Giugliano Calcio youth team. His promising performances eventually earned him a call-up to the senior Giugliano side - a football team in Serie D.
Giugliano Calcio was the same side that played against Palermo in Group I of the 2019-20 Serie D season. So earning a spot in the starting XI of the Giugliano senior side was a rewarding experience for the young Sicilian-American. After adding some Serie D games onto his football resume, Aiello identified the vast differences between the Sicilian Eccellenza (regional fifth tier) and Serie D (national fourth division).
“There is a huge techincal difference between the Sicilian Eccellenza and Serie D. Teams in Serie D, especially a club like Savoia, play with more technical quality on the ball - and there is more tactics that come into play”, Francesco said.
After his short stint with Giugliano Calcio, Francesco left for a Molise club called Termoli Calcio. This time, Aiello found himself back in the regional Eccellenza level. His stay with Termoli Calcio was also short but provided crucial experience and moments to hone his football skills. After all, Francesco was learning much more of Italian football's technicality compared to the aggressive and physical playing style back home in the US.
In the latter stages of 2021, Francesco received a call from one of the Mazara Calcio managers. The starlet was offered to play for Mazara, a Sicilian Eccellenza club based in the Province of Trapani. But, again, the move to the Gialloblu didn’t last long after not earning enough game time. A move to Tuscany, three and a half hours north of Sicily, was on the horizon.
At the time of this interview with Sicilian Football, Francesco is training near Florence with an Eccellenza team called Montecatini Calcio. The Sicilian-American footballer is training with his new team and has yet to make his debut. Nevertheless, Francesco aspires to become a professional footballer in the near future - hoping he can play for any club in the top-five European leagues.
Who knows, maybe Francesco Aiello might play for Palermo one day - when the Rosanero is back in the top-flight, of course. Sicilian Football will monitor this young winger’s progress with great interest.
In bocca al Lupo (good luck) Francesco!
Here is the full interview on YouTube
Francesco’s official Instagram page is in the link below if you want to follow him
https://www.instagram.com/francesco.aielloo/