Palermo, of late, has been a burgeoning ground for many a foreign talent rather than players from their own Sicilian shores – Paulo Dybala’s breakout season still fresh in the memory as he made his first steps in a Juve shirt in the Supercoppa after the inevitable big-money transfer. Andrea Belotti, probably their brightest Italian spark, is himself from Bergamo – although a transfer to Torino, a team that seems to be putting a lot more emphasis on young talent of late, is looking increasingly likely. That said, Sicily native Accursio Bentivegna, one of the stars of the Primavera side, will be hoping to buck the trend by breaking through and cementing a place in the first team in the coming years.

A wide forward with notable pace -likened to Alexis Sanchez -, the tricky 19 year old was given his chance with the first team in the pre-season friendlies after having appeared 3 times this season, and is showing great promise with Palermo owner Zamparini putting a great amount of faith in him. In a recent interview with Corriere dello Sport, the young prospect from Sciacca shows humility by brushing off comparisons to Paulo Dybala, claiming that they are different players with different attributes – ‘Physically I am like Dybala, but in terms of numbers more like Vazquez.. The comparison with Paulo is only theoretical as he is world class’, later adding ‘Call me Bentivegna, and that’s it.’ Given his ability to play as a second striker as well as on the wing, it’s probably not a surprise that he would use Vazquez as a reference though, with a possible future in the same Trequartista role as the Argentinian. It was therefore perhaps fitting that he would be the man to come off as Bentivegna made his Serie A debut this season. Nevertheless, his rise into the top level has not gone unnoticed – as part of an Adidas promo, he was chosen as one of the ten young players to carry specially designed Messi boots – a sign of the future?

Bentivegna, a man who idolised Del Piero as a child, is ambitious about the season ahead but remains nonetheless calm about objectives – ‘First of all, safety [from relegation]’ . His playing time, though, may be limited now as a full time squad member – Palermo have unsurprisingly been rumoured to be looking to loan him out to gain experience in Serie B before fully integrating him into the team, with Cesena linked as potential suitors.

Everything does seem to point towards Bentivegna being the face of club’s future, spearheading the new Palermo with players from their Primavera. Having signed a new contract earlier this year, keeping him at the club until 2019.Moreover, Sporting director Dario Baccin has insisted that the club will be counting on him, making him a part of the club’s plans possibly as early as the coming seasons.

And yet, were it not for a ruling on youth players, Bentivegna would have risen through the ranks of Inter instead – he was denied the opportunity as a result of the fact that U14 players can’t join a team outside of their home region. Eventually, Palermo took advantage of this and swooped in. In his own words, though, he claims to have not liked being there, and couldn’t pay for the school. Now though, he relishes the opportunity to be a part of Palermo: ‘Now I’m here, in my homeland and I think I’ve done well [to not go to Inter]’. With 5 caps in the Azzurri U19 team, the winger will be hoping to be able to start making a vital contribution to the senior side in the coming years as he continues his rise to the top in Sicily.