Provedel, the goalkeeper who is in Inter’s sights

Ivan Provedel will agree with the opening sentence of “The White Nights” by Fyodor Dostoevsky: “Nights like this can only happen when we are young”. The Lazio goalkeeper will have remembered it one September evening three years ago, in his beloved Olimpico, when he took on Simeone’s Atletico, dusting off his old life: at the last second he glided into the area like a peregrine falcon and put the ball into the goal with an attacker’s header. The role he played until he was 15. Even if ending up between the posts was part of his lifelong destiny: his grandparents, Russian Muscovites, lived in the same street as Lev Jascin, the Soviet Union’s number one historian. The “Black Spider” of Dinamo Moscow who played with the hat. His grandmother told him that during the week, when she went to take out the rubbish, she came across a gentleman with a great past between the posts. “Only later did I understand who he was…”.

provedel: reliability

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The transfer could bring Ivan to San Siro, where San Jascin once played for the Soviet Union. It was November 1st 1966, a friendly match won 1-0 with a goal from Guarnieri. Inter have targeted Cecchini’s boy, a speck of a thousand inhabitants a stone’s throw from Pasiano di Pordenone. The oasis of peace where he returns every now and then to spend an afternoon with friends. A few summers ago he rented a camper to go to Zeltweg, Austria, to cheer on his Ferrari. The Nerazzurri targeted him to be the second goalkeeper behind Martinez. Provedel, 32 years old, owner of Lazio since 2022, would also be useful for the Champions League lists. A question of experience: around 400 appearances among professionals, of which 18 in European cups. Before wearing the Lazio shirt he defended the goalposts of Spezia for two years, scoring two saves in a row. At the Peak they called him “the lighthouse keeper”. “I try to shed as much light as possible, to stop what can be stopped”. His debut with Lazio was historic: on 14 August 2022 he took over from Basic to replace Luis Maximiano, who was sent off after eight minutes. He has never missed a match in the championship. The Portuguese, however, today plays for Neom, in the Saudi first division.

the goal against Juventus Stabia

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Provedel also boasts another career goal: on 7 February 2020, shortly before the pandemic stopped the world, he punished Ascoli at the Del Duca wearing the Juve Stabia shirt. Even there at the last minute, gliding into the area following the development of a placed shot. A tribute to his past as a striker. The still image of the flash against Atletico is worth studying: Provedel was the only Lazio player to move on Luis Alberto’s cross. He attacked the penalty area and impacted the ball with force. If he plays football as a professional he owes it to two people: Gianfranco Zigoni and Renzo Zanet. Everything is known about the former, an old eccentric leader of Rome, Juve and Verona, but little about the latter. He is credited with having brought Ivan to the Liapiave in San Paolo di Piave. “When I met him he was already 15 years old,” she said. “No one wanted him to play in goal.” It was 2009. Provedel wrote on some paper that he would become one of the best goalkeepers in the world. The work took him to Serie A. The compass now points towards Inter.