PLAYER PROFILE: MARTA MASCARELLO

It is undoubtedly a valuable characteristic to be able to rely, in a midfield, on a player capable of performing effectively both offensively and defensively. When we talk about a playmaker, we think of someone who has vision, the ability to manage rhythms, and to dictate the tempo of the action and counterattacks. Since her arrival among the ranks of AC Milan in the summer of 2022, Marta Mascarello has immediately established herself as a protagonist of the Rossonere.

Initially arriving on loan from Fiorentina, the 25-year-old Piedmontese (born in Bra in October 1998) immediately made a great impact, convincing the club to finalize a permanent deal, and last October, to renew her contract until 2025. A reward for Marta's performances, who in this new year has raised the level of her performances, also finding the joy of her first goal for the Rossonere, in a victory against Como Women. The victory against Como saw Mascarello provide one of her three seasonal assists, a statistic in which the former Viola player had also excelled in the previous season.

Indeed, Mascarello had 6 successful passes in the 18 matches played in the Serie A 2022/23 season. Marta is one of the best players in the league at creating opportunities for her teammates from dead-ball situations, and she is stringing together convincing performances one after the other in the usual three-midfielder setup deployed by Mister Corti. The alternation with Silvia Rubio, who returned from a long injury in recent weeks, has undoubtedly benefited the performance of the Piedmontese playmaker. The lucidity and ability that Marta shows in the creation phase are accompanied by the generosity that is evident whenever she is called upon to contribute defensively.

A complete midfielder, one of the reference points of a group that looks confidently towards the future. For AC Milan Women, that future is called the Coppa Italia. The semi-final - with both legs played within a week - against the league-leading Roma, is a rematch of the double match that took place last season. An appointment that Marta has approached with all her determination, as revealed in an exclusive interview with Milan TV: "Everyone can see that we have had a difficult season, but the squad is doing well, and we are shaking off certain things, and you can see this on the pitch. Against Roma, we will think of each game as it comes. We have always missed something to get the result in big games, but now we have a different kind of mental strength, and we want to go a step further. It's a semi-final that deserves respect but no hesitation".

The AC Milan PUMA Kits for 2023/24 are available: buy them now!