Alessandro Marcandalli was born in Bergamo, Italy, plays for Genoa in Serie A, listens to Afrobeats, grew up eating his Nigerian mother’s jollof rice, and is waiting for Eric Chelle to pick up the phone. The NFF, it seems, is finally ready to call.
Alessandro Marcandalli did not grow up dreaming of Italy’s Azzurri. He grew up in a home where his Nigerian mother cooked jollof rice, where Afrobeats played through the speakers, and where he watched the Africa Cup of Nations cheering for the Super Eagles. The 23-year-old Genoa centre-back has dual Italian and Nigerian citizenship, has played for Italy at youth level as recently as 2023, but has not been called up since. He is Serie A’s best-kept defensive secret, currently on the NFF’s radar, and waiting for Chelle to make his move. Eric Chelle personally attended a Genoa match in February to scout him, and sources close to the situation suggest formal contact is imminent.
Marcandalli’s profile in Italian football has been building steadily. After coming through Atalanta’s youth system and spending loan spells at Giana Erminio, Pontedera, Reggiana and Venezia to accumulate experience across Italy’s lower divisions, he was promoted to Genoa’s Serie A first team ahead of the 2025-26 season. In 27 league appearances, he has scored one goal and registered two assists, making him one of the more attacking-minded centre-backs in the division. His coach at Genoa, Roma legend Daniele De Rossi, has compared him to Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger, a likening that speaks both to Marcandalli’s physical power and his composure on the ball. Nigerian fans tracking this emerging Super Eagles target can explore all the latest from Bet9ja’s YOHAIG promo code page ahead of the Unity Cup squad announcement.
The player himself has been open about his connection to Nigeria in multiple interviews. “I listen to a lot of Afrobeats; I love it. I like my mother’s jollof rice, spicy with peppers. I followed the Africa Cup of Nations closely and cheered for Nigeria,” he told one interviewer. On his international decision, he has been consistent: “When the call comes, I’ll decide. I’ll listen to my parents, but the decision will be mine; it will be something very personal. I was in Nigeria as a child and I’d like to go back; I have family there.” That language, open, thoughtful, clearly affectionate about the Nigerian side of his identity, is encouraging for the NFF.
Why This Signing Makes Footballing Sense
Nigeria’s centre-back situation is at an important transition point. William Troost-Ekong has retired from international football. Semi Ajayi is 33 and approaching the back end of his international career. The pool Chelle is building for the next cycle, Emmanuel Fernandez, Calvin Bassey, Chibuike Nwaiwu, Benjamin Frederick, needs depth and options. Adding a 23-year-old centre-back who plays in Serie A, stands 6ft 3in, wins aerial duels at a high rate and has been shaped by Italy’s demanding defensive tradition would be one of the smartest acquisitions Chelle could make. A Bassey-Marcandalli partnership in central defence would give Nigeria a physically dominant, technically accomplished back two with years of development ahead of both of them.
The FIFA eligibility situation is clean. Marcandalli played for Italy at under-21 level but his last call-up came in 2023 and was for a non-competitive match. Under FIFA regulations, he can switch senior allegiance to Nigeria without restriction. There is no clearance paperwork required beyond the standard nationality confirmation process. The path is open. What Chelle needs to do is make the call before Italy’s senior setup, under a new coach after the World Cup, decides to include him. Bet9ja’s Serie A betting page is available for fans who want to follow Marcandalli’s Genoa performances through to the end of the Italian season.
The Bigger Picture
Marcandalli is the latest in a growing line of Italian-raised Nigerian-eligible players who have been overlooked by the Azzurri but are finding the door to the Super Eagles open. The Italian football system has historically been slow to integrate players of African heritage into its senior national team setup, despite producing many at youth level. That structural gap is Nigeria’s opportunity, and Chelle has shown with Fernandez, Nwaiwu and others that he knows how to close it quickly.
Genoa’s contract with Marcandalli runs to 2029, giving the club leverage and stability. But contracts don’t prevent international switches, they only affect club transfers. Chelle can call him up for the next available window without any negotiation with Genoa required. The question is whether he does it quickly enough. Italy’s new post-World Cup cycle may generate fresh interest in a defender who is having his best club season to date. Nigeria has the upper hand right now. That could change. New Bet9ja users following the Super Eagles’ defensive rebuild can get started with the YOHAIG welcome offer before the Unity Cup squad is announced.
📌 Did You Know?
- Alessandro Marcandalli was developed in the Atalanta youth academy before moving to Genoa, giving him his early football education at a club internationally renowned for producing technically accomplished defenders, including Serie A and Champions League stars like Cristian Romero and Rafael Toloi.
- Daniele De Rossi, who manages Genoa and compared Marcandalli to Antonio Rudiger, is a Roma legend who won the 2006 FIFA World Cup with Italy and was one of the most combative and technically gifted midfielders of his generation in European football.
- Antonio Rudiger, the Real Madrid defender to whom De Rossi compared Marcandalli, is a German international of Sierra Leonean descent who is widely regarded as one of the world’s best aerial defenders, giving the comparison considerable weight when assessing Marcandalli’s ceiling.
- Genoa CFC is one of the oldest football clubs in the world, founded in 1893 by British expatriates living in Genoa, and holds the record for the most Italian league titles won in the early history of the Scudetto, with nine championships claimed before 1924.
- Eric Chelle personally attended a Genoa match in February 2026 specifically to scout Marcandalli, a level of direct involvement that signals the Nigeria coach’s genuine interest in the player rather than a routine monitoring through video footage alone.
- Calvin Bassey, Nigeria’s current first-choice left centre-back, also made the switch from England to Nigeria and has become one of the Super Eagles’ most consistent performers since his commitment, providing a recent template for the kind of pathway Marcandalli could follow.
- Italy’s senior squad, which Marcandalli has never represented competitively, is in transition following Luciano Spalletti’s departure, and the new coaching setup’s priorities will directly influence whether the Azzurri decide to pursue Marcandalli before Nigeria finalises his commitment.
