A winner by nature. This is what emerges from reading his CV Marco Armellino and of a career that has unfolded so far, between the former C2 and Serie B, with almost 500 appearances among professionals.
The third series, in particular, has no secrets for the 34-year-old from Vico Equense having won it at all latitudes and with three different shirts: in 2017/18 with that of Lecce in group C; in 2019/20 with that of Monza in group A; in 2021/22 with that of Modena, among the clubs in the middle band, in a year in which they even triumphed in the Lega Pro super cup.
Successes that an undisputed leader, on and off the pitch, hopes to repeat also Avellino in a club where he joined in the last stages of the August transfer market and it took him very little to also take on the role of captain. A point of reference position earned almost naturally, week after week, with increasingly convincing performances but above all with great temperament. Characteristics appreciated first by Massimo Rastelli, who although in approximate physical conditions threw him into the fray in the two parts of the match under his management, but above all by Michele Pazienzawho only did without him in Cerignola due to disqualification.
In the other 37 games out of 38 championship matches, it is no coincidence that Marco Armellino always set foot on the green rectangle, collecting 3035 minutes in total.
An emblematic score, inferior only to Simone Ghidotti who didn’t miss a single minute of the regular season. In Marco Armellino’s year in green and white, however, beyond the goal and the assist both recorded in the match won at the Partenio Lombardi against Monopoli, what should be noted above all is his marked flexibility enhanced by a spirit of sacrifice common to few soccer players. Qualities that in the third series have always made the difference, thinking even more than imagination and technique. Characteristics which, especially in the first part of the season and in the moment of great defensive difficulty, the former under of Vico Equense, who started from the dusty fields of the Campania Eccellenza, made the most of, directing the back pack from central.
Once the injury emergency was over (with the recovery of Cionek and Rigione) Pazienza preferred to bring Armellino back to the heart of midfield, where the team had often shown great difficulties, especially in terms of pace.
Often used as an interior player, without distinction on the right and left, in the second part of the season which coincided with the additions of Antonio De Cristofaro and Michele Roccabut also with the adaptability of Michele D’Ausilio, Armellino thus found himself being moved almost automatically in front of the defense. In the classic and old role of Methodist center midfielder, which Armellino clearly interpreted in a less geometric and imaginative way compared to the classic playmaker like Luca Palmiero, the former captain of Lecce, Monza and Modena practically found himself acting as an added libero in front of the maginot line.
A task interpreted with great tactical sagacity and determination which is once again enhancing his leadership characteristics with reflexes of great balance found in the collective play in the midfield. A balance that Marco Armellino, who also found himself with the captain’s armband on his left arm, sought and achieved even in front of microphones and notebooks when he had no qualms about launching appeals and addressing the South’s fans at the moment in which relations had deteriorated between footballers and ultras.
Guiding words uttered in Potenza, after the mock draw and the dispute, but also in the immediate aftermath of the defeat in Taranto, where he was able to find the positive angle on a day characterized by many shadows: «This misstep – he said – will do us good because it made us understand what it means to play playoff games like these. You’ll see that it won’t happen again.” Words from Marco Armellino, a leader like few others who, at 34 years old, still has a great desire to win.
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