Paola Fadda

An anonymous note appeared in Paola’s kindergarten locker telling her parents to send her to play football — and her family still has no idea who wrote it.

Paola spent five years playing in boys’ teams before joining Inter at the age of 12.

Paola and her father cried together when she received her first Italy U17 call-up, while he remains her closest confidant and attends almost every match.

Although Paola secretly wanted Cesena’s number 10 shirt, she initially requested number 8 because she believed the iconic number should go to a more established player — unaware that the club had already reserved it especially for her.

Moving to Cesena was Paola’s first experience of living away from Milan and her family, and it helped her discover how much she enjoys solitude and having her own space.

Paola openly admits that self-belief remains one of the areas she wants to improve, with making herself proud becoming her first priority when dealing with pressure.