Maya Cherubini and Emma Lombardi: Fiorentina's bet on youth is paying off

Although ACF Fiorentina ultimately missed out on a chance to compete in the Women's Champions League, the season still brought some positives. The most significant ones are undoubtedly the performances of Maya and Emma (members of the UEFA Women's U19 Championship runner-up team, both born in 2007) who broke into Fiorentina’s first team this year. Coach Pablo Piñones-Arce is known for not placing too much emphasis on age and for being willing to give even very young players an opportunity to prove themselves.

Maya Cherubini: A new Iniesta in the offing?

A native of Rome, she had to fight her way onto the football pitch. At first, her mother wasn’t too keen on the idea of her daughter playing football because she was worried about Maya’s safety, so the eight-year-old had to resort to tears to convince her. She started out playing alongside boys at the ASD Arsenal Giochiamola Sempre club, but by the age of twelve she had already transferred to AS Roma.

She stayed with the Giallorosse for several years before deciding to make a life-changing move in the summer of 2024 and accepting an offer from Fiorentina. Although the transfer automatically meant she had to leave her parents and friends in Rome and start living on her own, she never regretted this decision: “I was never afraid of growing up. I always felt that I wanted to become independent as soon as possible, and even my mom said I was more mature than other kids my age. I’ve always preferred the company of older people, which is why I now have no problem getting along with my teammates on the first team,” Maya revealed on the club’s podcast.

After joining Viola, the talented midfielder spent a year with the youth team, but before the recently concluded season, she became a permanent member of the first team. She made her league debut on October 4, 2025, in a match against Napoli, and since then, with a few exceptions, she has been a regular in coach Pablo Piñones-Arce’s starting lineup.

Maya, who is partly of Spanish descent on her grandmother’s side, is very often compared to Iniesta, one of the greatest Spanish footballers of all time. On the field, she acts as a technical leader who isn’t afraid to instruct her teammates, thanks to her exceptionally well-developed tactical thinking: “It’s always been part of my playing style to be the anchor in midfield and to give instructions. That’s my personality, my way of doing things, which is reflected on the field,” explained the player herself to Calcio Femminile Italiano. Her contract with Fiorentina runs through June 2027.

Emma Lombardi: The rising star of La Viola's defense

Emma was born in the province of Pisa, where she first set foot on a football pitch, which she chose over artistic gymnastics. She initially started out, as is often the case, on a boys’ team, but then moved to the Livorno girls’ team, followed by Empoli, and eventually made her way to Fiorentina. Thanks to her outstanding performances on the under-19 team, she was promoted to the first team for the 2025–26 season, just like Maya Cherubini.

The opportunity to play for Gigliate's first team was a turning point in Emma's career: “Once I found out I’d be training with the first team, I realized that my approach to football had to evolve: I decided to invest all my focus and energy into it. I feel good on the first team. We are close-knit and relaxed, and everyone tries to help me. There are a lot of foreign players, which is good for me, because it encourages me to speak English. I feel like I'm really not very good at it, but I'm trying my best and I'm getting better,” she stated in an interview with FIGC.

She entered her first league match on the same day as Maya and since then she has appeared in the starting lineup many times. The skilled defensive player has signed a contract with the Tuscan club valid until June 2028. What happens next is not yet clear. Emma is keeping her options open and, in addition to football, is also interested in other fields: “In the future, I'd like to stay in the sports environment, perhaps pursuing a career in medical science or physical therapy. I don't want to choose just one path right now.”