He wasn’t always a defender

Although now an athletic and powerful wing-back, Marco didn’t start his footballing life as a defender. Originally a central midfielder, it was as he went through the youth ranks at Atalanta that he was converted into a full-back, where he featured naturally on either side – a part of his game today.

Continental pedigree

Marco was part of the Atalanta squad that went on to win the 2023/24 UEFA Europa League trophy, beating Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in Dublin. Although his game time was limited throughout the campaign, he made his senior debut for the Italian club in that season’s tournament in December 2023.

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Just under a year later, in November 2024, Palestra would make his Champions League bow during a 6-1 win over BSC Young Boys, playing 64 minutes across three games in the competition during the 2024/25 campaign.

The 21-year-old has also taken part in the 2024 UEFA Super Cup, where Atalanta faced Real Madrid – Marco was a late second-half substitute.

Award winner

After a stellar season on loan at Cagliari during the most recent 2025/26 campaign, the full-back was named Serie A Defender of the Year at the Italian league’s end-of-season awards – and the stats are extremely impressive.

Marco ranked third in Serie A for both attempted dribbles (118) and successful dribbles (81), while among defenders across Europe's top five leagues, no player completed more dribbles than the Italian. He also recorded 67 touches in the opposition box – the fifth-most in Serie A – while contributing a goal and four assists.

Speed demon

As well as being supremely technically gifted, it’s fair to say that Palestra is also known for his athletic prowess. During the 2025/26 season, he was awarded Serie A’s Speed Award for being the player who recorded the highest average top speed across the campaign, reaching 27.96 km/h.

He saw off second-placed Napoli forward Rasmus Hojlund (27.92 km/h) and third-placed Fiorentina defender Dodo (27.77 km/h).

Wearing red, blue and green

Palestra is a senior Italy international after making his debut earlier this year against Northern Ireland in the World Cup qualifier play-off round.

Marco also took part in the play-off final with Bosnia and Herzegovina as the Azzurri missed out on a place in this summer's World Cup.

Prior to making the step up, the full-back was also capped at every youth level from the Under-18s and above, featuring in Euro qualification campaigns for the Under-19 and Under-21 tournaments for the Azzurri.