Wladimiro Falcone might have been an actor, having tried his hand at it briefly as a child. Instead he chose to become a goalkeeper – and much to Lecce's benefit. For if they are still in with a chance of staying up, they owe a lot of it to their captain between the sticks.

In a season when goals are at a premium in the Italian top flight (after 32 matchdays, the league has one of the lowest goals-per-game averages in the last 20 years), and with Lecce holding the unenviable record of being Serie A's least-prolific attack, every save Falcone pulls off counts as double. And the numbers stack up: only Arijanet Muric (117) has made more saves than the Rome-born goalkeeper (114) this season. Falcone has kept out 66% of the shots he has faced this season, collecting eight clean sheets along the way – which have proved crucial in securing his team points.

Besides being a reliable shot-stopper, Falcone is also the ultimate Mr Consistent: since moving to Salento in 2022, he has not missed a single league game, keeping goal for 146 consecutive matches. As a result, he is one of Lecce's highest appearance-makers in Serie A and is closing in on Guillermo Giacomazzi's club record of 197.

Falcone is the prototype modern goalkeeper: reactive on his line, brave when coming off it and competent at building play. He displayed his full set of skills in the reverse fixture at the Franchi, when his reflexes helped Lecce edge to a 1-0 victory, and in the matches against Juventus and Torino, when his saves helped them take home four points.

The Lecce No.30 has also earned himself a reputation as a spot-kick specialist, saving no fewer than 13 penalties since the 2022/23 season (only Vanja Milinkovic-Savic has kept out more). Away to Juventus his penalty stop earned Lecce a point, while at home against Torino his spot-kick save right at the death enabled his side to hold on for a 2-1 victory.