Who is he? Where does he play?
He is San Marino's 21 year old centre-half bracing himself for this Friday's crunch World Cup qualifier with England. San Marino have never won a competitive fixture but with Buscarini at the back, they may fancy their chances against Wayne Rooney and co. in Serravalle on Friday.
Really? But San Marino are awful aren't they?
Well yes, but their 1-0 win over Liechtenstein back in 2004, their only ever win to date, still strikes fear into the hearts of national teams across the world. They enter the game with England in consistent form, having lost all four of their games so far and shipping just 16 goals. The presence of Buscarini with his 3 caps, will add some much needed inexperience to such a shaky back-line.
He comes with a big reputation then?
Oh yes, his 3 years at Cailungo in which he made 42 appearances stood him in good stead for the future and his form was noticed by rivals Murata who snapped him up for a small fee. Having made 5 appearances for his new club, he has helped guide them to second place in the highly competitive San Marinese Championship.
Is he international class?
Well, Buscarini is certainly showing it. After making 7 appearances for the under 21s in a defence that conceded 23 goals, he was immediately called up to the full squad, making his debut in the thrashing by England at Wembley back in October. He made an immediate impact at the back, only letting one goal past him during his 14 minutes on the pitch, saving the potential embarrassment of a 4-0 defeat by only losing 5-0.
His other appearances have been a full 90 minutes against the international powerhouses Moldova where he was taught a harsh lesson in a 2-0 loss, then against Montenegro where he was strangely limited to a 16 minute cameo as his stand-ins struggled in a 3-0 defeat. He duly showed what an awful decision coach Giampaolo Miazza made by coming on and seeing the game out without conceding another goal.
England may have problems then?
Well definitely, he can also step into midfield if he has to, his versatility making him hard to pick up as San Marino inevitably put ten men behind the ball. Miazza may even put him on the bench such is the element of surprise Le Serenissima like to keep. If he does play, expect England's attack to struggle in the face of such uncompromising shoddiness. Keep an eye out for Buscarini as England rout to a 6-0 win, he is one to watch out for.
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