Franco Israel: Turin in his destiny

Torino’s transfer activity has picked up pace with a change in goal. After six seasons at the club, Vanja Milinković-Savić has moved on to Napoli. Taking his place is Franco Israel, the Uruguayan goalkeeper who spent the last three years as Sporting CP’s backup shot-stopper. Israel is in familiar surroundings: after his previous spell with Juventus Next Gen, he has returned to Turin – but this time on the other side of the city. He has become Torino’s fourth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Anjorin, Ismajli and Ngonge.

FRANCO ISRAEL’S JOURNEY: FROM NACIONAL TO SERIE A

Born in Nueva Helvecia, a city in Uruguay founded by German and Swiss immigrants, 25-year-old Franco Israel Wibmer is a goalkeeper who also holds an Italian passport. He came through the youth ranks of Artesano and Nacional – the most decorated club in Uruguay – before joining Juventus in 2018. He was immediately integrated into the Primavera side and later made the step up to Juventus Next Gen. With the Bianconeri’s U23 team, he made 59 appearances across Serie C and the Coppa Italia Serie C, keeping 15 clean sheets. In 2022, he moved to Portugal to join Sporting. Over three seasons in Lisbon, he served primarily as backup goalkeeper – first to Adán and later to Rui Silva – while still getting the chance to showcase his quality on the continental stage. In his 53 appearances for Sporting, he featured in both the Europa League and the Champions League. Notably, in 2024/25, he started every game of the group stage in Europe’s premier competition, conceding twelve goals and keeping two clean sheets in eight matches.

At international level, he came through the Uruguay youth ranks and has earned one senior cap in a friendly. He was also part of his country’s 2024 Copa América squad, though he remained behind Sergio Rochet in the pecking order and didn’t feature.

WHAT FRANCO ISRAEL CAN BRING TO TORINO: A NEW MILINKOVIĆ-SAVIĆ?

Standing at 1.90 metres with a strong physical presence, Israel offers Torino qualities akin to those of Milinković-Savić. Like the Serbian goalkeeper, who enjoyed an outstanding 2024/25 campaign, Israel’s key strengths lie in his ability to cover the goal and his positioning, along with excellent reflexes and confidence when coming off his line. Combining strong close-range reactions with composure when building play from the back, the former Sporting goalkeeper now has the chance to establish himself in Serie A – a goal he narrowly missed during his time at Juventus. He will compete for a starting spot with Alberto Paleari, who was second choice last season.

THE URUGUAYAN TRADITION AT TORINO
****Franco Israel joins a rich tradition of “charrúa” talent at Torino: from famous playmakers like Carlos Aguilera, the legendary Enzo “El Príncipe” Francescoli and Álvaro Recoba, to other less well-known Uruguayans who have nonetheless left their mark at the club, such as Diego Laxalt, Guillermo Rodríguez, Gastón Silva, Gustavo Méndez and Federico Magallanes. There’s even a precedent between the posts: Salvador Ichazo made eleven appearances over three seasons with the Granata. In Serie A more broadly, Goicoechea (Roma) and Fernando Muslera (Lazio) ****were goalkeepers who ****notably had spells in the capital.

(Photo Website Torino FC + Getty Images)