Como midfielder Martin Baturina capped a historic week for the Lombardy club by controlling the midfield in their 4-1 Champions League victory against RB Leipzig, a result that drew immediate praise from figures across European football and confirmed that FÃ bregas's side are not merely participants in this competition.
The significance of that performance extends beyond one match. At 23, Baturina is operating at the centre of a Como project that has accelerated faster than almost anyone anticipated — a club that was not competing at professional level in Italy not long ago now sits fourth in Serie A with seven points from three matches, having won two and drawn one, scoring seven goals and conceding three. Baturina's personal numbers track the team's ambition precisely: two goals and one assist across those three league matches, with an average rating of 7.34. He is not a peripheral figure in this story. He is one of its authors.
Alessandro Del Piero singled out the players, staff, and ownership group for praise following the Leipzig result, and Thierry Henry — in a moment that blended levity with genuine acknowledgement — warned Baturina in the CBS Sports studio after the victory that his next paycheck was under threat, the kind of joke that only lands when the performance behind it is undeniable. That Baturina's display in a Champions League debut drew that level of attention from figures of that stature says something about the quality on show.
What makes Baturina's trajectory credible rather than merely exciting is the structural foundation beneath it. An AI overall of 74 out of 100, with a potential of 82, suggests a player who has not yet reached his ceiling — and the early 2026-27 data gives no reason to doubt that projection. Fà bregas has built a system at Como that rewards intelligent movement and technical precision in tight spaces, and Baturina appears to thrive within those constraints rather than despite them.
The Croatian midfielder started alongside Nico Paz and Anastasios Douvikas against Leipzig, and the combination produced the kind of performance that earns a club respect in European competition from the first fixture rather than the fifth. Como were described in some quarters as disrespected in the buildup to the Champions League campaign; the scoreline answered that more efficiently than any argument could.
Three Serie A matches and one Champions League fixture into the season, Baturina has contributions in both competitions and a rating that places him among the more consistent performers in FÃ bregas's squad. The question now is whether he can sustain that output across a schedule that will test Como's depth in ways the club has never previously experienced at this level. On current evidence, he is not shrinking from the demand.