Nicolò Zaniolo

Nicolò Zaniolo (Italian pronunciation: [nikoˈlɔ ddzaˈnjɔːlo]; born 2 July 1999) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Roma and the Italy national team.

Nicolò Zaniolo
Personal information
Full name Nicolò Zaniolo
Date of birth (1999-07-02) 2 July 1999
Place of birth Massa, Italy
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Roma
Number 22
Youth career
2008–2010 Genoa
2010–2016 Fiorentina
2016–2017 Virtus Entella
2017–2018 Internazionale
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Virtus Entella 7 (0)
2017–2018 Internazionale 0 (0)
2018– Roma 53 (10)
National team‡
2016–2017 Italy U18 2 (0)
2017–2018 Italy U19 18 (6)
2018– Italy U21 8 (0)
2019– Italy 7 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 1 August 2020
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:48, 7 September 2020 (UTC)

Club career

Early career

Born in Massa, Tuscany, Zaniolo grew up in the Fiorentina youth system.[1] On the final day of the 2016 mid year transfer window, he was released by Fiorentina, and subsequently joined Virtus Entella.[2] After several months playing for the Entella Primavera side, Zaniolo was given his professional debut in Serie B on 11 March 2017, aged 17, in a 3–2 win against Benevento.[3] In total, he collected seven appearances for the Biancocelesti in the 2016–17 season.[4]

On 5 July 2017, Internazionale announced they had signed Zaniolo, for a reported fee of €1.8 million, plus €1.7 million in bonuses.[5][6] He played for the Primavera side in the 2017–18 season, finishing top-scorer of the team with 13 goals and winning the Campionato Nazionale Primavera.[7] Zaniolo made his Inter debut in a pre-season friendly on 9 July 2017.[8] However, he did not play any competitive game for Inter's first team.[4]

Roma

In June 2018, it was reported that Zaniolo and Davide Santon had joined Roma as a part of the deal moving Radja Nainggolan to Inter.[9] Zaniolo completed his medical on 25 June, and signed a five-year contract with the club, for a fee of €4.5 million plus 15% resell revenue.[10][11] He made his first appearance for Roma and UEFA Champions League debut on 19 September, in a 3–0 defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.[12] He made his Serie A debut on 26 September 2018, aged 19, in the home match won 4–0 against Frosinone. On 26 December, he scored his first goal in Serie A in a 3–1 win against Sassuolo.[13] The following year, during a UEFA Champions League match against FC Porto, Zaniolo became the youngest Italian player to score twice in a single match in the competition when he scored both of Roma's goals in a 2–1 win.[14]

On 12 January 2020, Zaniolo suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee during a 2–1 home loss to Juventus.[15] He returned to training in late June 2020.[16][17] In addition, he received letters of support from both the Italian and global footballing community, including Roberto Mancini, Roberto Baggio, and Francesco Totti, who had been operated by the same surgeon after similar situation occurred in early 2006.[18][19][20]

International career

With the Italy under-19 side, Zaniolo took part in the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, reaching the final of the tournament, which Italy lost 4–3 after extra time against Portugal.[21]

On 1 September 2018, he was given his first senior international call-up for Italy by manager Roberto Mancini – without having received a cap in Serie A – for Italy's opening UEFA Nations League matches against Poland and Portugal later that month.[22][23]

He made his debut with the Italy U21 team on 11 October 2018, under manager Luigi Di Biagio, in a 1–0 friendly defeat to Belgium.

He made his debut with the senior team on 23 March 2019, entering as a substitute for Verratti in a 2–0 home win over Finland in Italy's opening UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match.[24] He made his first start for Italy on 15 October, in a 5–0 away win against Liechtenstein, in a Euro 2020 qualifier.[25] His first international goals came on 18 November, a brace in a 9–1 home win over Armenia, in Italy's final Euro 2020 qualifier; he also set up Ciro Immobile's second goal during the match.[26]

On 7 September 2020, after being called up for the start of Italy's campaign in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League, he suffered a second anterior cruciate ligament injury in eight months, this time in his left knee, in an eventual 1–0 away win over the Netherlands.[27]

Style of play

Standing at 1.90m (6'3"), Zaniolo is a tall, strong, and fast player, who is also a good dribbler. A versatile player, due to his creativity, technique, work-rate, energy, and physicality, he can operate in several midfield positions, and has been used as an attacking midfielder or "trequartista," as an offensive-minded central midfielder or "mezzala," as a box-to-box midfielder, and even as a deep-lying playmaker; he can even play out on the flanks, due to his goalscoring abilities, ability to create chances for teammates, the breadth he provides, and the attacking threat he poses. A talented player, he is considered one of Italy's most promising young prospects.[28][29]

Personal life

He is the son of Igor Zaniolo, a former professional footballer who played as a forward in Serie B and Serie C.[30]

On 18 January 2021, Zaniolo tested positive for COVID-19 amid its pandemic in Italy.[31]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 6 August 2020.[4]
Club Season League League Cup Europe Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Virtus Entella 2016–17 Serie B 70–––70
Roma 2018–19 Serie A 274207[lower-alpha 1]2–366
2019–20 266007[lower-alpha 2]2–338
Total 531020144006914
Career Total 601020144007614
  1. Appearance(s) in the UEFA Champions League
  2. Appearance(s) in the UEFA Europa League

International
As of match played 7 September 2020.[32]
Italy
YearAppsGoals
201952
202020
Total72

International goals
As of match played 4 September 2020.
International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 18 November 2019Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo, Italy Armenia2–09–1UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
2 5–0

Honours

International

Italy U19

Individual

References
  1. "Il padre di Zaniolo: "E pensare che ci dissero che non era all'altezza della Primavera della Fiorentina"". fiorentinanews.com (in Italian). Florence: Associazione Giovani Editori Toscani. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  2. "Zaniolo, scartato dalla Fiorentina e ora in Nazionale. E non ha mai giocato in A…". fiorentina.it (in Italian). C&C Media. 3 September 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  3. "Game Report by Soccerway". Soccerway. 11 March 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  4. "Nicolò Zaniolo". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  5. "Nicolo Zaniolo signs for Inter". F.C. Internazionale Milano. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  6. "ESCLUSIVA - Ds Entella: "Zaniolo è costato 3.5 milioni. Ha gran carattere"". fcinternews.it (in Italian). Total Market Web (TMW) Network. 5 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  7. "Calendario e Risultati 30^ GIORNATA - 19/05/2018" (in Italian). Lega Serie A. 19 May 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  8. "#BRUNICO2017: INTER 2-1 WSG WATTENS". F.C. Internazionale Milano. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  9. "Nainggolan-Inter, è fatta: alla Roma 24 milioni, Santon e Zaniolo". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Milan: RCS MediaGroup. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  10. "Gallery: visite mediche per Davide Santon e Nicolò Zaniolo" (Press release) (in Italian). Rome: A.S. Roma. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  11. "La Roma perfeziona l'ingaggio di Nicolò Zaniolo" (Press release) (in Italian). Rome: A.S. Roma. 26 June 2018. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  12. "Real Madrid 3-0 Roma: goals and highlights". calciomercato.com. Calcioinfinito. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  13. "Nicolo Zaniolo scored the perfect goal for the day after Christmas". sbnation.com. Vox Media. 26 December 2018. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
  14. "Roma 2-1 FC Porto: Nicolò Zaniolo scores twice in win for hosts". BBC Sport. 12 February 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  15. "Zaniolo 15th ACL tear for Roma". Football Italia. 13 January 2020.
  16. "Zaniolo 'out for five-six months'". Football Italia. 13 January 2020.
  17. "Zaniolo returns to Roma training". Football Italia. 29 June 2020.
  18. "Mancini: 'Zaniolo all'Europeo? Può farcela. Chiesa e Bernardeschi? Stiano in fascia! Immobile, Belotti o Balotelli...'" (in Italian). www.calciomercato.com. 18 January 2020.
  19. Zazzaroni, Ivan (15 January 2020). "Baggio esclusivo: "Zaniolo, conta la volontà"". Il Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  20. "FOTO - Totti a Zaniolo: "Forza Nicolò, tornerai più forte di prima"" (in Italian). www.ilromanista.eu. 13 January 2020.
  21. "Under-19 - Portugal win epic U19 EURO final". UEFA. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  22. "Chiellini rejoins Italy squad; Pellegri called up". www.sportsnet.ca. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  23. "Italy squad named with teenager Pietro Pellegri called up". Onefootball English. 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  24. "Italy: Kean and Barella take down Finland". Football Italia. 23 March 2019.
  25. "Historic manita in Liechtenstein". Football Italia. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  26. "Italy: Armenia annihilated 9-1!". Football Italia. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  27. "Zaniolo out with new ACL injury". Football Italia. 8 September 2020.
  28. "A debut at the Bernabeu: Who is Roma midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo?". A.S. Roma. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  29. "Di Biagio: 'Mezzala is Zaniolo's correct position'". www.calciomercato.com. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  30. "Inter, ecco Zaniolo. L'agente: "Lo voleva il Milan, la Juve parlava con l'Entella da mesi". Papà Igor: "Somiglia a Pastore"". Fantacalcio.it - Solo il meglio del calcio. June 7, 2017.
  31. "Official: Zaniolo positive for COVID". Football Italia. 18 January 2021.
  32. "Zaniolo, Nicolò" (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  33. "Under-19 EURO team of the tournament". UEFA.com. UEFA. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  34. "Ronaldo MVP in Serie A Awards". Football Italia. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
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