Nicola Sansone

Nicola Domenico Sansone (Italian pronunciation: [niˈkɔːla doˈmeːniko sanˈsoːne]; born 10 September 1991) is an Italian footballer who plays as a forward for Italian club Bologna and the Italian national team.

Nicola Sansone

Sansone with Italy
Personal information
Full name	Nicola Domenico Sansone
Date of birth	10 September 1991
Place of birth	Munich, Germany[1]
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s)	Forward
Club information
Current team	Bologna
Number	10
Youth career
0000–2002	SV Neuperlach
2002–2010	Bayern Munich
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2010–2011	Bayern Munich II	32	(2)
2011–2014	Parma	43	(8)
2011–2012	→ Crotone (loan)	35	(5)
2014–2016	Sassuolo	84	(17)
2016–2019	Villarreal	53	(14)
2019	→ Bologna (loan)	15	(2)
2019–	Bologna	33	(4)
National team^‡
2007	Italy U17	1	(0)
2009	Italy U18	1	(1)
2009–2010	Italy U19	6	(1)
2012	Italy U20	1	(0)
2012–2013	Italy U21	7	(0)
2015–	Italy	3	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:53, 12 August 2020 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2016

Club career

Sansone was born in Munich in Germany[1] and his first club was SV Neuperlach. At the age of 10, he transferred to Bayern Munich, where he progressed through the Junior Team. He made his debut for Bayern's reserve team in January 2010, in a 3. Liga match against Dynamo Dresden.[2] He made three more appearances in the 2009–10 season, and was a regular in the team during the 2010–11 season. In October 2010, he was named on the substitutes bench for the first-team in a Bundesliga match against SC Freiburg. He was released in June 2011 after Bayern's reserves were relegated from the 3. Liga.

Sassuolo

On 21 January 2014, Sansone along with teammates Pedro Mendes and Aleandro Rosi joined Sassuolo from fellow Serie A club Parma. Sansone and Mendes both signed co-ownership deals, for €2.5 million and €500,000 respectively.[3][4] Rosi however made a loan switch from Parma to Sassuolo, as part of the swap with Jonathan Rossini also in temporary deal.[5]

In June 2014 Raman Chibsah and Sansone joined Sassuolo outright for an additional €5.75 million from Parma,[4] as well as Parma bought back Mendes for €2.5 million.[3][6]

Villarreal

On 7 August 2016, Sansone signed with Villarreal on a five-year contract reported to be in the region of €13 million.[7] He made his club debut in a 1–1 away draw against Granada in La Liga, on 20 August,[8] and scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 away win over Málaga in La Liga, on 10 September.[9]

Bologna

On 4 January 2019, he joined Italian club Bologna on loan with an obligation to buy.[10]

International career

Sansone made his U17 debut in November 2007 along with Bayern teammate Roberto Soriano. Both players also called up to 2008 Minsk under-17 International Tournament[11] He scored a goal in the second match, a 3–0 won against Belarus.[12] However, he was not called up to 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship elite round in March.

He played for the Italy U19 team on 11 March 2009, the second match of the 2009–10 season (for which only players born in or after 1991 were eligible), and he was also called up to the team's next friendly match against Ukraine (class of 1990 team), as Ukraine was preparing for the 2009 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship finals. He scored a goal in the match, which ended in a 2–2 draw.[13] He then dropped from the team, as he did not receive a call-up to the U18 team (class of 1991) for a friendly tournament in Slovakia.[14] In November 2009, he was recalled to the U19 team for 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship qualification. He replaced captain Jacopo Sala in the first match, then started in the next two matches as a wing forward, partnered with forward Mattia Destro and Nicolao Dumitru against San Marino, ahead of Marco D'Alessandro, who started in the first match. In the last match against Republic of Ireland, Sansone was partnered with Destro in a 4–4–2 formation. Sansone was then selected in one[15] of the three friendly matches before the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship elite qualification, but never received a call-up again, as some of the players had recovered from injury and other players had returned from the U21 team (Fabio Borini and midfielder Soriano, etc.).

Sansone made his U20 debut in February 2012. He also played an unofficial friendly against the Italy under-21 Serie B representative team in December 2011.[16]

On 31 May 2015 Sansone received his first senior Italy national team call-up from Antonio Conte.[17]

On 16 June 2015, Sansone debuted for the Italian senior team after being substituted on for Stephan El Shaarawy in the 68th minute in a 1–0 friendly defeat to Portugal.[18]

Style of play

Sansone is a fast and agile forward with a slender physique and an eye for goal. He possesses good technique and dribbling skills, which enable him to take on opponents in one on one situations. He is capable of playing as a second striker, but his preferred position is as a left winger, a position which allows him to cut into the centre to strike on goal with his favoured right foot or make attacking runs into the area in order to create space for teammates.[19][20][21][22]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 2 August 2020[23]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Bayern Munich II	2009–10	4	0	—		—		—		4	0
	2010–11	28	2	—		—		—		28	2
	Total	32	2	—		—		—		32	2
Crotone (Loan)	2011–12	35	5	1	1	—		—		36	6
	Total	35	5	1	1	—		—		36	6
Parma	2012–13	26	6	0	0	—		—		26	6
	2013–14	17	2	2	0	—		—		19	2
	Total	43	8	2	0	—		—		45	8
Sassuolo	2013–14	12	5	—		—		—		12	5
	2014–15	35	5	2	3	—		—		37	8
	2015–16	37	7	1	0	—		—		38	7
	2016–17	0	0	0	0	2	0	—		2	0
	Total	84	17	3	3	2	0	—		89	20
Villarreal	2016–17	32	8	4	0	8	1	—		44	9
	2017–18	18	5	1	0	3	1	—		22	6
	2018–19	3	1	1	0	3	0	—		7	1
	Total	53	14	6	0	14	2	—		73	16
Bologna	2018–19	15	2	1	0	—		—		16	2
	2019–20	33	4	1	0	—		—		34	4
	Total	48	6	2	0	—		—		50	6
Career total		291	52	14	4	16	2	—		321	57

International

As of match played on 15 November 2016.[24]

Italy national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2015	1	0
2016	2	0
Total	3	0

References

1. "Nicola Sansone". Parma F.C. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
2. "Dynamo Dresden gegen FC Bayern München II 2:0 (1:0) - Die 3. Liga". Archived from the original on 10 July 2012.
3. Parma FC SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2014 (in Italian), PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA
4. U.S. Sassuolo Calcio S.r.l. bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 31 December 2014 (in Italian), PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A.
5. "Transfer market operations and presentation of newly signed players". Parma FC. 21 January 2014. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
6. "Accordi di compartecipazione con l'US Sassuolo" (in Italian). Parma FC. 19 June 2014. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2015.
7. "Official: Villarreal sign Sansone". Football Italia. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
8. Edoardo Testoni (21 August 2016). "Liga, la prima del Villarreal made in Italy: Soriano e Sansone subito titolari" (in Italian). FoxSports.it. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
9. "Sansone: Better with every game". Football España. 11 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
10. "UFFICIALE: Bologna, preso Sansone in prestito con obbligo di riscatto" (in Italian). Retrieved 4 January 2019.
11. "International tournament: team plays against Moldova, Belarus and Russia". FIGC. 7 January 2008. Archived from the original on 6 May 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
12. "Torneo di Minsk: battuta la Bielorussia. Oggi Russia-Italia". FIGC (in Italian). 9 January 2008. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
13. "taccuino". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 9 April 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
14. "Under 18: convocati 18 Azzurrini per la "Slovacchia Cup"". FIGC (in Italian). 23 April 2009. Retrieved 4 September 2010.
15. "Match report: Italy 1-1 Germany". DFB (in German). 17 March 2010. Archived from the original on 21 April 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
16. "Nocera, Obiettivo Raggiunto" (in Italian). legaserieb.it. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
17. "Stage a Coverciano dal 2 al 4 giugno: trentaquattro Azzurri convocati da Conte" (in Italian). FIGC. 31 May 2015. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
18. "Sansone: 'A bitter debut'". Football Italia. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
19. "Febbre da '90: i talenti italiani" (in Italian). Sport Mediaset. 29 December 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
20. Andrea Tabacco. "Nicola Sansone, "tedesco" ma con il cuore italiano" (in Italian). Eurosport.com. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
21. Guglielmo Longhi (5 May 2012). "Una sfida da mito tra piccoli Sansone" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
22. "Nicola Sansone" (in Italian). Sky.it. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
23. Nicola Sansone at Soccerway. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
24. "Nicola Sansone". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.

External links

• Nicola Sansone at BDFutbol
• Nicola Sansone at kicker.de (in German)
• International Caps at FIGC.it (in Italian)