Sandro Tonali

Sandro Tonali (Italian pronunciation: [ˈsandro toˈnaːli]; born 8 May 2000) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Milan, on loan from Brescia, and the Italy national football team.

Sandro Tonali
Tonali with Italy U21 in 2019
Personal information
Date of birth (2000-05-08) 8 May 2000
Place of birth Lodi, Italy
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Milan (on loan from Brescia)
Number 8
Youth career
2009–2012 Piacenza
2012–2017 Brescia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017– Brescia 88 (6)
2020– → Milan (loan) 16 (0)
National team‡
2018 Italy U19 12 (0)
2019– Italy U21 6 (0)
2019– Italy 4 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 16:00, 30 January 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 November 2020

Club career

2017–2019: Serie B

Tonali made his professional debut for Brescia Calcio on 26 August 2017, aged 17, coming on as a substitute in the Serie B away match lost 2–1 against Avellino.[2] On 28 April 2018 he scored his first professional career goal, in a 4–2 defeat against Salernitana in Serie B.[3] He obtained 19 league appearances in total during his first season as a professional player, scoring two goals and providing two assists during the 2017–18 Serie B season.[4]

The following season, Tonali won the Serie B title with Brescia, and achieved promotion to Serie A, featuring as a starter for the club throughout the entire 2018–19 season.[5]

2019–2020: Serie A

He made his Serie A debut on 25 August 2019, aged 19, in a 1–0 away win against Cagliari.[6] On 29 September, he assisted Mario Balotelli's goal from a corner kick in a 2–1 away loss to Napoli; he also scored a goal during the match with a powerful shot from outside the area, which was disallowed by VAR, however, for a foul by Brescia's Dimitri Bisoli on Napoli's Nikola Maksimović.[7] He scored his first Serie A goal on 26 October, netting a long-range free kick into the top corner from the left flank, which was the opening goal in an eventual 3–1 away defeat to Genoa.[8][9]

2020–present: Loan to Milan

On 9 September 2020, Tonali joined Milan,[10][11] on a season-long loan for €10 million with an option to buy for €15 million, plus bonuses worth €10 million.[12] The player will earn a yearly wage of €2 million for five years.[12] Three days later, he made his non-competitive debut in a friendly at Milanello against his former club Brescia.[13]

International career

Youth

With the Italy U19 he took part in the 2018 European Under-19 Championship, reaching the final of the tournament lost 4–3 after extra time against Portugal.[14]

He made his debut with the Italy U21 team on 21 March 2019, in a 0–0 friendly draw against Austria in Trieste.[15] He took part in the 2019 European Under-21 Championship.[16]

Senior

In November 2018, he was called for the first time to the senior national team by manager Roberto Mancini.[17] After appearing for the Italy U21 side in a 0–0 away draw against Ireland on 10 October 2019, in a European qualifier, he was called up to the Italy senior squad once again the following day, for the team's Euro 2020 qualifiers against Greece and Liechtenstein.[18]

Tonali made his senior international debut on 15 October 2019, coming on as a substitute in the 5–0 away win against Liechtenstein in Vaduz.[19] His first start for Italy came in his following appearance on 15 November, a 3–0 away win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.[20]

Style of play

Regarded as a promising young Italian player in his position in the media, Tonali is a regista,[21] and is often likened to Andrea Pirlo – who also started his career with Brescia – in terms of his movement, coordination, appearance, technical qualities, position, and playing style.[4][5][22][23] A strong, energetic, elegant, and creative, midfielder, with excellent vision and an ability to read the game,[24] Tonali usually plays in a central or defensive midfield role as deep-lying playmaker in a 4–3–3 formation,[25][26] and shows maturity and character beyond his young age.[27] Dictating play for Brescia with his passing in midfield, he set up two goals and even scored two himself in his 19 appearances in Serie B during the 2017–18 season.[4][28][22] Although naturally right-footed, he is known for his accurate long passing ability with either foot.[24]

In addition to Pirlo, Tonali has also cited Steven Gerrard and Luka Modrić as influences, and has also compared his own playing style to that of Gennaro Gattuso.[29] In July 2019, he was named by UEFA as one of the 50 promising young players to watch for the 2019–20 season.[30]

Personal life

In October 2020, Tonali tested positive for COVID-19.[31]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 30 January 2021[32]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Coppa Italia Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Brescia 2017–18 Serie B 19200—192
2018–19 Serie B 34300—343
2019–20 Serie A 35110—361
Total 88610—896
Milan (loan) 2020–21 Serie A 160109[lower-alpha 1]0260
Career total 104620901156
  1. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League qualifying round(s)

International
As of match played 11 November 2020[33]
Italy
YearAppsGoals
201930
202010
Total40

Honours

Club

Brescia

International

Italy

Individual
  • Tonali won the 2020 Italian Golden Boy Award

References
  1. https://www.bresciacalcio.it/team/prima-squadra/140/sandro-tonali
  2. "Game Report by Soccerway". Soccerway. 26 August 2017.
  3. Angelo Taglieri (28 April 2018). "Tonali, primo gol in carriera: Juve e Inter lo hanno già chiesto, il Milan..." (in Italian). www.calciomercato.com. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  4. Nikita Fesyukov (14 October 2018). "Introducing Tonali, 'the next Pirlo' wanted by Sarri and Allegri". www.calciomercato.com. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  5. Rahaman, Vijay (26 July 2019). "Brescia back in business". Football Italia. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  6. "Juventus and Milan dealt blow as Brescia will keep Tonali". www.calciomercato.com. 26 August 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  7. "Napoli 2 - 1 Brescia". Football Italia. 29 September 2019.
  8. "Juventus held to draw at Serie A struggler Lecce". TSN. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  9. "3 subs, 3 goals as Motta's Genoa debut goes to plan". The Score. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.
  10. "Official Statement: Sandro Tonali". A.C. Milan. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  11. "Tonali ceduto a titolo temporaneo". www.bresciacalcio.it (in Italian). Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  12. "Mercato, Tonali al Milan: ci sono firma e annuncio". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 10 September 2020.
  13. https://www.milannews.it/i-tabellini/milan-brescia-3-1-il-tabellino-dell-amichevole-383779
  14. "Under-19 - Portugal win epic U19 EURO final". UEFA. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  15. "A Trieste è pari contro l'Austria: buona la prima mezz'ora dell'Italia ma il match finisce a reti bianche". figc.it (in Italian). FIGC. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  16. "Parte l'avventura europea: Di Biagio ufficializza la lista dei 23 Azzurrini". figc.it (in Italian). FIGC. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  17. "Nazionale di calcio: Mancini convoca Tonali, Balotelli resta fuori" (in Italian). BsNews. 9 November 2018.
  18. "Italy promote Tonali to seniors". Football Italia. 11 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  19. "Historic manita in Liechtenstein". Football Italia. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  20. "Italy: Dominant display in Bosnia". Football Italia. 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  21. "Agent: 'Tonali better than Pirlo!'". Football Italia. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  22. Angelo Taglieri (30 July 2018). "Inter, Juve e Roma avvisate: per Tonali Cellino studia un affare alla Nainggolan" (in Italian). www.calciomercato.com. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  23. Gian Paolo Laffranchi (5 February 2018). "Brescia al passo di Tonali in viaggio sulle orme di Pirlo" (in Italian). www.bresciaoggi.it. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  24. Piazzola, Andrea (30 October 2018). "Chi è Sandro Tonali, il piccoletto che studia da Pirlo" (in Italian). www.calcionews24.com. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  25. Fabio Pettenò (9 July 2018). "Brescia, rifondazione in atto: cambia più di metà squadra" (in Italian). www.bresciaoggi.it. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  26. Alessandro Rubichini (7 September 2018). "Analisi del Singolo: Sandro Tonali del Brescia". AIAPC (in Italian). Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  27. "Bresciaingol - Brescia calcio - News, esclusive, diretta partita, calcio mercato, giovanili, calcio femminile". www.bresciaingol.com. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
  28. "Sandro Tonali" (in Italian). www.tuttocalciatori.net. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  29. "Brescia, Tonali: 'I am ready for the Serie A. Pirlo? I am more like Gattuso...'". www.calciomercato.com. 27 July 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  30. "50 for the future: UEFA.com's ones to watch in 2019/20". UEFA.com. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  31. "Qualificazioni europee: sarà la Nazionale Under 20 ad affrontare la Repubblica d'Irlanda" (Press release) (in Italian). Italian Football Federation. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  32. "Sandro Tonali". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  33. "Tonali, Sandro" (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  34. "Under-19 EURO team of the tournament". UEFA. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  35. "Gran Galà del calcio AIC 2018: Icardi il miglior giocatore 2017-2018. Tutti i premi" (in Italian). sport.sky.it. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  36. "Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners". Football Italia. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
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