Nicolò Barella

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Nicolò Barella
Nicolò Barella in 2021 (cropped 2).jpg
Barella with Italy in 2021
Personal information
Full name Nicolò Barella[1]
Date of birth (1997-02-07) 7 February 1997 (age 24)
Place of birth Cagliari, Italy
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Inter Milan
Number 23
Youth career
2006–2015 Cagliari
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2020 Cagliari 105 (7)
2016 → Como (loan) 16 (0)
2019–2020 → Inter Milan (loan) 27 (1)
2020– Inter Milan 53 (4)
National team‡
2012 Italy U15 5 (0)
2012–2013 Italy U16 4 (0)
2013–2014 Italy U17 5 (0)
2014–2015 Italy U18 8 (0)
2015–2016 Italy U19 16 (0)
2016–2017 Italy U20 8 (0)
2017–2019 Italy U21 9 (1)
2018– Italy 35 (7)
Honours
Men's Football
Representing  Italy
UEFA European Championship
Winner 2020 Europe
UEFA Nations League
Third place 2021 Italy
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Third place 2017 South Korea
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Runner-up 2016 Germany
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22:45, 17 December 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2021

Nicolò Barella Cavaliere OMRI (born 7 February 1997) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Italy national team.[2]

Club career[]

Cagliari[]

Born in Cagliari, Barella is a youth exponent from Cagliari Calcio. He made his Serie A debut on 4 May 2015 against Parma, replacing Diego Farias after 68 minutes in a 4–0 home win.[3]

In January 2016, he was sent on loan to Como in Serie B, where he played as a first choice for the second part of the season.[4][5]

On 17 September 2017, he scored his first professional and Serie A goal against SPAL in a 2–0 home win.[6]

Inter Milan[]

On 12 July 2019, Barella joined Inter Milan on a year-long loan deal with an obligation to buy with four-year contract to take effect after the loan period.[7] He made his club debut on 26 August against Lecce; he came off the bench in the second half for Matías Vecino, and later helped set-up Antonio Candreva's goal in an eventual 4–0 home win in Inter's opening match of the 2019–20 Serie A season.[8] He made his Champions League debut on 17 September against Slavia Prague; after coming off the bench for Marcelo Brozović in the second half, he scored an injury-time equalising goal to help Inter to a 1–1 home draw, which was his first goal both in the competition and for Inter.[9]

On 9 November, he scored his first league goal for the club as Inter came from behind to achieve a 2–1 home win over Verona.[10] He scored his first goal in the Coppa Italia on 29 January 2020, in 2–1 home win over Fiorentina, in the quarter-finals of the tournament.[11] On 17 January Barella assisted for the first goal for Arturo Vidal and scored a vital second in a 2–0 home win against rivals and defending champions Juventus in Serie A.[12]

On 5 November 2021, Barella signed a contract extension with Inter, keeping him at the club until 2026.[13]

International career[]

With the Italy U19 team, Barella took part at the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, finishing in second place.

With the Italy U20 he took part at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, finishing in third place.

Barella made his debut with the Italy U21 team on 1 September 2017, in a 3–0 friendly defeat against Spain.

Barella was called up to the senior Italy squad by manager Gian Piero Ventura for the team's 2018 World Cup qualifiers against Macedonia and Albania in October 2017.[14]

Barella made his debut for the Italy senior side on 10 October 2018, under manager Roberto Mancini, in a 1–1 friendly draw against Ukraine in Genoa.[15] On 23 March 2019, Barella scored his first goal for Italy in a 2–0 home win over Finland in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match.[16]

He took part with the U21 side in the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[17]

In June 2021, he was included in Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2020.[18] In Italy's second group match on 16 June, he set up Manuel Locatelli second goal in an eventual 3–0 win over Switzerland, which allowed Italy to advance to the round of 16.[19] On 2 July, he scored Italy's opening goal of the match, and later assisted Lorenzo Insigne's goal, in a 2–1 win over Belgium in the quarter-finals of the competition.[20] On 11 July, Barella won the European Championship with Italy following a 3–2 penalty shoot-out victory over England at Wembley Stadium in the final, after a 1–1 draw in extra-time; Barella started the match, but was substituted by Bryan Cristante in the second half of regulation time.[21]

On 10 October, Barella scored the opening goal in a 2–1 home win over Belgium in the bronze medal match of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League.[22]

Style of play[]

Barella is considered a promising and highly talented young midfielder in the European sports media.[23] He was named the best young Italian player born in 1997 for two consecutive years between 2012 and 2013.[24][25] Italian football journalist Mina Rzouki described him as an intelligent, promising, and composed midfielder, despite his young age, with a wide range of skills. She also commented that Barella "...can dribble through a defence, score volleys and start counter-attacks. He knows how to find the right passes and is box-to-box. Most importantly he can win back possession quickly and recover the ball." Barella's performances have also been praised by Italian former footballers Andrea Pirlo and Alessandro Del Piero.[23] The Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport has compared him to Steven Gerrard, describing him as a dynamic player with good technique, vision, stamina, and physical strength, despite his relatively short stature, as well as an ability to win balls, which enables him to break down possession and subsequently start quick attacking plays. A versatile player, he is capable of playing anywhere in midfield, and has even been used as an attacking midfielder or as a defensive midfielder, but his favoured role is as a right-sided, offensive-minded central midfielder, known as a "mezzala" in Italy. Known for his eye for goal, he possesses a good shot from outside the area, and is known for his ability to make late attacking runs from behind into the penalty area. He is also an accurate set piece and penalty taker. He is known for his strong character, leadership qualities, competitive spirit, and winning mentality, but has also drawn criticism at times in the press for protesting or arguing excessively with officials during matches.[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] His Italy teammate Jorginho has likened him to N'Golo Kanté.[34]

Career statistics[]

Club[]

As of match played 17 December 2021[2]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Cagliari 2014–15 Serie A 3 0 1 0 — — 4 0
2015–16 Serie B 5 0 0 0 — — 5 0
2016–17 Serie A 28 0 2 0 — — 30 0
2017–18 34 6 1 0 — — 35 6
2018–19 35 1 3 0 — — 38 1
Total 105 7 7 0 — — 112 7
Como (loan) 2015–16 Serie B 16 0 0 0 — — 16 0
Inter Milan (loan) 2019–20 Serie A 27 1 4 1 10[a] 2 — 41 4
Inter Milan 2020–21 Serie A 36 3 4 0 6[b] 0 — 46 3
2021–22 Serie A 17 1 0 0 6[b] 0 0 0 23 1
Total 80 5 8 1 22 2 0 0 110 8
Career total 201 12 15 1 22 2 0 0 238 15
  1. ^ Four appearances and one goal in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
  2. ^ a b Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League

International[]

As of match played 15 November 2021[35]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Italy 2018 4 0
2019 8 3
2020 6 1
2021 17 3
Total 35 7
Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Barella goal.[35]
List of international goals scored by Nicolò Barella
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 23 March 2019 Stadio Friuli, Udine, Italy 5  Finland 1–0 2–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
2 8 June 2019 Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece 6  Greece 1–0 3–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
3 18 November 2019 Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo, Italy 12  Armenia 3–0 9–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
4 7 September 2020 Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands 14  Netherlands 1–0 1–0 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A
5 4 June 2021 Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna, Italy 23  Czech Republic 2–0 4–0 Friendly
6 2 July 2021 Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany 27  Belgium 1–0 2–1 UEFA Euro 2020
7 10 October 2021 Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy 33  Belgium 1–0 2–1 2021 UEFA Nations League Finals

Honours[]

Inter Milan

Italy U19

Italy U20

Italy

Individual

Orders[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Comunicato Ufficiale N. 126" [Official Statement No. 126] (PDF) (in Italian). Lega Serie A. 27 December 2017. p. 2. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Italy – N.Barellla – Profile with news, career statistics and history – Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  3. ^ "Cagliari vs. Parma – 4 May 2015 – Soccerway". soccerway.com. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  4. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia™ - Players - Nicolo BARELLA". Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Nicolò Barella - national football team player". Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Spal-Cagliari 0-2: decidono Barella e Joao Pedro". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 17 September 2017. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
  7. ^ "Nicolò Barella is an Inter player!" (Press release). Inter Milan. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  8. ^ Cotugno, Vladimiro (26 August 2019). "Inter-Lecce 4-0: Brozovic, Sensi, Lukaku e Candreva, quanti sorrisi per Conte". Il Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  9. ^ "Inter Milan 1–1 Slavia Prague". BBC Sport. 17 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
  10. ^ "Inter fights back to beat Verona and move top of Serie A". Sportsnet. 9 November 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  11. ^ "Inter Milan 2–1 Fiorentina". BBC Sport. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  12. ^ "INTER STATS Vidal's goal, Barella the all-rounder and Bastoni's long ball..." Inter Official Site. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  13. ^ "NICOLO BARELLA EXTENDS INTER STAY TILL 2026". Internazionale Milano. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  14. ^ "Barella and Inglese called up by Italy". Football Italia. London: Tiro Media. 1 October 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  15. ^ "Italy: Azzurri held by Ukraine". Football Italia. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  16. ^ "Italy: Kean and Barella take down Finland". Football Italia. 23 March 2019.
  17. ^ "Parte l'avventura europea: Di Biagio ufficializza la lista dei 23 Azzurrini" [The European adventure begins: Di Biagio officialises the list of 23 players]. figc.it (in Italian). Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio. 6 June 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  18. ^ "Mancini names uncapped striker Raspadori in final Italy Euro 2020 squad". Reuters. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  19. ^ "Italy beat Switzerland to reach last 16". BBC Sport. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  20. ^ Begley, Emlyn (2 July 2021). "Italy edge Belgium to set up Spain semi". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  21. ^ a b McNulty, Phil (11 July 2021). "England lose shootout in Euro 2020 final". BBC Sport. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  22. ^ "Nations League - Italy 2-1 Belgium: Azzurri take bronze medal". Football Italia. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Nicolo Barella: The Cagliari midfielder lauded by Andrea Pirlo". BBC Sport. 20 September 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  24. ^ Giampaolo Gaias (31 October 2012). "Nicolò Barella miglior centrocampista d'Italia classe 97" (in Italian). www.tuttocagliari.net. Archived from the original on 12 October 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  25. ^ "La Giovane Italia, premiati i talenti del futuro. I VIDEO" (in Italian). sport.sky.it. 1 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  26. ^ La Giovane Italia (8 May 2015). "Cagliari, dopo Zola anche Festa lancia Barella, lo Steven Gerrard sardo" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  27. ^ Giacomo Brunetti (4 September 2018). "Italia, Barella: 'Sono una mezzala e non mi sento un leader. Lasciare il Cagliari? Sono arrivate offerte, ma...'" (in Italian). www.calciomercato.com. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  28. ^ Michele Pavese (16 September 2018). "È nata una stella: Barella è pronto per il grande salto" (in Italian). www.tuttomercatoweb.com. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  29. ^ Lorenzo Marucci (7 September 2018). "La nuova Italia - Barella, la carica della Sardegna per l'Italia" (in Italian). www.tuttomercatoweb.com. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  30. ^ Fabio Massimo Splendore (6 May 2018). "Barella, uno da Roma. E con lo stesso manager di Nainggolan" (in Italian). Il Corriere dello Sport. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  31. ^ Roberto Pinna (19 September 2017). "Fantacalcio, Cagliari: Barella ora è anche Magic" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  32. ^ "Italia, Barella: "In Nazionale non sento particolari pressioni. Cagliari? Ho scelto io di restare"" (in Italian). sport.sky.it. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  33. ^ "Cagliari, Barella e i grandi sardi dello sport: "Voglio essere come Zola, Aru e Datome"" (in Italian). sport.sky.it. 19 January 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  34. ^ Marzio, Gianluca Di (13 June 2021). "Jorginho: "Questa Italia somiglia al mio Chelsea. Barella come Kanté"" (in Italian). Gianluca Di Marzio. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  35. ^ a b "Barella, Nicolò" (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  36. ^ "Inter end Juventus' Serie A dominance with first title in 11 years". ESPN. 2 May 2021. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  37. ^ "France cruise past Italy to win European Under-19 final". ESPN. 24 July 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  38. ^ "Verso il Mondiale. Ufficializzati i nomi dei 21 Azzurrini, domenica sera raduno a Roma". FIGC.it (in Italian). 11 May 2017. Archived from the original on 19 May 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2017.
  39. ^ "Italy 2-1 Belgium: Azzurri secure third place at Nations League finals". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). 10 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  40. ^ "Inter package deal for Barella?". Football Italia. 29 May 2019. Archived from the original on 16 April 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  41. ^ "Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners". Football Italia. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  42. ^ "Gran Galà del Calcio: The winners". Football Italia. 19 March 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  43. ^ "UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 26 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  44. ^ "The MVPs of the 2020/2021 Season: Nicolò Barella Best Midfielder". Serie A. 31 May 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  45. ^ "Gazzetta Awards, tutti i premiati: da Bebe Vio a Conte, re e regine del 2021". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 14 December 2021.
  46. ^ "Mattarella ha conferito onorificenze motu proprio ai giocatori e allo staff della Nazionale vincitrice del campionato europeo" (in Italian). quirinale.it. 16 July 2021.

External links[]

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