Nicolò Zaniolo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicolò Zaniolo
Personal information
Full name Nicolò Zaniolo
Date of birth (1999-07-02) 2 July 1999 (age 22)
Place of birth Massa, Italy
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder, winger
Club information
Current team
 Roma
Number 22
Youth career
2008–2010 Genoa
2010–2016 Fiorentina
2016–2017 Virtus Entella
2017–2018 Inter Milan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2017 Virtus Entella 7 (0)
2017–2018 Inter Milan 0 (0)
2018– Roma 69 (11)
National team‡
2016–2017 Italy U18 2 (0)
2017–2018 Italy U19 18 (6)
2018–2019 Italy U21 8 (0)
2019– Italy 8 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 December 2021
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:27, 5 September 2021 (UTC)

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

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, Inter Milan 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[]

2018–19 season[]

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]

2019–20 season[]

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 previously been operated by the same surgeon.[18][19][20]

Although he had been set to miss the remainder of club football season and, highly likely, the upcoming UEFA Euro 2020 (before the UEFA's March 2020 decision to postpone the tournament for a year) as well, all footballing activities in Europe were suspended by March 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic, with club competitions rescheduled to be played behind closed doors starting since the summer.

On 5 July 2020, Zaniolo made his return-from-injury appearance, coming onto the pitch after 66 minutes in the away Serie A 1–2 loss against Napoli.[21] A week later, Zaniolo scored his first post-injury goal in the away Serie A 3–0 win over Brescia,[22] which was followed by another goal scored at the tail-end of a 6–1 away Serie A win over SPAL on 22 July 2020.[23]

2020–present[]

Zaniolo missed the entire 2020–21 season due to another anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained in September 2020 over the international break. He returned to the pitch in July 2021 during pre-season, under newly appointed coach José Mourinho.[24] Zaniolo scored his first goal since his return from his second knee injury in the 3–0 win over Trabzonspor in the inaugural Europa Conference League.[25]

International career[]

Youth[]

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.[26]

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.

Senior[]

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.[27][28]

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.[29] He made his first start for Italy on 15 October, in a 5–0 away win against Liechtenstein, in a Euro 2020 qualifier.[30] 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.[31]

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.[32]

Style of play[]

Standing at 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in), 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 with his striking ability from distance and penchant for making late runs.

A talented player, he is considered one of Italy's and Europe's most promising young prospects.[33][34][35][36][37]

Personal life[]

Zaniolo is the son of  [it], a former professional footballer who played as a forward in Serie B and Serie C.[38] He has a son, Tommaso, born in 2021 from his former girlfriend Sara Scaperrotta.[39]

On 18 January 2021, Zaniolo tested positive for COVID-19, amid its pandemic in Italy.[40]

Career statistics[]

Club[]

As of match played 22 December 2021[4]
Club Season League Coppa Italia Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Virtus Entella 2016–17 Serie B 7 0 — — 7 0
Roma 2018–19 Serie A 27 4 2 0 7[a] 2 36 6
2019–20 26 6 0 0 7[b] 2 33 8
2020–21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021–22 16 1 0 0 6[c] 2 22 3
Total 69 11 2 0 20 6 91 17
Career total 76 11 2 0 20 6 98 17
  1. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  2. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa Conference League

International[]

As of match played 5 September 2021[41]
National team Year Apps Goals
Italy 2019 5 2
2020 2 0
2021 1 0
Total 8 2
List of international goals scored by Nicolò Zaniolo
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 18 November 2019 Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo, Italy  Armenia 2–0 9–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
2 5–0

Honours[]

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. ^ a b c "N. 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. ^ https://www.legaseriea.it/en/serie-a/match-report/2019-20/UNICO/UNI/30/NAPROM
  22. ^ https://www.legaseriea.it/en/serie-a/match-report/2019-20/UNICO/UNI/32/BREROM
  23. ^ https://www.legaseriea.it/en/serie-a/match-report/2019-20/UNICO/UNI/35/SPAROM
  24. ^ https://football-italia.net/what-a-day-zaniolo-reacts-after-playing-first-game-in-almost-one-year[bare URL]
  25. ^ "Roma 3-0 Trabzonspor: Zaniolo helps send side into group stage". www.asroma.com. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  26. ^ a b "Under-19 - Portugal win epic U19 EURO final". UEFA. Retrieved 31 July 2018.
  27. ^ "Chiellini rejoins Italy squad; Pellegri called up". www.sportsnet.ca. 1 September 2018. Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  28. ^ "Italy squad named with teenager Pietro Pellegri called up". Onefootball English. 2018-09-01. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  29. ^ "Italy: Kean and Barella take down Finland". Football Italia. 23 March 2019.
  30. ^ "Historic manita in Liechtenstein". Football Italia. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  31. ^ "Italy: Armenia annihilated 9-1!". Football Italia. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  32. ^ "Zaniolo out with new ACL injury". Football Italia. 8 September 2020.
  33. ^ "A debut at the Bernabeu: Who is Roma midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo?". A.S. Roma. 19 September 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  34. ^ "Di Biagio: 'Mezzala is Zaniolo's correct position'". www.calciomercato.com. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  35. ^ "Un giorno alla volta, Nicolò Zaniolo" (in Italian). L'Ultimo Uomo. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  36. ^ "50 for the future: UEFA.com's ones to watch for 2019". UEFA.com. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  37. ^ "Tutto su Nicolò Zaniolo: il talento che ha fatto innamorare Roma" (in Italian). UEFA.com. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  38. ^ "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.
  39. ^ "Roma, niente allenamento per Zaniolo: è nato il figlio Tommaso". Corriere dello Sport. 23 July 2021.
  40. ^ "Official: Zaniolo positive for COVID". Football Italia. 18 January 2021.
  41. ^ "Zaniolo, Nicolò" (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  42. ^ "Under-19 EURO team of the tournament". UEFA.com. UEFA. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  43. ^ "Ronaldo MVP in Serie A Awards". Football Italia. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 18 May 2019.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""