Matteo Pessina facts for kids
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Pessina in 2018
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matteo Pessina | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 21 April 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Monza, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Monza | ||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 32 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2007 | La Dominante | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2014 | Monza | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Monza | 22 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | AC Milan | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | → Lecce (loan) | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | → Catania (loan) | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | → Como (loan) | 36 | (9) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2023 | Atalanta | 67 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | → Spezia (loan) | 38 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | → Hellas Verona (loan) | 35 | (7) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | → Monza (loan) | 35 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Monza | 47 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Italy U19 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Italy U20 | 12 | (1) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Italy U21 | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2020– | Italy | 16 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:56, 10 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2023 |
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Matteo Pessina (born on April 21, 1997) is an Italian professional footballer. He plays as a midfielder for Monza, where he is the team captain. He also plays for the Italy national team.
Matteo started his football journey in the youth teams of Monza. He joined AC Milan in 2015. From there, he went on loan to several clubs like Lecce, Catania, and Como. In 2017, he moved to Atalanta. He was loaned out again to Spezia and then Hellas Verona.
When he returned to Atalanta in 2020, he became a regular player. In 2022, Matteo went back to his hometown club, Monza, and became their captain. He has played for Italy's national teams at different age levels, including under-19, under-20, and under-21. He made his debut for the senior Italy team in 2020. He was part of the Italy squad that won UEFA Euro 2020, scoring two important goals in the tournament.
Contents
Matteo's Club Journey
Starting at Monza
Matteo Pessina was born in Monza, Italy. He began playing football at age five for a local club called La Dominante. In 2007, when he was 10, he joined the youth team of Monza. He played his first senior game for Monza on October 2, 2013. This was a Coppa Italia Lega Pro match against AlbinoLeffe.
For the 2014–15 season, Pessina became a full member of Monza's first team. He played his first league game on January 6, 2015, and even scored a goal in that match against Pro Patria. He finished that season with three goals in 20 league games. He also scored three goals in two play-off games, helping Monza avoid relegation.
Moving to AC Milan
Even though Monza avoided relegation, the club faced financial problems and had to restart in a lower league. Because of this, Pessina became a free agent. On June 30, 2015, he signed with AC Milan, a big club in Italy.
Loans to Lecce, Catania, and Como
Soon after joining AC Milan, Pessina was loaned to Lecce in August 2015. During the 2015–16 season, he did not play very often. He made only one appearance in the Coppa Italia Lega Pro and three in the league.
In January 2016, his loan to Lecce ended. He was then loaned to Catania. Again, he did not play much, appearing in only one league game.
In the summer of 2016, Pessina was loaned to Como. This time, he became a regular starter for the team. During the 2016–17 season, he played 35 league games and scored nine goals. He also played in cup matches and promotion play-offs.
Playing for Atalanta
On July 7, 2017, Pessina signed a contract with Atalanta. This move was part of a player exchange deal.
Loan to Spezia
On August 25, 2017, Pessina was loaned to Serie B team Spezia. He scored his first Serie B goal on February 23, 2018, against Salernitana. He played very well for Spezia, scoring two goals in 38 games. Because of his great performances, he was named the Best Young Player in Serie B.
Back at Atalanta
In the summer of 2018, Pessina returned to Atalanta. He made his debut for the club on July 26. This was in a UEFA Europa League qualifying match against Sarajevo. It was also his first time playing in a UEFA club competition.
He made his Serie A debut on August 20, 2018, when he was 21 years old. He came on as a substitute in a 4–0 win against Frosinone. He played in 19 games across all competitions that season.
Loan to Hellas Verona
In August 2019, Pessina joined Hellas Verona on loan. Hellas Verona had just been promoted to Serie A. In his first game for them, he scored his first Serie A goal. This goal helped his team win 1–0 against Lecce. He finished the 2019–20 season with seven goals in 35 league games for Hellas Verona.
Becoming a Starter at Atalanta
After his loan ended in summer 2020, Pessina returned to Atalanta. He made his UEFA Champions League debut on October 21 in a 4–0 win against Midtjylland. From November onwards, Pessina started playing more often for Atalanta. On January 3, 2021, he scored his first goal for Atalanta in a 5–1 win over Sassuolo.
In the Coppa Italia semi-final, he scored two goals against Napoli. This helped Atalanta reach the final. On September 29, 2021, he scored the only goal in a Champions League group stage match against Young Boys. This was his first goal in a UEFA competition.
Return to Monza
On July 6, 2022, Pessina returned to his former club, Monza. Monza had just been promoted to Serie A for the first time ever. He joined on a one-year loan deal, which later became a permanent transfer. He was also made the club captain.
He played his first game back for Monza on August 26, 2022. On October 2, he scored his first Serie A goal for Monza in a 3–0 win against Sampdoria.
Playing for Italy
Youth National Teams
Pessina was part of the Italy U20 team that finished third at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He made his debut for the U21 team on October 5, 2017. This was in a friendly match against Hungary.
Senior National Team
Matteo Pessina was called up to the Italy senior squad in November 2020. He made his senior debut for Italy on November 11, 2020. He came on as a substitute in a 4–0 friendly win against Estonia. On May 28, 2021, Pessina scored his first two goals for Italy in a 7–0 friendly win against San Marino.
In June 2021, he was chosen for Italy's team for UEFA Euro 2020. He made his first appearance in the tournament against Switzerland. He then started against Wales and scored the only goal in a 1–0 win. This win helped Italy finish first in their group. On June 26, he scored the winning goal in extra-time against Austria in the Round of 16. This goal sent Italy to the quarter-finals. On July 11, Italy won the European Championship by beating England in a penalty shoot-out in the final.
On November 20, 2022, Pessina played for Italy against Austria. He became the first player from Monza to play for the Italy national team. He also became the first Monza player to score for the national team. He scored Italy's second goal in a 2–0 win over Malta on March 26, 2023, during a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier.
How Matteo Plays
Pessina mainly plays as a central midfielder. In Italian football, this role is sometimes called a mezzala. He can also play as an attacking midfielder or even a winger. He is left-footed and has good technique. He is known for creating chances for his teammates and making smart runs into the penalty area to score. He is also good at defending and works very hard on the field. People have compared his playing style to famous midfielders like Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard because of his strong runs and ability to score goals. He has said that these two English midfielders were his idols when he was growing up.
Matteo's Life Outside Football
Matteo Pessina studied economics at the LUISS Business School in Rome, Italy.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Coppa Italia | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Monza | 2013–14 | Lega Pro 2D | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Lega Pro | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 3 | 23 | 6 | ||
| Total | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 26 | 6 | ||
| AC Milan | 2015–16 | Serie A | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2016–17 | Serie A | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Lecce (loan) | 2015–16 | Lega Pro | 3 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Catania (loan) | 2015–16 | Lega Pro | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Como (loan) | 2016–17 | Lega Pro | 35 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | 4 | 0 | 41 | 9 | |
| Atalanta | 2017–18 | Serie A | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 19 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Serie A | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 2020–21 | Serie A | 28 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | — | 40 | 4 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 37 | 2 | ||
| Total | 67 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 96 | 6 | ||
| Spezia (loan) | 2017–18 | Serie B | 38 | 2 | — | — | — | 38 | 2 | |||
| Hellas Verona (loan) | 2019–20 | Serie A | 35 | 7 | — | — | — | 35 | 7 | |||
| Monza (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie A | 35 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 5 | ||
| Monza | 2023–24 | Serie A | 37 | 6 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 6 | ||
| 2024–25 | Serie A | 11 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 13 | 1 | |||
| Total | 83 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 87 | 12 | ||
| Career total | 282 | 35 | 17 | 3 | 20 | 1 | 14 | 3 | 333 | 42 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2020 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 10 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 16 | 5 | |
- Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Pessina goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 May 2021 | Sardegna Arena, Cagliari, Italy | 5 |  San Marino |
5–0 | 7–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 7–0 | ||||||
| 3 | 20 June 2021 | Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy | 7 |  Wales |
1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 |
| 4 | 26 June 2021 | Wembley Stadium, London, England | 8 |  Austria |
2–0 | 2–1 (aet) | UEFA Euro 2020 |
| 5 | 26 March 2023 | National Stadium, Attard, Malta | 16 |  Malta |
2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying |
Awards and Honours
Italy U20
- FIFA U-20 World Cup third place: 2017
Italy
Orders
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5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2021
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See also
In Spanish: Matteo Pessina para niños
