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Nicolò Barella

Barella with Italy in 2021

Personal information

Full name

Nicolò Barella

Date of birth

7 February 1997 (age 28)

Place of birth

Cagliari, Italy

Height

1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)

Position(s)

Central midfielder

Team information

Current team

Inter Milan

Number

Youth career

2006–2015

Cagliari

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps

(Gls)

2015–2020

Cagliari

105

(7)

2016

→ Como (loan)

(0)

2019–2020

→ Inter Milan (loan)

(1)

2020–

Inter Milan

177

(17)

International career^‡

2012

Italy U15

(0)

2012–2013

Italy U16

(0)

2013–2014

Italy U17

(0)

2014–2015

Italy U18

(0)

2015–2016

Italy U19

(0)

2016–2017

Italy U20

(0)

2017–2019

Italy U21

(1)

2018–

Italy

(10)

Medal record

Men's Football

Representing Italy
UEFA European Championship
Winner	2020 Europe
UEFA Nations League
Third	2021 Italy
Third	2023 Netherlands
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Third	2017 South Korea
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Runner-up	2016 Germany
CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
Runner-up	2022 England

*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 May 2025
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 9 June 2025

Nicolò Barella (born on 7 February 1997) is an Italian professional footballer. He plays as a central midfielder for the club Inter Milan and for the Italian national team. Many people think he is one of the best midfielders in the world. He is known for his great skills, hard work, and creative play.

Nicolò Barella's Club Journey

Starting at Cagliari and Como

Nicolò Barella was born in Cagliari, Italy. He grew up playing football in the youth teams of Cagliari Calcio. He played his first professional game on 15 January 2015. This was in the Coppa Italia against Parma.

His first game in Serie A, Italy's top league, was on 4 May 2015. He played against Parma again, helping Cagliari win 4–0. In January 2016, Barella joined Como on loan. He played regularly for them in Serie B, which is Italy's second division.

After returning to Cagliari, he scored his first goal on 17 September 2017. It was a winning goal against SPAL. A few months later, at just 20 years old, he became the youngest captain in Cagliari's history. By February 2019, he had played 100 games for Cagliari. He also recovered the most balls (253) in the 2018–19 Serie A season. He was named the best midfielder and included in the Serie A Team of the Year.

Playing for Inter Milan

Joining Inter Milan in 2019

On 12 July 2019, Barella moved to Inter Milan. He first joined on a loan, which later became a permanent deal. He played his first game for Inter on 26 August against Lecce. He helped set up a goal in their 4–0 win.

Barella scored his first goal for Inter in the Champions League on 17 September. This goal helped Inter draw 1–1 against Slavia Prague. He scored his first league goal for Inter on 9 November against Verona. In January 2020, he scored his first Coppa Italia goal against Fiorentina. Inter reached the Europa League final but lost to Sevilla. Barella was chosen for the Serie A Team of the Year and the UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season.

Winning the League in 2021

On 17 January 2021, Barella helped Inter win 2–0 against Juventus. He assisted the first goal and scored the second. At the end of the 2020–21 Serie A season, Inter won the Scudetto (the Italian league title). Barella was named the Best Midfielder in Serie A. He was also included in the Serie A Team of the Year for the third time.

More Trophies in 2022

On 5 November 2021, Barella signed a new contract with Inter until 2026. In the 2021–22 Serie A season, he won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana. He made 12 assists, which was the most for an Inter player since 2004. He was again part of the Serie A Team of the Year for the fourth year in a row.

Barella (right) playing for Internazionale in 2023

Reaching the Champions League Final in 2023

In the 2022–23 season, Barella won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana again with Inter. In the Coppa Italia final, he assisted a goal for Lautaro Martínez. He was named the Best Midfielder in Serie A for the second time. He was also included in the Serie A Team of the Year for the fifth year in a row.

Inter reached the Champions League final for the first time in 13 years. Barella was named Player of the Match in a 3-3 draw against Barcelona in the group stage, where he scored a goal.

Another League Title in 2024

On 29 October 2023, Barella played his 200th game for Inter. On 22 April 2024, he won the Serie A title for the second time. He was included in the Serie A Team of the Year for a record sixth time in a row. On 11 June 2024, he extended his contract with Inter until 2029.

Recent Games in 2024-25

On 30 August 2024, Barella scored his first goal of the 2024–25 season with a great volley. In the 2024–25 UEFA Champions League, he was named Player of the Match twice. Inter reached the Champions League final again, but lost to PSG. After this, Barella played in the new FIFA Club World Cup. He assisted a goal in a 2–1 win against Urawa Red Diamonds.

Nicolò Barella's International Career

Youth Teams

Barella played for various Italian youth national teams. He was part of the Italy national under-21 football team in the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Senior National Team

Barella was first called up to the senior Italian national squad in October 2017. He made his debut on 10 October 2018 in a friendly match against Ukraine. On 23 March 2019, he scored his first goal for Italy in a 2–0 win against Finland.

In June 2021, Barella was part of Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He helped Italy win against Switzerland and Belgium. On 11 July, Barella and Italy won the European Championship. They beat England in a penalty shoot-out in the final. On 10 October 2021, Barella scored a goal in Italy's win against Belgium in the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League.

On 24 March 2024, Barella was captain for Italy for the first time in a friendly match against Ecuador, where he also scored. In June 2024, he played in UEFA Euro 2024. He scored the winning goal against Albania. However, Italy was later knocked out by Switzerland.

How Nicolò Barella Plays

Many sports experts see Barella as a very talented midfielder. He was named the best young Italian player born in 1997 for two years in a row. He is known for being smart, calm, and having many skills. He can dribble past defenders, score goals, and start quick attacks. He is good at finding the right passes and can play from one end of the field to the other. Most importantly, he is great at winning the ball back quickly.

Former football stars like Andrea Pirlo and Alessandro Del Piero have praised his performances. Some have compared him to Steven Gerrard. They describe him as a strong player with good technique, vision, and stamina. Even though he is not very tall, he is strong and can win the ball well. This helps him stop opponents and start new attacks.

Barella can play in different midfield roles. He is often used as a central midfielder on the right side, known as a "mezzala" in Italy. He has a powerful shot from outside the penalty area and is good at making late runs into the box to score. He is also good at taking free kicks and penalties. He is known for his strong character and leadership. His teammate Jorginho has compared him to N'Golo Kanté. In 2021, former manager Fabio Capello said Barella was one of the top three midfielders in Europe.

Nicolò Barella's Personal Life

Nicolò Barella married Federica Schievenin in 2018. They have three daughters and one son.

Career Statistics

Club Games

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			Coppa Italia		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	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	Serie A	34	6	1	0	—		—		35	6
	2018–19	Serie A	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	2	—		41	4
Inter Milan	2020–21	Serie A	36	3	4	0	6	0	—		46	3
	2021–22	Serie A	36	3	5	1	6	0	1	0	48	4
	2022–23	Serie A	35	6	4	0	12	3	1	0	52	9
	2023–24	Serie A	37	2	1	0	8	0	2	0	48	2
	2024–25	Serie A	33	3	3	0	13	0	6	0	55	3
	Total		204	18	21	2	55	5	10	0	290	25
Career total			325	25	28	2	55	5	10	0	418	32

International Games

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
	2022	7	1
	2023	9	0
	2024	8	2
	2025	4	0
Total		63	10

Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Barella goal.

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
8	7 June 2022	Stadio Dino Manuzzi, Cesena, Italy	38	Hungary	1–0	2–1	2022–23 UEFA Nations League A
9	24 March 2024	Red Bull Arena, Harrison, United States	53	Ecuador	2–0	2–0	Friendly
10	15 June 2024	Westfalenstadion, Dortmund, Germany	54	Albania	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2024