Nicolò Zaniolo facts for kids
Zaniolo playing for Italy U19 in 2018
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Nicolò Zaniolo | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 2 July 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Massa, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder, winger | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Galatasaray | ||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2010 | Genoa | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2016 | Fiorentina | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Virtus Entella | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Inter Milan | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2023 | Roma | 94 | (13) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Galatasaray | 10 | (5) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | → Aston Villa (loan) | 25 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | → Atalanta (loan) | 14 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2025 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Italy U18 | 2 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Italy U19 | 18 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Italy U21 | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2019– | Italy | 19 | (2) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 4 May 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 March 2024 |
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Nicolò Zaniolo (born 2 July 1999) is an Italian football player. He plays as an attacking midfielder or right winger. He currently plays for Süper Lig club Galatasaray and the Italy national team.
Contents
Club Career
Early Football Days
Nicolò Zaniolo was born in Massa, Italy. He started playing football in the youth system of Fiorentina. In 2016, he left Fiorentina and joined Virtus Entella.
After playing for Entella's youth team, Zaniolo made his first professional appearance. He was 17 years old. This happened on 11 March 2017, in a game against Benevento. He played in seven games for Virtus Entella during the 2016–17 season.
Time at Inter Milan
On 5 July 2017, Inter Milan signed Zaniolo. He joined their youth team for the 2017–18 season. He was the top scorer for the team with 13 goals. His team also won the Campionato Nazionale Primavera, which is a youth league title.
Zaniolo played his first game for Inter in a friendly match on 9 July 2017. Even though he was part of the first team squad later, he did not play in any official games for Inter's main team that season.
Playing for Roma
Becoming a Star: 2018–19 Season
In June 2018, Zaniolo joined Roma. This move was part of a player exchange deal with Inter Milan. He signed a five-year contract with Roma.
He played his first game for Roma and made his UEFA Champions League debut on 19 September. This was in a match against Real Madrid. On 26 September 2018, at 19 years old, he played his first Serie A game. Roma won that home match 4–0 against Frosinone.
On 26 December, he scored his first goal in Serie A against Sassuolo. Later, in a Champions League game against FC Porto, Zaniolo made history. He became the youngest Italian player to score two goals in a single Champions League match. Because of his great performance, he was named the Serie A Young Player of the Year for the 2018–19 season.
Dealing with Injuries: 2019–21 Seasons
Zaniolo started the 2019–20 season strongly. He scored 4 goals and assisted 1 in Serie A. He was also a dangerous player with his dribbling skills. However, on 12 January 2020, he suffered a serious knee injury during a game against Juventus.
He started training again in June 2020. Many famous football players and coaches sent him messages of support. The COVID-19 pandemic caused football activities to stop, which meant he didn't miss as many games as expected.
On 5 July 2020, Zaniolo played his first game after his injury. He came on as a substitute against Napoli. A week later, he scored his first goal after returning. This was in a 3–0 win against Brescia. He scored another goal on 22 July 2020, in a big 6–1 win over SPAL.
Unfortunately, Zaniolo missed the entire 2020–21 season. He suffered another serious knee injury in September 2020 while playing for his national team.
Return and Conference League Win: 2021–22 Season
Zaniolo returned to playing in July 2021 during pre-season training. This was under Roma's new coach, José Mourinho.
He faced challenges with his fitness and also with how fouls were called against him. Zaniolo scored his first goal since his second knee injury in a 3–0 win over Trabzonspor. This was in the new UEFA Europa Conference League competition. He scored three goals in one game against Bodo/Glimt in the quarterfinals. This helped Roma reach the semifinals.
On 25 May 2022, Zaniolo scored the only goal in the final. Roma beat Feyenoord 1–0 to win the Europa Conference League trophy.
Leaving Roma: 2022–23 Season
During the 2022–23 season, Zaniolo continued to face challenges with his performance. He also dealt with thigh and shoulder injuries. He scored two goals in the UEFA Europa League but only one goal in the league.
Moving to Galatasaray
First Season in Turkey: 2022–23
On 8 February 2023, Zaniolo officially moved to Süper Lig club Galatasaray in Turkey. This transfer set a new record for Turkish football. He chose the number 17 jersey to honor a young Galatasaray fan who passed away in an earthquake.
He had a great start with his new club. In a friendly game against Alanyaspor on 26 February, he came on as a substitute and scored a goal. He also scored and assisted in another friendly match against İstanbulspor. Zaniolo scored in his first official game for Galatasaray on 11 March. This was in a 1–0 league win against Kasımpaşa.
Zaniolo and the Galatasaray team won the Süper Lig championship in the 2022–23 season. They secured the title on 30 May 2023, with two games left to play. This was Galatasaray's 23rd championship.
Loan to Aston Villa
On 18 August 2023, Zaniolo was loaned to Premier League club Aston Villa in England for the rest of the 2023–24 season. He made his debut for Aston Villa on 27 August 2023, coming on as a substitute in a 3–1 win against Burnley.
In October 2023, Zaniolo was questioned about gambling on card games. He stated he did not bet on sports.
On 14 December 2023, he scored his first goal for Aston Villa in a Europa Conference League game. On 22 December 2023, Zaniolo scored his first Premier League goal. This was a late equalizer against Sheffield United.
On 13 May 2024, Zaniolo suffered a foot injury. This ended his season one game early.
Loan to Atalanta
On 5 July 2024, Zaniolo returned to Serie A in Italy. He joined Atalanta on a one-year loan from Galatasaray. He played in 23 games and scored three goals for Atalanta. However, his transfer was not made permanent, and he left the club during the 2024–25 season.
Loan to Fiorentina
On 3 February 2025, Zaniolo moved to Fiorentina on another loan. This deal included an option for Fiorentina to buy him permanently.
International Career
Youth Teams
Zaniolo played for the Italy under-19 team. He took part in the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. Italy reached the final but lost to Portugal.
He made his debut for the Italy U21 team on 11 October 2018. This was in a friendly game against Belgium.
Senior National Team
On 1 September 2018, Zaniolo received his first call-up to the senior Italy team. This was before he had even played a game in Serie A. He was called up for UEFA Nations League matches.
He made his debut for the senior team on 23 March 2019. He came on as a substitute in a 2–0 win against Finland. His first start for Italy was on 15 October, in a 5–0 win against Liechtenstein.
His first goals for Italy came on 18 November. He scored two goals in a big 9–1 win against Armenia. This was in a Euro 2020 qualifier. He also helped set up another goal in that match.
On 7 September 2020, Zaniolo suffered another serious knee injury. This happened while playing for Italy against the Netherlands.
On 17 May 2024, it was confirmed that Zaniolo would miss UEFA Euro 2024. This was due to the foot injury he got in his last league game of the season.
How He Plays
Nicolò Zaniolo is a tall, strong, and fast player. He is also good at dribbling the ball. He can play in many different midfield positions. He is known for his creativity, skill, hard work, energy, and physical strength.
He can play as an attacking midfielder or a player who creates chances. He can also play as a central midfielder or a box-to-box midfielder. Zaniolo can even play on the sides of the field. He is good at scoring goals and creating chances for his teammates. He can shoot powerfully from far away and makes smart runs into the attack. He is a talented player and was once seen as one of the most promising young players in Italy and Europe.
Personal Life
Nicolò Zaniolo's father, Igor Zaniolo, was also a professional football player. He played as a forward. Nicolò has a son named Tommaso, who was born in 2021.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | 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 | 2 | — | 36 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20 | 26 | 6 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 2 | — | 33 | 8 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 12 | 6 | — | 42 | 8 | ||||
| 2022–23 | 13 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 3 | 1 | — | 17 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 94 | 13 | 5 | 0 | — | 29 | 11 | — | 128 | 24 | ||||
| Galatasaray | 2022–23 | Süper Lig | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 11 | 5 | |||
| 2023–24 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 10 | 5 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | 12 | 5 | ||||
| Aston Villa (loan) | 2023–24 | Premier League | 25 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 1 | — | 39 | 3 | |
| Atalanta (loan) | 2024–25 | Serie A | 14 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 3 | |
| Fiorentina (loan) | 2024–25 | Serie A | 9 | 0 | — | — | 4 | 0 | — | 13 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 159 | 22 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 51 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 222 | 35 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2019 | 5 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 19 | 2 | |
Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 November 2019 | Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo, Italy | 5 |  Armenia |
2–0 | 9–1 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying |
| 2 | 5–0 |
Awards and Achievements
AS Roma
- UEFA Conference League: 2021–22
Galatasaray
- Süper Lig: 2022–23
Individual
- Serie A Best Under-23: 2018–19
See also
In Spanish: Nicolò Zaniolo para niños
