Alessio Romagnoli (born 12 January 1995) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club Lazio and the Italy national team.

Alessio Romagnoli
Romagnoli in 2022
Personal information
Full name Alessio Romagnoli[1]
Date of birth (1995-01-12) 12 January 1995 (age 29)[2]
Place of birth Anzio, Italy
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Lazio
Number 13
Youth career
2003–2012 Roma
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2015 Roma 13 (1)
2014–2015Sampdoria (loan) 30 (2)
2015–2022 AC Milan 197 (8)
2022– Lazio 72 (2)
International career
2011 Italy U16[3] 3 (0)
2011–2012 Italy U17[3] 6 (0)
2012–2014 Italy U19[3] 12 (0)
2014–2016 Italy U21[3] 15 (1)
2016– Italy 13 (2)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:56, 10 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:35, 26 March 2023 (UTC)

Romagnoli began his career with Roma in 2012, and later spent a season on loan with Sampdoria in 2014, before moving to AC Milan in 2015. At the start of the 2018–19 Serie A season, he was named the team's captain following Leonardo Bonucci's return to Juventus, before joining Lazio in 2022.

Club career

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Romagnoli in 2012

Roma

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A product of Roma's youth academy, Romagnoli was included in the first team squad by new head coach Zdeněk Zeman at age 17. He made his senior debut on 11 December 2012 against Atalanta, playing the full game in the Coppa Italia as a starter.[4] He made his Serie A debut 12 days later, as a substitute in the final minutes of a league game against AC Milan.[5] He scored his first goal in Serie A on 3 March 2013 against Genoa.

He found more first-team opportunities in the second half of the 2013–14 season under new manager Rudi Garcia, both at full-back and in the centre of defence. On 31 May 2014, Romagnoli signed a new four-year contract with Roma.[6]

Loan to Sampdoria

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On 1 September 2014, Romagnoli was loaned to Sampdoria for €500,000, with an option to purchase for €2 million, as well as a counter-option of €750,000.[7][8][9] Romagnoli made his Sampdoria debut as a late substitute in a 2–0 victory against Torino on 14 September. He scored his first goal for Sampdoria on 24 September 2014 in a 2–1 defeat of Chievo. In June 2015, Roma activated the buy-back clause and he returned to the club.[10]

AC Milan

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2015–16 season

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On 11 August 2015, he was sold to A.C. Milan for a fee of €25 million, signing a five-year contract.[11] In addition, there was a sell-on clause entitling Roma to 30% over the value of €25 million.[12] He made his official debut for Milan on 18 August, in a 2–0 win over Perugia in Coppa Italia.[13] Six days later, he made his first appearance in the league with the club, as Milan lost 2–0 to Fiorentina.[14]

On 1 March 2016, he scored his first goal for Milan in a 5–0 win against Alessandria in the Coppa Italia. This match sent Milan to the final for the first time since 2003.[15] He concluded his first season with Milan with 40 appearances in all competitions and one goal.

2016–17 season

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Romagnoli made his first appearance of the 2016–17 season in a 3–2 victory in Serie A against Torino.[16] On 23 December, Romagnoli helped lead Milan to victory in the Supercoppa Italiana, playing the full 120 minutes as Milan beat Juventus 4–3 in the penalty shoot-out following a 1–1 draw after extra time.[17] On 15 April 2017, Romagnoli scored his first ever Serie A goal for Milan in the Derby della Madonnina.[18]

2017–18 season

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After missing Milan's first 4 games of the season due to injury,[19] he returned to the squad and he made his return to play the second leg of Europa league playoffs against Shkëndija.[20] On 19 September 2017, he made his first appearance of the Serie A season against Udinese.[21]

2018–19 season

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Following Leonardo Bonucci's return to Juventus, Romagnoli was appointed as Milan's team captain a few months after he renewed his contract on 5 June 2018.[22][23] Romagnoli scored stoppage-time winning goals two times in five days for Milan, earning his club a 2–1 win over Genoa and a 1–0 win over Udinese.[24]

2019–20 season

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Romagnoli was the only player on the team to have been featured in every game of the season before a muscle injury on 21 July 2020 in a home game against Sassuolo.[25] Having his captain's armband handed in to Gianluigi Donnarumma, he was substituted for Matteo Gabbia after 32 minutes and missed the last three games of the season.[26] He finished the season with 39 games in total and one goal.[27]

2020–21 season

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In his sixth season for Milan, Romagnoli had a string of minor injuries and a series of poor performances, causing him to unexpectedly lose his place in the starting 11 to Fikayo Tomori, a loanee who arrived from Chelsea during the winter transfer window. Rarely playing in the second half of season, he made just 22 appearances in Serie A, scoring one goal on 29 November 2020 in a 2–0 home win over Fiorentina.[28] Following the sub-par season, Romagnoli was not called up by the national team coach Roberto Mancini to join the provisional squad for UEFA Euro 2020 (competition postponed for a year due to the pandemic) and was also rumored to have been placed on a transfer market due to the expiration of his contract in June 2022[29] and unwillingness of the club management to deal with agent Mino Raiola, who had convinced the team's goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to leave the club as a free agent.[30]

2021–22 season

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Romagnoli captaining Milan in 2022

On 28 November 2021, Romagnoli scored his first goal of the season against Sassuolo in an eventual 3–1 loss.[31] On 9 February 2022, against Lazio in the Coppa Italia, he assisted the opening goal in an eventual 4–0 win, a long pass through the field to his teammate Leao.[32] Romagnoli rejected a contract extension from Milan[33][34] and thus left the club at the end of the season.[35]

Lazio

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On 12 July 2022, Romagnoli signed a five-year contract with Lazio.[35]

International career

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Romagnoli has represented Italy on multiple occasions at under-16, under-17 and under-19 levels. He made his first appearance for the Italy under-21 team against Northern Ireland on 5 March 2014, playing the full 90 minutes. With the Italy under-21, he took part at the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, forming an effective partnership with fellow centre-back Daniele Rugani.

On 27 August 2016 Romagnoli was called up to the senior squad for the first time for a friendly against France on 1 September and a 2018 World Cup qualification match on 5 September against Israel.[36] However, he was later moved to the under-21 squad for 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against Serbia.[37]

Romagnoli made his senior debut on 6 October 2016, in a 2018 World Cup qualification match, playing all 90 minutes, in a 1–1 home draw against Spain.[38][39]

He scored his first senior international goal on 15 October 2019, in a 5–0 away win against Liechtenstein, in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match.[40]

Style of play

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An elegant, versatile, composed and gifted left-footed centre-back, with good technique and distribution, Romagnoli is known for his confidence in possession, and ability to play the ball out from the back;[41] due to his ability to advance into more attacking positions or put pressure on opponents higher up on the pitch, he is also capable of functioning as a left-sided full-back.[42][43][44] Romagnoli is effective in the air and known for his ability to time his challenges;[45] regarded as one of the most promising young Italian defenders of his generation, his precocious displays, technique, positional sense, decision-making, and tackling abilities have led pundits to compare him with legendary Italian defender Alessandro Nesta, whom Romagnoli has described as his footballing idol.[41][42][43][46] In 2015, Romagnoli was named one of the top 100 young footballers in the world born after 1994 by Don Balón.[47]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 10 November 2024[48]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Coppa Italia Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Roma 2012–13 Serie A 2 1 1 0 3 1
2013–14 Serie A 11 0 0 0 11 0
Total 13 1 1 0 14 1
Sampdoria (loan) 2014–15 Serie A 30 2 1 0 31 2
AC Milan 2015–16 Serie A 34 0 6 1 40 1
2016–17 Serie A 27 1 1 0 1[a] 0 29 1
2017–18 Serie A 28 2 5 1 9[b] 0 42 3
2018–19 Serie A 32 2 4 0 4[b] 0 1[a] 0 41 2
2019–20 Serie A 35 1 4 0 39 1
2020–21 Serie A 22 1 2 0 6[b] 0 29 1
2021–22 Serie A 19 1 2 0 5[c] 0 26 1
Total 197 8 24 2 24 0 2 0 247 10
Lazio 2022–23 Serie A 34 2 2 0 6[d] 0 42 2
2023–24 Serie A 29 0 3 0 6[c] 0 1[a] 0 39 0
2024–25 Serie A 9 0 0 0 4[b] 1 13 1
Total 72 2 5 0 16 1 1 0 94 3
Career total 312 13 31 2 40 1 3 0 386 16
  1. ^ a b c Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
  2. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ a b Appearance(s) in UEFA Champions League
  4. ^ Four appearances in UEFA Europa League, two appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League

International

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As of match played 26 March 2023[48]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Italy 2016 4 0
2017 1 0
2018 3 0
2019 4 2
2020 0 0
2021 0 0
2022 0 0
2023 1 0
Total 13 2
As of match played 18 November 2019
Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Romagnoli goal[48]
List of international goals scored by Alessio Romagnoli
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 15 October 2019 Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein 11   Liechtenstein 3–0 5–0 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
2 18 November 2019 Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo, Italy 12   Armenia 6–0 9–1 UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying

Honours

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Roma[48]

AC Milan[48]

References

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  1. ^ "Comunicato Ufficiale N. 129" [Official Press Release No. 129] (PDF). Lega Serie A. 17 January 2019. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Alessio Romagnoli". AC Milan. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Convocazioni e presenze in campo - ROMAGNOLI ALESSIO". FIGC. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  4. ^ "Romagnoli, buonissima la prima" (in Italian). Il Romanista. 13 December 2012. Archived from the original on 18 December 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  5. ^ "Roma-Milan, esordio in serie A per Romagnoli" (in Italian). Il Romanista. 23 December 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  6. ^ "Prolungato il contratto economico per le prestazioni sportive del calciatore Romagnoli" (in Italian). A.S. Roma. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  7. ^ "OPERAZIONI DI MERCATO Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa e Alessio Romagnoli" (PDF) (in Italian). A.S. Roma. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  8. ^ "Alessio Romagnoli alla Sampdoria a titolo temporaneo" (in Italian). U.C. Sampdoria. 1 September 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  9. ^ "Romagnoli officially joins Sampdoria". Gianluca Di Marzio. 1 September 2014. Archived from the original on 15 September 2014. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
  10. ^ "Progetto di Bilancio di esercizio e Consolidato al 30 giugno 2015" (PDF) (in Italian). A.S. Roma. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  11. ^ Scacchi, Stefano (9 August 2015). "Milan, Galliani: "Per Romagnoli è fatta al 99,8% periodico"". La Repubblica (in Italian).
  12. ^ "OPERAZIONI DI MERCATO Alessio Romagnoli" (PDF) (in Italian). A.S. Roma. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2015.
  13. ^ "Milan vs. Perugia 2–0". Soccerway. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  14. ^ "Fiorentina vs. Milan 2–0". Soccerway. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  15. ^ "Fantastic to open my AC Milan account - Romagnoli". Goal.com.
  16. ^ "Milan 3-2 Torino: Bacca hits hat-trick at San Siro". Goal.com. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
  17. ^ "Donnarumma: 'Dedicated to Berlusconi'". Football Italia. 23 December 2016. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
  18. ^ "A Cristián Zapata goal deep in injury time completed a second-half fight back for Milan and kept their noses in front of their city rivals in a thrilling derby". The Guardian. 15 April 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2017.
  19. ^ "Milan test 3-5-2 with Shkendija". Football Italia. 23 August 2017. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  20. ^ "SHKENDIJA 0 AC MILAN 1 (0-7 AGG): CUTRONE STREAK CONTINUES TO CONFIRM EUROPA LEAGUE PROGRESS". Goal. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  21. ^ "Milan vs. Udinese Match Report". Goal.com. 17 September 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  22. ^ "MILAN: UFFICIALE IL RINNOVO DI ROMAGNOLI FINO AL 2022 | News | Lega Serie A". www.legaseriea.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 10 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  23. ^ "Romagnoli proud to be new AC Milan captain". Forza Italian Football. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  24. ^ "Football news - Alessio Romagnoli scores another stoppage-time winner for AC Milan". Eurosport Australia. 4 November 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  25. ^ "Stagione finita per Romagnoli. Pioli: "Ha avuto un problema muscolare"".
  26. ^ "Fixtures and Results | Lega Serie A". Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  27. ^ "Match Report | 2019-20 | 33ª Match Day | Lega Serie A". Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  28. ^ "Match Report | 2020-21 | 9ª Giornata | Lega Serie A". Archived from the original on 29 October 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  29. ^ "AC Milan unlikely to renew Alessio Romagnoli contract". Football Express. 4 June 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  30. ^ "Romagnoli verso l'addio: il Milan non gli offre il rinnovo, è sul mercato | Primapagina | Calciomercato.com". 26 May 2021.
  31. ^ "AN AFTERNOON TO FORGET". acmilan. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  32. ^ "AC MILAN CRUISE INTO THE LAST FOUR". acmilan. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  33. ^ Moller, Isak (12 February 2022). "Longo: Romagnoli not satisfied with Milan's renewal offer". sempremilan. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  34. ^ Fisher, Oliver (30 January 2022). "Tuttosport: Distance persists over Romagnoli's renewal - the stance of both parties". sempremilan. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
  35. ^ a b "Comunicato 12.07.2022" (in Italian). Lazio. 12 July 2022. Archived from the original on 29 October 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
  36. ^ "Italy: Ventura calls new faces". Football Italia. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  37. ^ "Italy vs. Serbia: Azzurrini fly to Vicenza, Romagnoli joins squad". La Community Ufficiale delle Nazionali di Calcio Italiane. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  38. ^ "Italy vs. Spain - Football Match Line-Ups". ESPN. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  39. ^ "Romagnoli: 'No Italy nerves'". Football Italia. 6 October 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  40. ^ "Historic manita in Liechtenstein". Football Italia. 15 October 2019. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  41. ^ a b Stefano Dolci (2 October 2014). "Alessio Romagnoli, il giovane "Nesta più tecnico"". eurosport.yahoo.com (in Italian). Eurosport. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  42. ^ a b Vincenzo D'Angelo (15 July 2015). "Romagnoli, il paragone con Nesta e quei segni del destino..." (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  43. ^ a b Blair Newman; Luca Hodges-Ramon; Richard Hall; Franco Ficetola; Mark Neale; Emmet Gates (24 January 2017). "The 50 best young footballers in Italy". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  44. ^ Marco Calabresi (25 February 2014). "Roma, Romagnoli conquista la conferma". gazzetta.it (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  45. ^ Daniele Longo (14 September 2016). "Milan: Romagnoli vale 40 milioni?" (in Italian). CalcioMercato.com. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
  46. ^ Filippo Grimaldi (16 March 2015). "Roma-Sampdoria, il derby di Romagnoli, il nuovo Nesta che Ferrero vuole tenere". gazzetta.it (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 16 March 2015.
  47. ^ "La lista dei 101 migliori giovani talenti del calcio mondiale" [The list of the 101 best young talents in world football]. eurosport.com (in Italian). Eurosport. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  48. ^ a b c d e "A. Romagnoli". Soccerway. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
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