Nicolò Fagioli (born 12 February 2001) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Juventus and the Italy national team.

Nicolò Fagioli
Personal information
Date of birth (2001-02-12) 12 February 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth Piacenza, Italy
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
Juventus
Number 21
Youth career
2008–2011 Piacenza
2011–2015 Cremonese
2015–2020 Juventus
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2018–2021 Juventus U23 25 (2)
2021– Juventus 44 (3)
2021–2022Cremonese (loan) 33 (3)
International career
2016 Italy U15 2 (0)
2017–2018 Italy U17 14 (3)
2018–2019 Italy U19 20 (2)
2021–2023 Italy U21 7 (0)
2022– Italy 7 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Italy
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Silver medal – second place England 2018
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 30 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 October 2024 (UTC)

Club career

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Youth career

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In 2015, Fagioli moved to Juventus' youth setup, playing the 2015–16 season with the under-17s.[1] Fagioli was early promoted to the Primavera (under-19s) side in the 2017–18 season, in which he scored 13 goals in 25 games. In 2018, Fagioli was included in The Guardian's best 60 world talents.[1]

First team breakthrough

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Fagioli made his Serie C debut for Juventus U23, the reserve team of Juventus, on 24 September 2018, in a 4–0 defeat against Carrarese,[2] which was his only game of the 2018–19 season.[3] On 27 January 2019, Fagioli was first called up to the first team for a Serie A match against Lazio.[1] On 27 June 2020, Fagioli won the Coppa Italia Serie C after a 2–1 win against Ternana in the final.[4] In 2019–20, Fagioli played five league games, helping Juventus U23 reach the promotion play-offs,[3] where he played one game against Padova.[5]

On 1 November, Fagioli scored his first goal for Juventus U23 in a 1–1 home draw against Lecco.[6] Fagioli ended the 2020–21 season with two goals scored in 20 appearances for Juventus U23.[3] On 27 January 2021, Fagioli made his debut for Juventus, playing as a starter in a 4–0 Coppa Italia win over SPAL.[7] His Serie A debut came on 22 February 2021, coming on as a substitute for Rodrigo Bentancur in the 69th minute in a 3–0 home win against Crotone.[8]

On 31 August 2021, Fagioli was sent on a one-year loan to Serie B side Cremonese.[9] On 12 September, Fagioli debuted for Cremonese in a 2–0 win against Cittadella.[10] Seven days later, Fagioli scored his first goal for Cremonese in a 2–1 against Parma.[11] Fagioli ended the season with a total of three goals in 33 appearances[3] and helped Cremonese to be promoted in Serie A.[12]

On 10 August 2022, Juventus announced that Fagioli had renewed his contract until 2026.[13] On 14 September, he made his Champions League debut in a 2–1 defeat against Benfica.[14] On 29 October, he scored his first Serie A goal in a 1–0 away win over Lecce, with a curling shot at the 70th minute.[15] Prior to this goal, he had played only 39 league minutes.[16] Eight days later, he replicated against Inter Milan, netting the 2–0 goal.[16] Afterwards, Fagioli emerged to become one of the team's best players;[16] he also won the Serie A Under-23 Player of the season.[17] On 18 May 2023, Fagioli fractured his right collarbone in a UEFA Europa League match against Sevilla, ruling him out for two months.[18][19]

On 17 October 2023, the Italian Football Federation imposed a seven-month ban on Fagioli for violating betting rules, and he would not return to playing until 21 May 2024, coming off the bench against Bologna.[20][21]

International career

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Fagioli was a starter in most games for Italy U17 at the 2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. In the final against the Netherlands, he came on as a substitute in the 55th minute and provided two assists in the next eight minutes to help his team come back from 0–1 deficit and take the 2–1 lead. Netherlands eventually equalized and beat Italy in the penalty shootout.[22]

With Italy U19 Fagioli took part in the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship.[23]

On 3 September 2021, he made his debut with the Italy U21 squad, playing as a substitute in the qualifying match won 3–0 against Luxembourg.[24]

On 16 November 2022, days after receiving his first senior call-up for the Italy national football team by head coach Roberto Mancini, Fagioli made his debut for the Azzurri during a friendly game against Albania.[25]

Style of play

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Fagioli is a trequartista, mainly fielded as fantasista. Fagioli can also move down the pitch as a defensive midfielder or as a central midfielder, acting as a deep-lying playmaker in the regista role. During his career, Fagioli has also played as a second striker, mezz'ala, or playmaker. Fagioli has also often been compared to Andrea Pirlo due to his playing style.[1] His main qualities are his vision, technique, and long passing ability, although he is also an effective ball-winner.[26]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 30 October 2024[3]
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
Juventus U23 (res.) 2018–19 Serie C 1 0 1[a] 0 2 0
2019–20 Serie C 5 0 5[b] 0 10 0
2020–21 Serie C 19 2 1[c] 0 20 2
Total 25 2 0 0 0 0 7 0 32 2
Juventus 2020–21 Serie A 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
2022–23 Serie A 26 3 3 0 8[d] 0 37 3
2023–24 Serie A 8 0 0 0 8 0
2024–25 Serie A 9 0 0 0 3[e] 0 0 0 12 0
Total 44 3 4 0 11 0 0 0 59 3
Cremonese (loan) 2021–22 Serie B 33 3 0 0 33 3
Career total 102 8 4 0 11 0 7 0 124 8
  1. ^ Appearance in Coppa Italia Serie C
  2. ^ Four appearances in Coppa Italia Serie C, one appearance in Serie C promotion play-offs
  3. ^ Appearance in Serie C promotion play-offs
  4. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

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As of match played 14 October 2024[3]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Italy 2022 1 0
2023 0 0
2024 6 0
Total 7 0

Honours

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Juventus U23

Juventus

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Juve, Fagioli: tutto sul giovane talento bianconero". Calcio Style (in Italian). Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Game Report by Soccerway". Soccerway. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Nicolò Fagioli at Soccerway. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  4. ^ "Serie C, Coppa Italia: trionfa la Juventus Under 23, Ternana battuta 2–1" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 27 June 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  5. ^ "Juventus II vs. Calcio Padova – 9 July 2020". Soccerway. Retrieved 7 January 2021.
  6. ^ Baridon, Marco (1 November 2020). "Juventus U23 Lecco 1-1: Fagioli regala il pareggio in rimonta – VIDEO". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 14 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Esordio Fagioli: battesimo in prima squadra per il 2001 in Juve Spal". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). 27 January 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  8. ^ "Esordio in Serie A per Nicolò Fagioli con la Juventus che batte 3–0 il Crotone". SportPiacenza (in Italian). Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  9. ^ "Under 23 | Nicolò Fagioli in prestito alla Cremonese" (in Italian). Juventus FC. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Cremonese vs. Cittadella – 12 September 2021". Soccerway. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  11. ^ "Parma vs. Cremonese – 19 September 2021". Soccerway. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Cremonese in A, Fagioli sapeva già tutto e l'aveva promesso" (in Italian). Sky Sport. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
  13. ^ "L'ultimo colpo Juve è una conferma: ufficiale il rinnovo di Fagioli, contratto fino al 2026" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  14. ^ "MATCH REPORT | Juve fall to Benfica at the Allianz Stadium". Juventus FC. 14 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Lecce-Juventus, Fagioli alla Del Piero: le FOTO del primo gol in Serie A". Tuttosport (in Italian). Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  16. ^ a b c "Fagioli è un giocatore per palati fini". L'Ultimo Uomo (in Italian). 22 March 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  17. ^ "MVP Serie A 2022/2023, chi ha votato candidati e vincitori? Perchè sono stati scelti". Goal.com (in Italian). 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  18. ^ "Medical Update | Nicolo Fagioli". Juventus FC. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  19. ^ "Medical Update | Nicolò Fagioli". Juventus FC. 20 May 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
  20. ^ "Fagioli banned for seven months for betting breaches". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  21. ^ "Juventus' Fagioli banned for betting breaches". ESPN. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  22. ^ "Italy – Netherlands game report". UEFA. 20 May 2018.
  23. ^ FIGC (9 July 2019). "Europeo. Convocati i 20 Azzurrini per l'Armenia. Nunziata: "Squadra giovane, giocherà da protagonista"". Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  24. ^ "Esordio con vittoria per la nuova Italia. Nicolato: "Ho visto un grande impegno, ma dobbiamo lavorare"" (in Italian). figc.it. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  25. ^ "Esordio Fagioli con l'Italia: prima in Nazionale maggiore per il bianconero" (in Italian). JuventusNews24.com. 16 November 2022. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  26. ^ "È (ancora) un piacere veder giocare Fagioli" (in Italian). L'Ultimo Uomo. 5 April 2022. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  27. ^ "The MVPs of the Serie A 2022/2023". Serie A. 2 June 2023. Retrieved 2 June 2023.
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