Nicolò Zaniolo is an Italian professional footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder or right winger for Premier League club Aston Villa, on loan from Süper Lig club Galatasaray, and the Italy national team.
Nicolò Zaniolo’s Biography
Zaniolo, who was born on July 2, 1999 in Massa, Tuscany, began his football career in the Fiorentina junior system.
However, on the final day of 2016 the middle of the year transfer window, Fiorentina released Zaniolo and he later joined Virtus Entella. After several months of playing for the Entella Primavera team, he made his professional debut in Serie B on March 11, 2017, at the age of 17, in a 3-2 win against Benevento. During the 2016-17 season, he appeared in seven games for the Biancocelesti.
Zaniolo joined Inter Milan in July 2017 for a reported sum of €1.8 million, plus €1.7 million in bonuses. He played for the Primavera team in 2017-18, finishing as the team’s leading scorer with 13 goals and won the Campionato Nazionale Primavera. Zaniolo made his Inter Milan debut in a pre-season friendly in July 2017, although he did not appear in any competitive games for the first squad that season.
Zaniolo joined Roma in June 2018 as part of the transaction that saw Radja Nainggolan go to Inter Milan. On September 19, 2018, he made his debut for Roma and his UEFA Champions League debut, losing 3-0 against Real Madrid.
On December 26, 2018, he scored his first Serie A goal in a 3-1 win over Sassuolo. Zaniolo became the youngest Italian player in Champions League history to score twice in a single match, leading Roma to a 2-1 victory over FC Porto. He was named Serie A Young Player of the Year for the 2018-19 season for his efforts.
Injury difficulties, however, slowed Zaniolo’s progress. He suffered anterior cruciate ligament damage in his right knee in January 2020, sidelining him for the rest of the season.
After being sidelined by the COVID-19 epidemic, he returned to training in late June 2020. Zaniolo returned on July 5, 2020, and scored his first post-injury goal a week later. Unfortunately, he suffered another ACL injury in September 2020, which forced him to miss the entire 2020-21 season.
Zaniolo returned to the pitch during pre-season in July 2021, under newly appointed coach José Mourinho. He struggled with fitness and refereeing decisions throughout the season.
Despite his difficulties, Zaniolo scored his first goal since returning from injury in a UEFA Europa League game. He scored a hat-trick against Bodo/Glimt in the competition’s quarterfinals, helping Roma advance to the semifinals. Zaniolo continued to contribute to the squad and scored the winning goal in the Europa League final.
Following rumours of his leaving, Zaniolo joined Galatasaray in February 2023, becoming the club’s record signing. He had an immediate impact with the team, scoring on his official debut and winning the Süper Lig championship in 2022-23. However, Zaniolo’s form and injury woes persisted, resulting in a loan move to Premier League team Aston Villa for the 2023-24 season.
Zaniolo made his debut for Aston Villa as a substitute in a league match against Burnley during his first season. However, in October 2023, he was involved in a gambling controversy and was forced to leave the Italy national team.
The specifics of the controversy were not revealed, but Zaniolo returned to Birmingham to deal with it.
Despite his professional ups and downs, Nicol Zaniolo is still regarded as a very gifted and promising footballer with the ability to have a huge influence on the game.
Nicolò Zaniolo Girlfriend
Nicolo Zaniolo’s girlfriend is known as Mattia Zaccagni. The two are said to have hitches in their relationship for some time now.
