Matteo Politano

Matteo Politano (Italian pronunciation: [matˈtɛːo poliˈtaːno]; born 3 August 1993) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Serie A club Napoli and the Italy national team.

Matteo Politano

Personal information
Date of birth	(1993-08-03) 3 August 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth	Rome, Italy
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s)	Winger
Team information
Current team	Napoli
Number	21
Youth career
2004–2012	Roma
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2013	Roma	0	(0)
2012–2013	→ Perugia (loan)	28	(8)
2013–2015	Pescara	72	(11)
2015–2019	Sassuolo	96	(20)
2018–2019	→ Inter Milan (loan)	36	(5)
2019–2021	Inter Milan	11	(0)
2020–2021	→ Napoli (loan)	52	(11)
2021–	Napoli	109	(15)
International career‡
2011–2012	Italy U19	3	(0)
2012–2014	Italy U20	7	(3)
2013	Italy U21	2	(0)
2018–	Italy	12	(3)
Medal record Men's Football Representing  Italy CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions Runner-up 2022 England
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:54, 10 November 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 20 November 2023

Club career

Roma

Of Calabrian origin from Fiumefreddo Bruzio,^[2][3] Politano is a youth product of A.S. Roma, with whom he won the 2010 "Allievi" U17 league,^[4] as well as the 2011 Campionato Nazionale Primavera and the 2012 Coppa Italia Primavera. He was the sixth highest scorer of Roma's youth squad in the 2011–12 season (7 goals), behind Junior Tallo, Nicolás López, Gianluca Leonardi, Federico Viviani and Giammario Piscitella. In July 2012, Politano was loaned to Perugia.^[5] He made his professional debut in the Coppa Italia. Politano was the starting forward in the 2012–13 Lega Pro Prima Divisione, with 3 goals in first 5 league matches in September.

Pescara

On 30 June 2013, Pescara signed Politano (€500,000) and Piscitella (€1.5 million) as part of the deal that Caprari returned to Roma (€2 million);^[6][7][8][9] however, Caprari returned to Pescara again (€1.5 million) for Piscitella (€1.5 million) in January 2014.

On 27 June 2015, Roma bought back Politano for €601,000, with Caprari moving to Pescara outright for €125,000.^[10][11]

Sassuolo

On 2 July 2015, Serie A club Sassuolo signed Politano in a temporary deal with an option to purchase.^[12] In June 2016, Sassuolo exercised their option to buy Politano.

Inter Milan

On 30 June 2018, Politano signed for Inter Milan on a season-long loan deal from Sassuolo, with an option to buy in June 2019.^[13]

He made his official debut for the club on 19 August in the first match of 2018–19 Serie A against his parent club Sassuolo, which ended in a 1–0 away loss.^[14] On 15 September, Politano played his 100th Serie A match in a 1–0 shock loss to Parma at home.^[15] Two weeks later, he made his debut in the UEFA Champions League in a 2–1 comeback win over Tottenham Hotspur at San Siro in the first group stage match.^[16]

On 29 September, he opened his scoring account for Inter in the league match against Cagliari, netting the second with a long-range strike in a 2–0 home win.^[17] During the course of 2018–19 season, Politano was the most used out-field player, having made 48 appearances in all competitions; only goalkeeper Samir Handanović playing more than him. As a result, on 19 June 2019 Inter exercised their option to buy Politano from Sassuolo.^[18]

However, with the appointment of head coach Antonio Conte and subsequent switch of formation from 4–3–3 to 3–5–2, Politano soon lost his place in the team's usual starting line-up.^[19] In January 2020, Politano passed the medical at Roma and was due to be exchanged for Leonardo Spinazzola yet the transfer collapsed as Inter were not entirely satisfied with Spinazzola's physical conditions and failed at re-negotiation of the deal.^[20]

Napoli

On 28 January 2020, Politano moved to Napoli on a two-year loan with an obligation to make deal permanent.^[21] On 29 October 2020, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 away win over Real Sociedad in the 2020–21 UEFA Europa League.^[22]

International career

Politano received his first Italy U19 call-up against the Italy U20 "C" side in December 2011. He then played two times during the team's 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship elite qualification campaign (featuring as a substitute for Elio De Silvestro)^[23] and appeared in two friendlies before the elite round of the competition.

On 5 November 2016, Politano was called up to the senior squad for the first time for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Liechtenstein and a friendly match against Germany by manager Gian Piero Ventura.^[24] He later made his senior international debut for the national team on 28 May 2018, under manager Roberto Mancini, starting for Italy in a 2–1 friendly win over Saudi Arabia.^[25] On 20 November 2018, he scored his first goal for Italy on his second cap in the 94th minute of a 1–0 friendly match win over the United States, held in Genk.^[26]

Style of play

Politano is a quick and diminutive left-footed player, with an eye for goal, who is gifted with pace, vision, good technique, and dribbling ability at speed, as well as good close control and first-time passing ability in close spaces.^[13] A versatile player, he is usually deployed as a winger, and is capable of playing on either flank, as well as in numerous other attacking roles across the front line, including as a second striker.^[27] He also possesses a good shot from distance, and is a threat from set-pieces.^[28]

Personal life

On 20 November 2021, it was announced that Politano tested positive for COVID-19, while being asymptomatic, amid the pandemic in Italy;^[29] he recovered by 29 November.^[30]

Married in June 2018 to Silvia Di Vincenzo, he later became engaged to PR Ginevra Sozzi.^[31] On June 17, 2021, their first daughter, Giselle, was born.^[32]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 10 November 2024^[33]

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
Perugia	2012–13	Lega Pro	28	8	3	0	–		4	2	35	10
Pescara	2013–14	Serie B	31	6	1	0	–		–		32	6
	2014–15		41	5	3	0	–		5[a]	1	49	6
	Total		72	11	4	0	–		5	1	81	12
Sassuolo	2015–16	Serie A	28	5	1	0	–		–		29	5
	2016–17		32	5	1	0	9[b]	3	–		42	8
	2017–18		36	10	3	1	–		–		39	11
	Total		96	20	5	1	9	3	–		110	24
Inter Milan	2018–19	Serie A	36	5	2	0	10[c]	1	–		48	6
	2019–20		11	0	0	0	4[d]	0	–		15	0
	Total		47	5	2	0	14	1	–		63	6
Napoli (loan)	2019–20	Serie A	15	2	3	0	2[d]	0	–		20	2
	2020–21		37	9	4	1	8[b]	1	1[e]	0	50	11
Napoli	2021–22		33	3	1	0	5[b]	2	–		39	5
	2022–23		27	3	1	0	9[d]	1	–		37	4
	2023–24		37	8	1	0	8[d]	1	2[e]	0	48	9
	2024–25		12	1	1	0	–		–		13	1
	Total		161	26	11	1	32	5	3	0	207	32
Career total			404	70	25	2	55	9	12	3	496	84

1. Appearances in Serie B promotion play-offs
2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League
3. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, four appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
4. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
5. Appearance(s) in Supercoppa Italiana

International

As of match played 20 November 2023^[33][34]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Italy	2018	2	1
	2019	1	0
	2020	0	0
	2021	1	2
	2022	4	0
	2023	4	0
Total		12	3

Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first.^[34]

List of international goals scored by Matteo Politano

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	20 November 2018	Luminus Arena, Genk, Belgium	United States	1–0	1–0	Friendly
2.	28 May 2021	Sardegna Arena, Cagliari, Italy	San Marino	3–0	7–0
3.				6–0

Honours

Napoli

• Serie A: 2022–23^[35]
• Coppa Italia: 2019–20^[36]

Individual

• Serie A Goal of the Month: April 2024^[37]

References

1. "Statistiche e profilo Giocatore: Matteo Politano" (in Italian). Sassuolo Calcio. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
2. "Calabresi su Libero 24x7".
3. Matteo Politano e l’Inter nel destino … in Calabria
4. "CAMPIONATI NAZIONALI ALLIEVI E GIOVANISSIMI: ROMA E MILAN VINCONO LO SCUDETTO 2009–2010" (in Italian). FIGC. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
5. "Calciomercato Perugia, Politano in prestito per un anno" [Football Transfer Perugia, Politano in one-year loan] (in Italian). AC Perugia Calcio. 17 July 2012. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
6. "Calciomercato e news" (in Italian). Delfino Pescara 1936. 2 July 2013. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
7. "Operazioni di mercato" (PDF) (in Italian). AS Roma. 1 July 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
8. "Speciale calciomercato" (in Italian). Delfino Pescara 1936. 20 June 2013. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
9. "Esercizio Dei Diritti Di Opzione E Controopzione E Rapporti Di Partecipazione Ex Art. 102 Bis Noif" (PDF) (in Italian). AS Roma. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
10. "Alcuni movimenti del Pescara in questa prima fase di mercato" (in Italian). Delfino Pescara 1936. 27 June 2015. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
11. "2015 RELAZIONE FINANZIARIA ANNUALE" (PDF) (in Italian). A.S. Roma. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2015.
12. "Calciomercato: arriva Matteo Politano dalla Roma" (in Italian). U.S. Sassuolo Calcio. 2 July 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
13. "Matteo Politano is a new Inter player". Inter Milan. 30 June 2018. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
14. Marcovitch, Joe (19 August 2018). "Sassuolo 1–0 Inter: Report, Ratings & Reaction as the Nerazzurri Slip to Defeat in Serie A Opener". 90min. Retrieved 20 August 2018.
15. "Inter-Parma, all you need to know". Inter Milan. 16 September 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
16. Harry West (18 September 2018). "Inter 2 Tottenham 1: Icardi, Vecino complete dramatic late turnaround". Goal.com. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
17. "Results: Inter 2–0 Cagliari". legaseriea.it. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
18. "Matteo Politano signs for Inter on a permanent basis". Inter Milan. 19 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
19. "Venerato: "Politano Can't Play 3–5–2, Conte Will Have To Work On Him"". sempreinter.com. Sempreinter. 6 September 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
20. "Politano-Spinazzola, un colpo di farsa mercato" [Politano-Spinazzola, a blow to the farce market]. gazzetta.it (in Italian). RCS Media Group. 18 January 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
21. "Matteo Politano joins Napoli" (Press release). inter.it. 28 January 2020. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
22. "Real Sociedad 0–1 Napoli". UEFA. 29 October 2020.
23. "UEFA European Under-19 Championship Profile: Matteo Politano". UEFA.com. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
24. "Italy: Politano and Cataldi debut calls". football-italia.net. 5 November 2016. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
25. "Italy: Balotelli and Mancini ideal start". Football Italia. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
26. "Politano breaks the ice for Italy". Football Italia. 20 November 2018.
27. Luca Bedogni (30 June 2018). "Politano alla Salah, ecco come Spalletti pensa di rivoluzionare l'Inter" (in Italian). www.calciomercato.com. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
28. Marco Lo Prato (13 November 2018). "Politano si è preso l'Inter, Keita è inciampato. Quali sono le prospettive?" (in Italian). www.fcinternews.it. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
29. "Matteo Politano positivo al Covid-19" (in Italian). sscnapoli.it. 20 November 2021. Retrieved 29 November 2021.
30. "NAPOLI: POLITANO RECOVERS FROM COVID". Football Italia. 29 November 2021.
31. "Politano (con sigaretta) stregato dall'ex di Dybala. E la moglie lo scopre grazie a un investigatore privato". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 12 December 2022.
32. "Politano finalmente papà: perché si chiama Giselle. Like di lady Insigne". corrieredellosport.it (in Italian). Retrieved 12 December 2022.
33. "Matteo Politano". Soccerway. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
34. "Convocazioni e presenze in campo POLITANO MATTEO" (in Italian). figc.it. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
35. "Napoli win Serie A for first time in 33 years". BBC Sport. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
36. "Coppa: Napoli beat Juventus on penalties". Football Italia. 17 June 2020.
37. "Matteo Politano Wins April's Goal of the Month Presented by Crypto.com". Serie A. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.

External links

• Profile at the SSC Napoli website
• FIGC profile (in Italian)
• Matteo Politano – UEFA competition record (archive)