Mattia Liberali
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
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Date of birth | 6 April 2007 | ||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Carate Brianza, Italy | ||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Winger, attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | AC Milan U19 | ||||||||||||||||
Number | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
2013–2014 | Aquile della Brianza | ||||||||||||||||
2014–2015 | La Dominante | ||||||||||||||||
2015– | AC Milan | ||||||||||||||||
International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
2022 | Italy U15 | 6 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
2022–2023 | Italy U16 | 11 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
2023– | Italy U17 | 28 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 6 June 2024 |
Mattia Liberali (born 6 April 2007) is an Italian footballer who plays as a winger for Italian club AC Milan U19.
Early life[edit]
Liberali was born in Carate Brianza, Italy.[1]
Club career[edit]
In 2013, the manager of local amateur side Rhodense , Alberto Bianchi, spotted Liberali and invited him to play in a youth tournament with a view to later sign him.[2] However, he would participate at the tournament with Aquile della Brianza from Muggiò instead, spending a year with the side before joining La Dominante, who he would train during the week with, while playing with professional side AC Milan on weekends.[2]
After a year of this arrangement, Liberali made the switch to AC Milan permanent.[2] During the 2021–22 under-16 Scudetto tournament, he finished second-top scorer behind Francesco Camarda with nine goals, as AC Milan went on to win the competition.[2] He was called up to train with the first team for the first time, alongside Camarda and Nirash Perera, in December 2022.[3] The following year, in July 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club through 2027.[4]
International career[edit]
Liberali has represented Italy from under-15 to under-17 level.[5]
Style of play[edit]
Initially a central defender while playing at 7-a-side level, Liberali was moved up the pitch in the academy of AC Milan, settling at left-wing, with Italy under-17 coach Massimiliano Favo also utilising him as an attacking midfielder.[2] Former AC Milan defender and current football pundit, Alessandro Costacurta, compared him with English international Phil Foden for their similar playing style.[6]
Honours[edit]
Italy U17
Individual
- UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament: 2024[8]
References[edit]
- ^ "Mattia Liberali". acmilan.com (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Barilaro, Andrea (10 May 2022). "BII nuovo fuoriclasse del Milan dal mancino fatato: Mattia Liberali incanta il Diavolo, e con la Nazionale..." [The new AC Milan champion with the fairy left-handed: Mattia Liberali enchants the Devil, and with the national team...]. sprintesport.it (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ Schettino, Francesco (7 December 2022). "Milan, prosegue la linea giovane: Camarda, Liberali e Perera si allenano con la primavera" [Milan, the young line continues: Camarda, Liberali and Perera train with the spring]. footballnews24.it (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ Antonelli, Michele (19 July 2023). "Il Milan blinda "il mago" Liberali, il 2007 mancino paragonato a Foden" [Milan locks up "the magician" Liberali, the left-handed 2007 compared to Foden]. gazzetta.it (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ Mattia Liberali at WorldFootball.net
- ^ Scapellato, Fabio (20 July 2023). "Mattia Liberali, chi è il "Nuovo Foden" che il Milan ha blindato a soli 16 anni" [Mattia Liberali, who is the "New Foden" that Milan locked up at just 16 years old]. spraynews.it (in Italian). Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "UEFA Under-17 EURO final report: Italy 3-0 Portugal". UEFA.com. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
- ^ "2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship Team of the Tournament". UEFA.com. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
External links[edit]
- Mattia Liberali at Soccerway