Giulia Dragoni

Last updated

Giulia Dragoni
Barcelona femeni Medalla d'Honor del Parlament de Catalunya 04 (Dragoni).jpg
Dragoni in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (2006-11-07) 7 November 2006 (age 18)
Place of birth Milan, Italy
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Roma (on loan from Barcelona)
Number 15
Youth career
2015–2020 Pro Sesto
2020–2022 Inter Milan
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022–2023 Inter Milan 4 (0)
2023–2024 Barcelona B 31 (8)
2023– Barcelona 5 (0)
2024– → Roma (loan) 27 (1)
International career‡
2021–2022 Italy U16 3 (1)
2021–2023 Italy U17 16 (8)
2022–2023 Italy U19 5 (2)
2023– Italy 12 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 04:03, 09 September 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals as of 23:30, 16 July 2024 (UTC)

Giulia Dragoni (born 7 November 2006) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Roma, on loan from Liga F club Barcelona, and the Italy women's national team.

Contents

Club career

Early life and Inter Milan

Born in Milan, Italy, [1] Dragoni started playing football at the age of four, [2] joining grassroots club Franco Scarioni, [3] [4] before moving to Cimiano, [2] [3] [4] and then entering the junior academy of Pro Sesto in 2015. [2] [5] Here, she first came to prominence for her performances in mixed-sex junior championships, [1] [6] where she played until 2019, [1] earning the nickname "Little Messi". [1] [4] [7]

Having first joined Inter Milan on trial for a youth tournament in 2018, [8] Dragoni officially entered the club's youth sector in the summer of 2020. [1] [4] [6] During the 2020–21 campaign, following the halt of several youth leagues due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, [8] she was promoted to Inter's under-19 squad, aged just 14, [4] [8] and contributed to a third-place finish in the national championship. [6] [9]

Having been promoted to Inter's first team at the start of the 2022–23 season, under head coach Rita Guarino, [4] [10] Dragoni made her professional debut on 20 November 2022, coming in as a substitute for Ghoutia Karchouni in the 74th minute of a goalless league draw against Fiorentina. [4] [11] Having just turned 16 years old, she became the youngest player to ever feature in a Serie A match since the league had achieved full-time professional status. [7] She went on to make three more appearances for Inter's senior team before the end of 2022. [4] [6] [7]

Barcelona

2022–23 season

On 31 January 2023, Dragoni officially joined Spanish side Barcelona on a permanent deal, signing a contract until June 2025. [1] [4] [12] In the process, she became the first non-Spanish member of the women's team setup to reside at La Masia. [1] [4] [7] Having been registered for the club's reserve team, Barcelona B, [7] [12] she scored her first goal for the side on 5 March, in a 3–0 league win over Athletic B. [13] In her first season at the club, she helped Barcelona B win the second-tier title, [7] [14] having scored four goals in ten matches; [6] [14] she was also included in the first team's title-winning UEFA Women's Champions League squad, despite not featuring in any of their matches. [7] [15]

2023–24 season

At the start of the 2023–24 season, Dragoni was still primarily part of Barcelona B but was included as a regular training player of the first team. [16] She made her first-team debut on 26 November 2023, coming on as a substitute for Mariona Caldentey in the 83rd minute of a 4–0 Liga F win over Athletic Club. [5] [17] [18] In the process, at 17 years and 19 days, she became the youngest non-Spanish player to make her debut for a senior Barcelona team (in men's or women's football). [5] [19] On 13 December, she made her UEFA Women's Champions League debut, coming on for Esmee Brugts in the 78th minute of a 6–0 win over FC Rosengård in the group stage, [20] and a month later she made her first start and scored her first goal for Barcelona's first team, opening the scoring in a 6–0 Copa de la Reina win over Fundación Albacete. [19] [21]

Barcelona completed a quadruple, with Dragoni becoming the first Italian player to win the women's Champions League, also winning the league title, the Copa de la Reina and the Supercopa. [22] [23] While she was given few opportunities to play for the first team, Spanish newspaper Sport stated that she "brought something different" every time she featured for Barcelona. [24]

Dragoni playing with Roma in the 2024 Women's Champions League. Dragoni 2024.png
Dragoni playing with Roma in the 2024 Women's Champions League.

Loan to Roma

On 17 July 2024, Dragoni renewed her contract with Barcelona until 2027, [25] [26] and subsequently joined Serie A club Roma on a season-long loan. [26] [27] Dragoni made her Serie A debut with Roma on 30 August 2024, coming on as a substitute for Benedetta Glionna in the 58th minute of a 2–2 draw with Lazio. [28]

International career

Dragoni has represented Italy at various youth international levels, having played for the under-16, under-17 [1] [4] and under-19 national teams. [7] [29]

In March 2023 she received her first call-up to the Italian senior national team for the friendly match against Colombia. [30] In June of the same year, she was included in the preliminary squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup by head coach Milena Bertolini. [31] [32] She subsequently made her debut for the Azzurre on 1 July, coming on as a substitute in the second half of a friendly match against Morocco, which ended in a goalless draw: [33] [34] at 16 years and 236 days, she became the youngest person to represent an Italian senior national football team in the 21st century, [7] but did not beat the all-time record, originally established by Carolina Morace in 1978. [7] [15]

The following day, she was officially included in the final 23-women squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, aged just 16; [7] [35] [36] in the process, she became the second youngest player to get called up for the tournament, behind only Casey Phair. [37] [38] On 24 July 2023, Dragoni started in a 1–0 group stage win over Argentina: [39] [40] at 16 years and 259 days, [39] she became the youngest player to ever represent the Azzurre in the competition's history, [41] [42] a record that previously belonged to Rita Guarino, [41] [43] while also overtaking Giuseppe Bergomi as Italy's youngest player to take part in any World Cup match, including both men's and women's football. [6] [43] She also became the second-youngest European player to feature in a FIFA Women's World Cup game. [42]

Style of play

Dragoni mainly operates as a midfielder in the mezzala role; [6] she is best known for her dribbling skills, [6] [8] as well as her ball control, her passing and her tactical intelligence. [6]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 30 August 2024 [44] [45]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueCup [a] Continental [b] OtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Inter Milan 2022–23 Serie A 4000––40
Barcelona B 2022–23 Primera Federación 104–––104
2023–24 Primera Federación142–––142
Total246–––246
Barcelona 2023–24 Liga F 5031100091
Roma 2024-25 Serie A 211–63–274
Career total5473173006411

International

As of match played 16 July 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Italy 202360
202460
Total120

Honours

Barcelona
Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Giulia Dragoni, la piccola Messi va a Barcellona: prima calciatrice straniera alla Cantera". Il Giorno. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Lignelli, Matteo (29 June 2023). "Giulia Dragoni: "La nuova vita tra Barça e Nazionale. Grazie a un segreto di papà"". Cronache di spogliatoio. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  3. 1 2 Cannatà, Fabio (17 May 2017). "Guarda guarda in campo c'è, una nuova giocatrice: Giulia Dragoni!" (in Italian). Sprint e Sport. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Griñán, Marta (31 January 2023). "Giulia Dragoni, la primera perla internacional de La Masia". Diario AS (in European Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 Maioli, Mariarosa (29 November 2023). "Giulia Dragoni, a soli 17 anni abbatte il record che fu di Messi e fa sognare il calcio azzurro". Il Giorno (in Italian). Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Perché l'esordio di Giulia Dragoni è importante". L'Ultimo Uomo (in Italian). 25 July 2023. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Burhan, Asif (3 July 2023). "Giulia Dragoni Set To Play At Women's World Cup Aged 16". Forbes . Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Ferrio, Edoardo (24 April 2021). "Quattordici anni e non sentirli, ecco a voi Giulia Dragoni". La Giovane Italia News (in Italian). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  9. ↑ "L'Inter batte la Florentia ai calci di rigore e chiude al terzo posto il Campionato Primavera". FIGC (in Italian). 29 May 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  10. ↑ Ricci, Filippo Maria (2 February 2022). "Dal Cimiano al Barça, il sogno della ragazza che dribblava i maschi" . La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  11. ↑ Iannucci, Federica (20 November 2022). "Termina con un pareggio senza reti la sfida tra la Fiorentina femminile e l'Inter Women". L Football (in Italian). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Giulia Dragoni arriba a La Masia". FC Barcelona (in Catalan). 31 January 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  13. ↑ Ricchiuti, Rita (6 March 2023). "Primo gol per Giulia Dragoni con il Barcellona". L Football (in Italian). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  14. 1 2 Griñán, Marta (3 July 2023). "Del Barça B al sueño del Mundial". Diario AS (in European Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  15. 1 2 "Giulia Dragoni ai Mondiali: da Forbes alla BBC, all'estero tutti ne parlano". L Football (in Italian). 3 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  16. ↑ Gascón, Javier (7 September 2023). "El '7' de Salma, el '22' de Ona y el '24 de Brugts, novedades en los dorsales". Mundo Deportivo (in European Spanish). Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  17. ↑ Gil, Aimara G. (26 November 2023). "Otro recital de Hansen". Diario AS (in European Spanish). Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  18. ↑ Pozzoli, Martina (26 November 2023). "Giulia Dragoni debutta nella prima squadra del Barcellona". L Football (in Italian). Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  19. 1 2 Pozzoli, Martina (13 January 2024). "Primo gol per Giulia Dragoni con il Barcellona". L Football (in Italian). Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  20. ↑ "Barca thrash Rosengard to continue perfect start". BBC Sport . 13 December 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  21. ↑ Gil, Aimara G. (13 January 2024). "Set en blanco del Barcelona en Albacete". Diario AS (in European Spanish). Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  22. ↑ Pozzoli, Martina (25 May 2024). "Giulia Dragoni è la prima italiana a vincere la Champions League". L Football. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 Gil, Aimara G. (26 May 2024). "El inédito póquer en España". Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  24. ↑ Tikas, Maria (30 May 2024). "El 1x1 de una temporada perfecta". Diario Sport (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  25. ↑ "Dragoni, renovada i cedida a l'AS Roma". FC Barcelona (in Catalan). 17 July 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  26. 1 2 Moreno, Alejandro (17 July 2024). "El Barcelona renueva a Dragoni y la cede a la Roma". Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  27. ↑ "Giulia Dragoni è una nuova calciatrice della Roma!". AS Roma (in Italian). 17 July 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  28. ↑ "Lazio vs. AS Roma Match Report – Friday August 30, 2024". FBref.com. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  29. ↑ "Italia, la partenza è quella giusta: a Vercelli superata la Grecia per 4–0. Mazzantini: "Gara interpretata al meglio"". FIGC (in Italian). 5 April 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  30. ↑ "Verso il Mondiale: trenta convocate per l'amichevole con la Colombia, prima chiamata per Beccari, Dragoni, Pavan e Schatzer". FIGC (in Italian). 29 March 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  31. ↑ "Da lunedì a Brunico 32 Azzurre si giocano il posto per il Mondiale. Il 1° luglio test con il Marocco in diretta su Rai 2". FIGC (in Italian). 23 June 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  32. ↑ Iannucci, Federica (23 June 2023). "Nazionale femminile, le 32 convocate per la seconda parte del raduno pre Mondiale". L Football (in Italian). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  33. ↑ "Regge il muro del Marocco: l'ultimo test prima della partenza per la Nuova Zelanda finisce 0–0. Bertolini: "Meglio nel secondo tempo"". FIGC (in Italian). 1 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  34. ↑ Scognamiglio, Pietro (1 July 2023). "Italia, col Marocco tante giovani e l'esordio di Dragoni". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  35. ↑ "Italy name 16-year-old Dragoni in World Cup squad". BBC Sport . 2 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  36. ↑ "Verso il Mondiale, ufficializzata la lista delle 25 Azzurre in partenza per la Nuova Zelanda". FIGC (in Italian). 2 July 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
  37. ↑ Pozzoli, Martina (14 July 2023). "Da Giulia Dragoni a Casey Phair: le giovanissime calciatrici al Mondiale". L Football (in Italian). Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  38. ↑ Nava, Matteo (21 July 2023). "I test sbriciolati, la Masia, il Mondiale a 16 anni: la scalata di Giulia Dragoni". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 22 July 2023.
  39. 1 2 "Girelli decisive as Italy beat Argentina". BBC Sport. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  40. ↑ Scognamiglio, Pietro (24 July 2023). "Mondiale donne, è subito grande Italia! L'eterna Girelli affonda l'Argentina". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  41. 1 2 Pozzoli, Martina (24 July 2023). "Giulia Dragoni è la più giovane italiana di sempre a debuttare in un mondiale". L Football (in Italian). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  42. 1 2 Morse, Ben (24 July 2023). "Italy wins 1-0 against Argentina as 16-year-old 'Little Messi' Giulia Dragoni makes debut at Women's World Cup". CNN . Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  43. 1 2 Ferri, Alessandro (24 July 2023). "Giulia Dragoni "polverizza" Beppe Bergomi: è l'azzurra più giovane di sempre ai Mondiali". Goal.com (in Italian). Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  44. ↑ Giulia Dragoni at Soccerway
  45. ↑ Dragoni at BDFutbol
  46. 1 2 3 4 Morse, Ben (25 May 2024). "Barcelona retains Women's Champions League title, completing historic quadruple". CNN . Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  47. ↑ "IFFHS WOMEN'S YOUTH (U20) UEFA TEAM 2023". IFFHS. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
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