Samuele Ricci

Samuele Ricci

Ricci with Torino in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth	(2001-08-21) 21 August 2001 (age 24)
Place of birth	Pontedera, Italy
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in) [1]
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	AC Milan
Number	4
Youth career
2011–2019	Empoli
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2019–2022	Empoli	83	(3)
2022	→ Torino (loan)	12	(0)
2022–2025	Torino	94	(4)
2025–	AC Milan	1	(0)
International career‡
2017–2018	Italy U17	12	(3)
2018–2019	Italy U18	6	(1)
2019–2020	Italy U19	11	(0)
2020–2023	Italy U21	17	(1)
2022–	Italy	10	(0)
Medal record Representing   Italy UEFA European Under-17 Championship Runner-up England 2018 U-17 Team
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 09:39, 30 August 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 9 June 2025

Samuele Ricci (born 21 August 2001) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a central or defensive midfielder for Serie A club AC Milan and the Italy national team.

Club career

Empoli

Ricci came through the Empoli youth teams and started playing for their under-19 squad in the 2018–19 season. ^[2] He was called up to the senior squad for the first time in April 2019, but remained on the bench on that occasion. Ricci made his professional debut for Empoli on 21 September 2019, at the age of 18, replacing Leo Štulac in a 1–0 win against Cittadella. ^[3] The following season, coach Alessio Dionisi mainly used him as a mezzala . On 18 January 2021, RIcci scored his first goal as a professional in the 5–0 victory against Salernitana. Empoli finished the season in first place in the league standing and were promoted to Serie A, with Ricci winning the Manlio Scopigno award as the best player of the season. ^[4]

Torino

On 30 January 2022, Ricci was loaned to Torino with a conditional obligation to purchase. ^[5] On 28 January 2023, he scored his first goal for Torino in a 2–2 draw away against former club Empoli. ^[6]

AC Milan

On 3 July 2025, Ricci completed his transfer to AC Milan from Torino for a fee of €23 million + €1.5 million in bonuses. He signed a contract until 30 June 2029, with an option in the club's favour for an extension until 30 June 2030, and chose to wear the shirt number 4. ^{[7] [8]} Before his transfer eventually happened, he had already been linked with the move to Milan since April 2020, his debut season in senior football, with the club's numerous offers to sign the player turned down by both Empoli and Torino. ^[9]

International career

Ricci was first called up to the Italy under-17 team in December 2017 for a friendly against France. ^[10]

Ricci was selected in the senior Italy squad for the 2022 Finalissima against Argentina on 1 June 2022 – as well as 2022–23 UEFA Nations League group stage matches against Germany (twice), Hungary, England – between 4 and 14 June 2022. ^[11] He debuted against Germany in the latter tournament on 4 June. ^[12]

Style of play

Ricci is a right-footed player, mainly deployed as a playmaker in front of the defence or as a box-to-box midfielder, also known as a mezzala in his native Italy. ^[13] Gifted with excellent individual technique and sense of positioning, he is regarded as one of the most important prospects in Italian football. His reference model is Andrea Pirlo. ^[14]

Personal life

On 9 September 2020, Ricci tested positive for COVID-19. ^[15]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 29 August 2025 ^[16]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			Coppa Italia		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Empoli	2019–20	Serie B	29	0	1	0	—		30	0
	2020–21	Serie B	33	2	3	0	—		36	2
	2021–22	Serie A	21	1	3	0	—		24	1
	Total		83	3	7	0	—|		90	3
Torino (loan)	2021–22	Serie A	12	0	—		—		12	0
Torino	2022–23	Serie A	28	2	4	0	—		32	2
	2023–24	Serie A	32	1	1	0	—		33	1
	2024–25	Serie A	34	1	2	0	—		36	1
	Total		106	4	7	0	—|		113	4
AC Milan	2025–26	Serie A	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
Career total			190	7	15	0	0	0	205	7

International

As of match played 9 June 2025 ^[17]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Italy	2022	2	0
	2023	0	0
	2024	4	0
	2025	4	0
Total		10	0

Honours

Empoli

• Serie B: 2020–21

Individual

• Serie B Footballer of the Year: 2020–21 ^[18]

References

1. "Samuele Ricci". AC Milan. Archived from the original on 18 August 2025. Retrieved 18 August 2025.
2. Samuele Ricci at TuttoCalciatori.net (in Italian)
3. "Empoli v Cittadella game report". Soccerway. Soccerway. 21 September 2019.
4. "Samuele Ricci ha vinto il premio Manlio Scopigno come miglior calciatore dell'ultimo campionato di Serie B". 3 August 2021. Archived from the original on 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
5. "Ricci al Toro" (Press release) (in Italian). Torino. 30 January 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
6. Lazzerini, Pietro (28 January 2023). "Le pagelle del Torino - Ricci conferma il cliché dell'ex. Lukic saluta con la sua qualità". TuttoMercatoWeb (in Italian). Retrieved 24 June 2025.
7. "Official Statement: Samuele Ricci". AC Milan. 3 July 2025. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
8. "Milan, completate le visite mediche per Ricci: "Sono prontissimo"". Sportmediaset.it (in Italian). 3 July 2025.
9. https://m.milannews.it/primo-piano/tuttosport-milan-non-solo-tonali-per-il-centrocampo-piacciono-anche-koopmeiners-e-ricci-367959
10. "Ricci Italy U17 profile" (in Italian). Italian Football Federation . Retrieved 7 October 2019.
11. "Una 'Finalissima' per salutare l'azzurro. Chiellini: "Lascio senza rimpianti, l'Europeo il ricordo più bello"" (in Italian). Italian Football Federation. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
12. Ramazzotti, Andrea (4 June 2022). "L'Italia scopre Ricci, regista totale: "Grazie Toro, non poteva esserci inizio migliore"". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 24 June 2025.
13. "Ricci, il talento dell'Empoli che studia da campione. In campo e sui libri". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 31 August 2021.
14. "Empoli, gli occhi di mezza Serie a sul gioiello Samuele Ricci". Serie B (in Italian). 24 March 2020.
15. "Empoli calcio, Samuele Ricci positivo al COVID-19". Il Tirreno (in Italian). 12 October 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
16. "S. Ricci". Soccerway.
17. "Ricci, Samuele" (in Italian). Italian Football Federation. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
18. "Lukaku, Ronaldo and Conte win Serie A awards for 2020-21". Football Italia. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 21 March 2022.

External links

• Profile at the AC Milan website
• Samuele Ricci – UEFA competition record ( archive )