Giulia Dragoni
Personal information
Date of birth (2006-11-07) 7 November 2006
Place of birth Milan, Italy
Height 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Position(s) Midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Barcelona B
Number 15
Youth career
2015–2020 Pro Sesto
2020–2022 Inter Milan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022-2023 Inter Milan 4 (0)
2023– Barcelona B 10 (4)
2023– Barcelona 3 (0)
International career‡
2021–2022 Italy U16 3 (1)
2021–2023 Italy U17 16 (8)
2022– Italy U19 5 (2)
2023– Italy 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 13 January 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 1 December 2023

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

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

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]

At the start of the 2023–24 season, Dragoni was officially promoted to Barcelona's first team, while still being a part of Barcelona B's roster.[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 Barcelona's senior team – either in men's or women's football –,[5][19] overtaking the previous record by Lionel Messi (who was 17 years and three months old at the time of his debut).[5] 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] On 13 January 2024, she made her first start and scored her first goal for Barcelona's first team, opening the score in a 6–0 Copa de la Reina win over Fundación Albacete.[19][21]

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][22]

In March 2023 she received her first call-up to the Italian senior national team for the friendly match against Colombia.[23] 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.[24][25] 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:[26][27] 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][28][29] in the process, she became the second youngest player to get called up for the tournament, behind only Casey Phair.[30][31] On 24 July 2023, Dragoni started in a 1–0 group stage win over Argentina:[32][33] at 16 years and 259 days,[32] she became the youngest player to ever represent the Azzurre in the competition's history,[34][35] a record that previously belonged to Rita Guarino,[34][36] 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][36] She also became the second-youngest European player to feature in a FIFA Women's World Cup game.[35]

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]

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 4 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. ↑ "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.
  23. ↑ "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.
  24. ↑ "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.
  25. ↑ 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.
  26. ↑ "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.
  27. ↑ 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.
  28. ↑ "Italy name 16-year-old Dragoni in World Cup squad". BBC Sport. 2 July 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
  29. ↑ "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.
  30. ↑ Pozzoli, Martina (14 July 2023). "Da Giulia Dragoni a Casey Phair: le giovanissime calciatrici al Mondiale". L Football (in Italian). Retrieved 20 July 2023.
  31. ↑ 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.
  32. 1 2 "Girelli decisive as Italy beat Argentina". BBC Sport. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
  33. ↑ 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.
  34. 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.
  35. 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.
  36. 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.
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