Giacomo Raspadori

Giacomo Raspadori (born 18 February 2000) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a forward for  club Napoli and the Italy national team.

Sassuolo
Raspadori joined the youth academy of Sassuolo in 2009, after a year with local club Progresso. On 9 August 2018, he signed his first professional contract with Sassuolo for four years. Raspadori made his professional debut with Sassuolo in a 3–1 Serie A defeat to Atalanta on 26 May 2019.

Napoli
On 20 August 2022, Napoli signed Raspadori on a one-year loan with an obligation to purchase. On 14 September, he scored his first Champions League goal in a 3–0 away win over Rangers. On 4 October, he scored a brace and provided an assist in a 6–1 away win over Ajax. On 12 October, he scored a goal in a 4–2 win over Ajax, in which his club managed to reach the knockout phase.

Youth
Raspadori took part in the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship with the Italy U19 squad, scoring one goal in the tournament.

He made his debut with the Italy U21 squad on 3 September 2020, playing against Slovenia in a friendly match. He took part in the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship where he scored one goal in the group stage phase.

Senior
In June 2021, Raspadori was called up by coach Roberto Mancini to the final 26-man squad for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament, despite never having been capped for the Italy senior squad. On 4 June 2021, he debuted for Italy in a friendly win over the Czech Republic, replacing Ciro Immobile in the second half. He made his only appearance of Euro 2020 on 20 June, in Italy's final group match against Wales in Rome, coming on as a second–half substitute for Federico Bernardeschi; the match ended in a 1–0 victory to the Italians, allowing them to top their group, On 11 July, Raspadori won the European Championship with Italy following a 3–2 penalty shoot-out victory over England at Wembley Stadium in the final, after a 1–1 draw in extra time.

On 8 September 2021, Raspadori scored his first goal for the Italy senior national team, making the score 3–0 in an eventual 5–0 home win over Lithuania in a World Cup qualifier; ten minutes before, his off-goal shot also contributed to an own goal from the opposing defender Edgaras Utkus.

In September 2022, he scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over England, then a goal in a 2–0 away win over Hungary, to qualify his country to the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals.

Style of play
Raspadori is a quick, diminutive, and agile forward, with a low centre of gravity, who is capable of playing as a second striker, as an out-and-out striker or centre-forward, as an attacking midfielder, and even as a winger in a 4–2–3–1 formation. He has also been deployed as a false 9 on occasion under Italy manager Luciano Spalletti; although seemingly fielded as a centre-forward in this role, he often drops deep to create space for the late runs of his midfield teammates. A two-footed player, who possesses good vision and technical skills, he is capable of both creating and scoring goals. He is also known for his ability to provide depth to his team and either exploit or create space with his runs, although he is also capable of dropping deep and linking-up with midfielders. His playing style has drawn comparisons with Antonio Di Natale and Carlos Tevez, although he has cited Sergio Agüero as one of his major inspirations.

In October 2021, he was described as "Italy's next centre-forward in the making" by Daniele Verri of BBC Sport.

Personal life
In 2021, he was combining his football career with studying sports science at university.

On 10 May 2024, Giacomo Raspadori and his partner welcomed their daughter Camilla to the world.

International

 * Italy score listed first, score column indicates score after each Raspadori goal.

Honours
Napoli
 * Serie A: 2022–23

Italy
 * UEFA European Championship: 2020

Individual
 * Serie A Player of the Month: January 2022

Orders

 * ITA OMRI 2001 Cav BAR.svg 5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2021