Giovanni Simeone

Giovanni Pablo Simeone Baldini (born 5 July 1995) also known as Gio Simeone, or “El Cholito”, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Napoli and the Argentina national team.

Early life
The son of former Argentine international footballer Diego Simeone and Carolina Baldini, Giovanni Simeone was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, while his father was playing for Atlético Madrid.

His family moved to Italy in 1997, but later returned to Spain in 2003 following his father's career club changes. Two years later he moved to Argentina, and joined River Plate's youth setup in 2008 when his father was appointed coach of the first team. He has two younger brothers, Gianluca and Giuliano, both footballers.

River Plate
After progressing through the youth ranks, Simeone signed a three-year professional deal with the club in November 2011. In July 2013, he was called up by the main squad for the pre-season; Simeone made his league debut on 4 August 2013, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 away defeat against Gimnasia La Plata. Later that month he renewed his contract, signing until 2016. Simeone scored his first professional goal on 8 September, netting the second of a 3–0 home win against Tigre.

Loan to Banfield
On 6 July 2015, Simeone joined fellow Argentine Primera División side Banfield on a season-long loan deal. On 12 July 2015, he scored the match-winning goal on his debut in a 1–0 victory against Quilmes.

Genoa
On 18 August 2016, Simeone signed for Italian club Genoa for €3 million. He scored his first goal, on his first start for the club, in a 1–1 draw with Pescara on 25 September 2016. On 27 November, Simeone netted a brace in Genoa 3–1 win over Serie A leaders Juventus.

Fiorentina
Among speculation of Atlético Madrid's interest in signing the young player to be coached by his father Diego Simeone, Giovanni signed with Serie A club Fiorentina on 16 August 2017, for an undisclosed fee. On 29 April 2018, Simeone scored his first hat-trick in Fiorentina's 3–0 league win against Napoli, effectively ending his future club's title hopes.

Cagliari
On 30 August 2019, Simeone joined Cagliari on a year-long loan deal from Fiorentina, including an obligatory purchase clause at the end of the period. On 1 September, he made his debut in a 2–1 defeat against Inter Milan. Simeone's first goal came on 15 September, in a 3–1 win against Parma. After an inconsistent first part of the season, he scored in four consecutive games upon returning from the COVID-19 lockdown; he finished the seasons with 12 goals overall.

In the following season, Simeone scored a brace in a 3–2 win against Torino; he ended the 2020–21 season with six goals scored.

Hellas Verona
On 26 August 2021, Simeone joined Serie A side Hellas Verona on a season-long loan deal with an option to make the deal permanent. On 24 October, he scored all four goals in a 4–1 win over Lazio. It was his second hat-trick in Serie A, and both came against sides managed by Maurizio Sarri. On 30 October, Simeone netted two goals against Juventus, for the second time in his career, as Verona won 2–1.

On 17 June 2022, he joined Hellas Verona on a permanent deal with a contract lasting until 2026.

Napoli
On 18 August 2022, Simeone's signing with Napoli was officially announced on a loan with an option to buy, which became obligatory upon meeting certain sporting conditions. He made his debut for the club on 28 August against Fiorentina, his former team, replacing Victor Osimhen in the final 15 minutes of the match, which ended in a 0–0 draw.

On 7 September, Simeone made his UEFA Champions League debut, once again replacing Osimhen, and scored his first goal both in the competition and for his new club, contributing to Napoli's 4–1 win over Liverpool. On 18 September, he scored his first league goal for Napoli, getting the winner in his side's 2–1 victory against AC Milan at the San Siro. Simeone then recorded his first brace for the club on 26 October, in a 3–0 Champions League home win against Rangers, thereby becoming the second Argentine player after his father to score four goals in his first four matches in Europe's top competition.

On 17 January 2023, in his Coppa Italia debut with the club, Simeone scored Napoli's second goal in their home match against Cremonese, although his side would still be eliminated following a defeat on penalties, with the match having ended 2–2 after extra time. Simeone went on to score the decisive goal in the dying minutes of Napoli's 2–1 home win against Roma on 29 January. On 4 May, Napoli would secure their first league title in 34 years following a 1–1 draw against Udinese, which was also the first league title Simeone won in his professional career.

On 15 June 2023, Simeone signed a permanent contract with Napoli, valid until 2026, with an option to extend until 2027.

U-20 South American Championship
Giovanni Simeone was initially a part of the Argentine Under-18 team. His outstanding performances earned him a call up in the U-20 team when he was just 17 years old. In March 2014, Simeone was called up by manager Alejandro Sabella to train with the senior Argentina national football team as a 'sparring' partner.

On 6 January 2015 the technical director of the Argentine U-20 football team, Humberto Grondona, released a list of 32 players for pre-tournament training. Giovanni "Gio" Simeone was among those called up for the upcoming U-20 South American Championship, which was scheduled to be held in Uruguay. On 10 January, just days before the championship was set to begin, Grondona finalized the list of 23 players, which included Simeone. Out of the seven River Plate players initially listed, six made it to the final squad traveling to Uruguay.

On 14 January the Argentine U-20 national team made their debut in the U-20 South American Championship against the Ecuador U-20 team. It was a resounding 5–2 victory, with Gio Simeone emerging as the top scorer of the match. He scored his first goal early in the game following a play by Ángel Correa. His second goal came after another assist from Correa, and Simeone simply had to tap it in.

On 16 January, in the second match of the tournament, the Argentine U-20 team suffered a setback with a 0–1 loss to the Paraguay U-20 team, who temporarily took the lead in the group.

On 18 January, following the previous defeat, the Argentine U-20 team bounced back with a convincing 6–2 win against the Peru U-20 team. Simeone was again the standout player, scoring twice. His first goal came from an assist by Sebastián Driussi, while his second came from a header after a cross by Leonardo Suárez.

On 22 January, in the last match of the Group A stage of the U-20 South American Championship, the Argentine U-20 team played against the Bolivia U-20 team, securing a 3–0 victory. Once again, Gio Simeone was the top scorer, netting two goals, both of which came from assists by Leonardo Suárez.

On 7 February 2015 the Argentine U-20 team won the U-20 South American Championship. Gio Simeone played a pivotal role in the team's success and finished as the tournament's top scorer with 9 goals.

U-20 World Cup
On 6 March 2015 the coach of the U-20 national team, Humberto Grondona, included him in the preliminary squad for the U-20 World Cup to be held in New Zealand. Training and friendly matches would start at the end of March and continue throughout April until the final list of players traveling to the World Cup was announced in early May. On 13 May 2015 Humberto Grondona confirmed the list of 21 players who would represent the Argentine U-20 team in the World Cup in New Zealand, which included Giovanni Simeone. The team would travel on Monday 18 May to Tahiti, where they would play two friendly matches against the local team. They would arrive in Wellington on 25 May to make their debut on 30 May against Panama. On 21 May, in the first friendly match played before the New Zealand World Cup, the Argentine U-20 team lost in Tahiti 3–1 to the country's senior team in a match played at the Pater Te Hono Nui Stadium. On 24 May the team played their second friendly, and final one before traveling to New Zealand for the World Cup, against Tahiti. This time, the 'Albiceleste' won 4–1, with goals from Ángel Correa, Monteseirín, Simeone, and Emiliano Buendía, showing good ball control and attacking potency.

Senior Team
Simeone was called up to the senior national team for the first time for the FIFA double date in September 2018. On 8 September 2018 Simeone made his debut as a starter against Guatemala, where he also scored his first goal for the 'Albiceleste,' sealing a 3–0 win for the national team against the Central Americans. Against the second opponent, Colombia, Simeone was a substitute but came on in the 88th minute to replace Nicolás Tagliafico, where he had a tough clash with Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina. As part of a generational change, Simeone continued to be called up by interim coach Lionel Scaloni, becoming a regular player in the 'Albiceleste's' subsequent matches. The following month, Simeone was again included in the squad to play the October friendlies against Iraq and Brazil, coming on as a substitute in both matches, replacing Lautaro Martínez against Iraq and Mauro Icardi against Brazil. In November, Simeone was called up to play in the national team's final matches of 2018, facing Mexico in a friendly tournament held locally. Simeone provided an assist to Paulo Dybala in the second match against the 'Tricolor,' which allowed his team to seal a 2–0 victory for the 'Albiceleste.'

In September 2020, he was once again called up by Lionel Scaloni for the World Cup qualifying double date against Ecuador and Bolivia.

Style of play
Simeone is an elegant yet powerful and opportunistic forward with an eye for goal, who is capable of playing anywhere along the front line; although he has been deployed as a second striker, he has also been used in a central role as a main striker, and is a competent and efficient finisher with both feet, despite being naturally right footed.

A tenacious and energetic player, he is known for his work-rate and defensive contribution off the ball, and often drops into midfield in order to help his team win back possession. He is also known for his speed and intelligent attacking movement, which enables him to create space and provide depth for his team.

Regarded as a promising young player, he also possesses good technical skills, as well as flair and finesse on the ball, and is capable of linking-up with his teammates and bringing other forwards into play.

Personal life
On 1 January 2014, aged 18, Simeone obtained Spanish citizenship. On 25 May 2022 he married the Italian model Giulia Coppini in the church of San Salvatore al Monte (Florence).

International

 * Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Simeone goal.

Honours
River Plate
 * Argentine Primera División: 2014 Final
 * Copa Campeonato: 2014
 * Copa Sudamericana: 2014

Napoli
 * Serie A: 2022–23

Argentina U20
 * South American Youth Football Championship: 2015

Individual
 * South American Youth Football Championship Top Goalscorer: 2015
 * Serie A Player of the Month: October 2021