Matteo Gabbia

Matteo Gabbia (born 21 October 1999) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie A club AC Milan.

AC Milan
Gabbia joined AC Milan's youth academy in 2012 aged 12. He received his first ever call-up to the senior team by head coach Vincenzo Montella ahead of a home Serie A game against Roma, which was played on 7 May 2017. However, he remained an unused substitute during the match. He made his first appearance for the club on 24 August 2017, in a Europa League qualifier against Shkëndija, as a 73rd-minute substitute for Manuel Locatelli.

Loan to Lucchese
On 31 August 2018, Gabbia was loaned to Serie C club Lucchese on a season-long loan deal. On 16 September he made his Serie C debut in a 1–0 home defeat against Arezzo, where he played the entire match. Eleven days later, on 27 September, he scored his first professional goal for Lucchese in the 47th minute of a 2–2 home draw against Carrarese. Gabbia ended his season-long loan to Lucchese with 30 appearances, all as a starter, he was replaced only 2 times, and he scored 1 goal.

Return to AC Milan
Gabbia stayed with Milan for the 2019–20 season as a squad player behind the likes of Alessio Romagnoli, Mateo Musacchio, and Simon Kjær. On 15 January 2020, he played in the 3–0 victory against SPAL in the Coppa Italia, coming on as a substitute for Simon Kjær in the 82nd minute. He made his league debut on 17 February 2020 in a 1–0 home victory against Torino, again as a substitute for Kjær in the 44th minute. On 25 October 2022, Gabbia scored his first Champions League goal in a 4–0 away victory over Dinamo Zagreb.

Gabbia scored his first Serie A goal for Milan on 3 February 2024 in an away game against Frosinone.

Loan to Villarreal and second return
On 26 July 2023, Gabbia joined Spanish La Liga club Villarreal on loan until 30 June 2024.

On 3 January 2024, amid the injury crisis that severely affected AC Milan's central defense, the club recalled Gabbia from his loan. He finished the season with 25 more appearances, 3 goals, and positive reception from the press and fans alike, prompting the club's management to remove him from the outgoing transfer list and start negotiations to upgrade his contract.

International career
Gabbia represented Italy at the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship, where the team did not advance from the group stage.

He played in two group-stage games for Italy U19 at the 2018 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, where Italy was the runner-up. Then with the Italy U20, Gabbia took part in the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

He made his debut with the Italy U21 on 6 September 2019, in a friendly match won 4–0 against Moldova.

Style of play
Gabbia has been described as a versatile player. Having started his youth career as a defensive and a central midfielder, he later switched to deeper roles, such as a centre-back, in either a three or a four-man defensive line. Besides his ball-winning abilities, Gabbia also retains playmaking attributes and tends to join the attacking play when opportunities present themselves.

Honours
AC Milan
 * Serie A: 2021–22


 * Italy U19
 * UEFA European Under-19 Championship runner-up: 2018