Mattia Viti

Mattia Viti (born 24 January 2002) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or left-back for Serie A club Sassuolo, on loan from Nice.

Early life
Born in Borgo San Lorenzo,  in the province of Florence, Mattia Viti already played football at the age of 4, with the club of Ponte a Greve—that would later merge with Rondinella Marzocco—in the Tuscan capital. Having moved to the nearby Audace Legnaia, he joined the Empoli academy as a 8-year-old, in 2010.

Empoli
After a full 2019–20 season with the Primavera, Viti made his professional debut on the 30 September 2020, starting a 2–1 Coppa Italia win against Renate. He played his first Serie B game with Empoli on the 9 April 2021, replacing Nedim Bajrami in a 1–0 away win to Reggina, already proving to be decisive with a late minute goal line clearance. His side eventually won the championship, making their come-back in Italy's top flight, while the Primavera squad also won their championship.

On 22 September 2021 he made his Serie A debut in a 2–0 away victory against Cagliari, with Aurelio Andreazzoli making him start and finish the game, as the youngster proved to be instrumental in keeping a clean sheet for the Azzurri.

During the following months—despite having to face the loss of his mother in November 2021 —he became a regular with the first team, alternating with Sebastiano Luperto or the veterans Tonelli and Romagnoli. He was a starter for several important Serie A wins, against the likes of Bologna, Sassuolo or Udinese, appearing as one of the Italian championship most promising young defenders.

Nice
On 3 August 2022, Viti joined Ligue 1 side Nice on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of €13 million.

Sassuolo
On 12 July 2023, Serie A side Sassuolo announced the signing of Viti on a season-long loan with a future option to buy.

International career
Mattia Viti is a youth international for Italy, having played at under-15, under-16 and under-18 levels.

In September 2021, he was selected with the under-20, making his debut during a 1–0 away friendly win against Serbia on the 6 September and becoming a regular starter for the team in November,  before being promoted to the under-21 side, where he was however forced to withdraw due to injury.

Style of play
A left-footed centre-back with a good physical presence, he is seen as a technically gifted defender, able to launch offensive movements from the back, who doesn't hesitate to take risks and dribble to move froward.

Proactive in putting pressure on the opponent, he has a good discipline—not having received a single card during his first six months in Serie A—but still does his far share of defensive tasks, as he was for example among the top 1% of centre-backs in the top 5 European leagues in therms of blocks, halfway through his first Serie A season.

Very soon compared to former Empoli star Daniele Rugani, his profile is often associated with the one of Alessandro Bastoni. He cites Sergio Ramos and Paolo Maldini as his main inspirations as a player.

Honours
Empoli


 * Serie B: 2020–21