Leonardo Cerri
Leonardo Cerri (born 4 March 2003) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie C Group B club Juventus Next Gen.
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 4 March 2003 | ||
Place of birth | Rome, Italy | ||
Height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) | ||
Position(s) | Striker | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Juventus Next Gen | ||
Number | 9 | ||
Youth career | |||
–2015 | Atletico Torrino (futsal) | ||
2015–2016 | Lupa Roma | ||
2016–2017 | Unicusano Fondi | ||
2017–2019 | Pescara | ||
2019–2022 | Juventus | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2021– | Juventus Next Gen[lower-greek 1] | 25 | (4) |
International career‡ | |||
2022– | Italy U20 | 1 | (0) |
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 17:51, 5 May 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:04, 30 September 2022 (UTC) |
Career
Early career
Born in Rome, Italy, Cerri began his youth career playing futsal at Atletico Torrino, before joining Lupa Roma in 2015.[2] After one year he moved to Unicusano Fondi and, in summer of 2017, he joined Pescara.[2] In the 2018–19 season, Cerri scored 14 goals with Pescara's under-16s; he also played three games with the under-17s at the end of the season, scoring a goal.[2]
Juventus
On 2 July 2019, Cerri joined Juventus in a transfer worth €1.1 million, with Pescara having 50% of his future sale.[3] He played for the under-17s in the 2019–20 season, scoring 12 goals in 17 games.[4] In 2020–21, Cerri was moved to the under-19s, playing in the Campionato Primavera 1.[4]
On 24 January 2021, Cerri scored on his debut for Juventus U23 – the reserve team of Juventus – in the Serie C, coming on as a substitute and scoring the equalizer in a 1–1 draw against Pro Sesto.[5] He also scored a disallowed goal in the 90+5th minute.[6] Cerri made three further appearances for the under-23s in 2020–21, as well as two in 2021–22.[7] In the 2021–22 season, he scored nine goals in 27 appearances (including 13 as a substitute) for Juventus U19, also helping the to reach the semi-finals, their best-ever placing in the competition.[7][8]
On 6 July 2022, he signed a new contract for Juventus after the previous had expired six days earlier.[9] On 7 December, he scored Juventus Next Gen's opener in their 2–1 win to Padova in the Coppa Italia Serie C.[10]
Style of play
Cerri has been likened to former Italian footballer Luca Toni for his movements, position, and height.[2] At 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in),[11] Cerri is a tall, left-footed striker, whose main characteristics are his physical presence in the box and his heading.[2]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 22 April 2023[7]
Club | Season | League | Coppa Italia | Other | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Juventus Next Gen[lower-greek 1] | 2020–21 | Serie C | 4 | 1 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |
2021–22 | Serie C | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
2022–23 | Serie C | 17 | 3 | — | 2[lower-alpha 1] | 1 | 19 | 1 | ||
Total | 23 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 2 | ||
Career total | 23 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 2 |
- Appearance in Coppa Italia Serie C
Notes
- The team's name was changed from Juventus U23 to Juventus Next Gen in August 2022.[1]
References
- "From Under 23 to Next Gen – a new identity at Juventus". Juventus F.C. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
- "Leonardo Cerri, un giovane gigante alla corte della Juventus - TUTTOmercatoWEB.com". www.tuttomercatoweb.com (in Italian). Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- "Juventus, da un Cerri all'altro: definito l'acquisto della punta del 2003 dal Pescara". Blasting News (in Italian). 1 July 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- "La torre della Juve Primavera, fisico e qualità a servizio di Bonatti: ecco chi è Leonardo Cerri". Juventus News - Ultime Notizie Juve - il BiancoNero (in Italian). Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- "Under 23 | Pari in trasferta contro la Pro Sesto - Juventus" (in Italian). Juventus F.C. 24 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- Carinci, Josephine (24 January 2021). "Pro Sesto-Juventus U23 1-1: Cerri regala il pari a Zauli". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 10 September 2022.
- Leonardo Cerri at Soccerway. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
- "Il Benfica in finale grazie ai calci di rigore. Non basta la gran rimonta della Juve". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
- JuventusNews24, Redazione (6 July 2022). "Cerri Juve, l'attaccante ha rinnovato! Depositato il nuovo contratto". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 6 July 2022.
- Baridon, Marco (7 December 2022). "Padova Juventus Next Gen 1-2: Cerri-Sekulov valgono la semifinale". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 7 December 2022.
- JuventusNews24, Redazione (30 April 2020). "Juventus Under 17: Leonardo Cerri, bomber d'alta quota - SCHEDA". Juventus News 24 (in Italian). Retrieved 24 January 2021.