Matteo Gabbia

Matteo Gabbia (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɡabbja]) (born on 21 October, 1999) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Villarreal, on loan from Serie A club AC Milan.

Matteo Gabbia
Personal information
Full name Matteo Gabbia[1]
Date of birth (1999-10-21) 21 October 1999
Place of birth Fagnano Olona, Italy[2]
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[3]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Villarreal
(on loan from AC Milan)
Number 2
Youth career
2012–2017 AC Milan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2017– AC Milan 37 (0)
2018–2019 → Lucchese (loan) 29 (1)
2023– → Villarreal (loan) 5 (0)
International career‡
2014–2015 Italy U16 13 (3)
2015–2016 Italy U17 17 (2)
2016–2017 Italy U18 4 (4)
2016–2018 Italy U19 21 (3)
2018–2019 Italy U20 15 (0)
2019–2021 Italy U21 7 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 19:30, 8 October 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 12:22, 31 March 2021 (UTC)

Club career

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.[4]

Loan to Lucchese

On 31 August 2018, Gabbia was loaned to Serie C club Lucchese on a season-long loan deal.[5] On 16 September he made his Serie C debut in a 1–0 home defeat against Arezzo, where he played the entire match.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]

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.[9] 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.[10] On 25 October 2022, Gabbia scored his first Champions League goal in a 4–0 away victory over Dinamo Zagreb.[11]

Loan to Villarreal

On 26 July 2023, Gabbia joined Spanish La Liga club Villarreal on loan until 30 June 2024.[12][13]

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.[14]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 15 April 2023
Club Season League Coppa Italia Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
AC Milan 2017–18 Serie A 00001[lower-alpha 1]0—10
2019–20 Serie A 9010——100
2020–21 Serie A 80005[lower-alpha 1]0—130
2021–22 Serie A 802000—100
2022–23 Serie A 120104[lower-alpha 2]1—171
Total 37040101—511
Lucchese (loan) 2018–19 Serie C 29100—1[lower-alpha 3]0301
Career total 6614010110812
  1. All appearances in UEFA Europa League
  2. All appearances in UEFA Champions League
  3. All appearances in Serie C play-offs

Honours

AC Milan

Italy U19
Italy U20

References
  1. "FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019: List of Players: Italy" (PDF). FIFA. 13 June 2019. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 February 2020.
  2. Gabbia: "Siamo forti e vogliamo vincere. Kjaer è un leader, Ibra ha alzato il livello. Pioli? Si fida di me", milannews.it, 15 January 2022
  3. "Matteo Gabbia: Biography". A.C. Milan. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  4. "Shkëndija - Milan game report". UEFA. 24 August 2017.
  5. "UFFICIALE: Lucchese, dal Milan arriva il jolly Gabbia - TUTTOmercatoWEB.com". Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  6. "Game Report by Soccerway". Soccerway. 16 September 2018.
  7. "Lucchese vs. Carrarese - 27 September 2018 - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  8. "Italy - M. Gabbia - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  9. ""Milan vs. SPAL - 15 January 2020 - Soccerway"". Soccerway. 15 January 2020.
  10. ""Fixtures and Results - Season 2019-20 - 24ª Match Day"". Lega Serie A. 17 February 2020.
  11. "Dinamo Zagreb 0–4 Milan". UEFA. 25 October 2022.
  12. "Gabbia ya es groguet". r CF (in Spanish). 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  13. "OFFICIAL STATEMENT: MATTEO GABBIA". AC Milan. 2023-07-26. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
  14. "Matteo Gabbia, tutto quello che non sai sul jolly del futuro in casa Milan". 16 October 2018.
  15. "Milan secure 1st Serie A title in 11 years". News18 India. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
  16. "Portugal win epic U19 EURO final". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 29 July 2018.
  17. "Mina sparks historic finish for Ecuador". FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 14 June 2019. Archived from the original on June 15, 2019.
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