Mattia Viti

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

Mattia Viti
Personal information
Date of birth (2002-01-24) 24 January 2002
Place of birth Borgo San Lorenzo, Italy
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Sassuolo
(on loan from Nice)
Number 21
Youth career
2006–2009 Ponte a Greve
2009–2010 Audace Legnaia
2010–2020 Empoli
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2022 Empoli 22 (0)
2022– Nice 9 (1)
2023– → Sassuolo (loan) 0 (0)
International career‡
2017 Italy U15 2 (0)
2018 Italy U16 3 (0)
2020 Italy U18 2 (0)
2021 Italy U20 4 (0)
2022– Italy U21 6 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 08:08, 24 March 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 March 2023

Early life

Born in Borgo San Lorenzo,[2][3][4][5] 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.[3][6] Having moved to the nearby Audace Legnaia, he joined the Empoli academy as a 8 years old, in 2010.[3][5][7]

Club career

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.[8] 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.[6][9][10] His side eventually won the championship, making their come-back in Italy's top flight, while the Primavera squad also won their championship.[11]

On 22 September 2021 he made his Serie A debut in a 0–2 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.[12][13][14]

During the following months—despite having to face the loss of his mother in November 2021[15]—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,[16] Sassuolo[17] or Udinese,[18] appearing as one of the Italian championship most promising young defenders.[2][5][13][14][19][20]

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.[21][22]

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.[23]

International career

Mattia Viti is a youth international for Italy,[4] having played at under-15,[24] under-16[25] and under-18 levels.[26]

In September 2021, he was selected with the under-20,[27] 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,[28][29][30] before being promoted to the under-21 side,[31] where he was however forced to withdraw due to injury.[32][33]

Style of play

A left-footed center-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.[11][13][14][20]

Proactive in putting pressure on the opponent, he has a good discipline—not having received a single card during his first 6 months in Serie A—but still does his far share of defensive tasks, as he was for example among the top 1% of center backs in the top 5 European leagues in therms of blocks, halfway through his first Serie A season.[13]

Very soon compared to former Empoli star Daniele Rugani,[3][4][6] his profile is often associated with the one of Alessandro Bastoni.[13] [14] He cites Sergio Ramos and Paolo Maldini as his main inspirations as a player.[3][6][5]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 19 March 2023[34]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] Europe Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Empoli 2020–21 Serie B 2030–50
2021–22 Serie A 20010–210
Total 22040–260
Nice 2022–23 Ligue 1 910030121
Career total 3114030381
  1. Includes Coppa Italia, Coupe de France

Honours

Empoli

References
  1. "Mattia Viti". OGC Nice. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  2. "Personalità e movenze da 'veterano', così Mattia Viti ha convinto mister Andreazzoli". La Nazione (in Italian). 12 November 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  3. Giacometti, Emanuele (2 July 2020). "Mattia Viti, il gioiellino classe 2002 blindato dall'Empoli". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  4. Ferraioli, Filippo (4 March 2021). "Mattia Viti, il volto nuovo dell'Empoli segue le orme di Rugani". TUTTOmercatoWEB.com (in Italian). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  5. Razzolini, Filippo (10 November 2021). "Ecco chi è Viti, il talento empolese che piace alla Fiorentina". Fiorentina News (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 7 January 2022 – via quinews.net.
  6. Giannattasio, Andrea (25 September 2021). "Viti, e adesso non chiamatelo predestinato". La Nazione (in Italian). Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  7. Fioravanti, Fabrizio (29 October 2021). "Ludovico Ferrara: Mattia Viti e gli altri...lo scouting nel calcio giovanile". PianetaEmpoli (in Italian). Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  8. Montano, Alessandro (23 December 2020). "Mattia Viti, il baby-Rugani che studia per diventare titolare nell'Empoli". SerieBnews (in Italian). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  9. "Le parole di Mattia Viti al termine di Reggiana-Empoli". Empoli FC (in Italian). 10 April 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  10. Lotti, Gianmarco (13 May 2021). "Mattia Viti ha conquistato tutti in tre minuti". Empoli Channel (in Italian). Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  11. Lamia, Paolo Lora (23 September 2021). "Chi è Mattia Viti dell'Empoli: talento all'esordio in A". Minuti Di Recupero (in Italian). Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  12. "Serie A - Le pagelle di Cagliari-Empoli 0-2: Nandez non basta a Mazzarri, Toscani promossi in blocco". Eurosport (in Italian). 22 September 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
  13. Murgida, Alessio (10 December 2021). "L'Inter punta il nuovo Bastoni: chi è Mattia Viti, giovane promessa dell'Empoli". Passioneinter.com (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  14. Ianuario, Enrico (4 January 2022). "Milan, chi è Mattia Viti: ruolo, stipendio e skills". Pianeta Milan (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  15. "Un altro lutto per l'Empoli: è morta la madre di Mattia Viti". Il Tirreno (in Italian). 28 November 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  16. Fonsato, Stefano (26 September 2021). "Serie A - Le pagelle di Empoli-Bologna 4-2: Henderson fa l'highlander, super Bajrami; disatro Bonifazi". Eurosport (in Italian). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  17. "Serie A, Le pagelle di Sassuolo-Empoli 1-2: Scamacca delude, bene Henderson". Eurosport (in Italian). 31 October 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  18. Martina, Giulio (6 December 2021). "Serie A - Empoli-Udinese 3-1, le pagelle: Pinamonti e Bajrami brillano. L'Udinese affonda nella ripresa". Eurosport (in Italian). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  19. Colla, Claudio (29 December 2021). "Serie A - Three clubs after Empoli young backliner Viti". TRANSFERmarketWEB.com. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  20. "40 giovani da seguire nel 2022 - Prima parte". L'Ultimo Uomo (in Italian). Sky Sport. 3 January 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  21. "Bienvenue Mattia Viti". OGC Nice (in French). 3 August 2022.
  22. "OGC Nice sign defender Mattia Viti from Empoli". Get Football News. 3 August 2022.
  23. "Dal Nizza arriva in neroverde il difensore Mattia Viti" [Defender Mattia Viti joins the neroverde team from Nice] (in Italian). U.S. Sassuolo Calcio. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  24. "Convocazioni e presenze in campo | Viti Mattia U15". FIGC (in Italian). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  25. "Convocazioni e presenze in campo | Viti Mattia U16". FIGC (in Italian). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  26. "Convocazioni e presenze in campo | Viti Mattia U18". FIGC (in Italian). Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  27. Angrisani, Biagio (29 August 2021). "L'Italia U.20 torna in campo per il Torneo 8 Nazioni". Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  28. "Nazionale Under 20: al Patini Italia-Serbia finisce 0-1". News Della Valle (in Italian). 6 September 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  29. "Convocazioni e presenze in campo | Viti Matia U20". FIGC. 5 August 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  30. Cioni, Simone (7 November 2021). "L'Empoli torna a fare i conti con le Nazionali". La Nazione (in Italian). Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  31. Piras, Andrea; Lorini, Simone. "Italia U21, Nicolato chiama Mattia Viti per l'amichevole di martedì contro la Romania". TUTTOmercatoWEB.com (in Italian). Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  32. "Under21: trauma contusivo, Mattia Viti lascia il ritiro azzurro - Rai Sport". Rai Sport. 15 November 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  33. "Viti, l'infortunio non preoccupa Canestrelli in Under 21 ne fa tre". La Nazione (in Italian). 17 November 2021. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  34. Mattia Viti at Soccerway. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
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