Roberto Piccoli (born 27 January 2001) is an Italian professional
footballer who plays as a
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
for club
Lecce
Lecce ( ); el, label=Griko, Luppìu, script=Latn; la, Lupiae; grc, Λουπίαι, translit=Loupíai), group=pron is a historic city of 95,766 inhabitants (2015) in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Lecce, the province ...
, on loan from
Atalanta.
Club career
Youth
Piccoli began playing football at the age of 10 for
Tritium Calcio, which plays in the
fourth division
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...
of Italian football. At the age of 13, Piccoli made a move to the
Atalanta youth academy after being noticed by Maurizio Costanzi, head of Atalanta youth development. He would remain with Atalanta for the entirety of his youth career.
Piccoli had a successful youth career while playing for
Atalanta in the
Campionato Primavera 1. In the 2018–19 season, Piccoli scored 14 goals in the league which eventually helped his
Atalanta side lift the
Campionato Primavera 1 trophy. Piccoli had a similar performance in the 2019–20 season where he scored a total of 7 goals in the league which eventually saw his
Atalanta side lift the
Campionato Primavera 1 title once again.
Atalanta
He made his professional debut in a 0–0
Serie A tie with
Empoli
Empoli () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, about southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Roman times. The comm ...
on 15 April 2019.
Loan to Spezia Calcio
On 15 September 2020, he joined
Spezia on a season-long loan.
Piccoli scored his first goal for
Spezia in a 1–2 loss on 20 December 2020 against
Inter Milan.
Return to Atalanta
On 21 August 2021, Piccoli came on as a substitute for Atalanta in an away match against
Torino and scored the winning goal in the 93rd minute. This was his first goal for the Bergamo club in the top flight. Piccoli made several more substitute appearances for Atalanta throughout the season, and was named in the starting lineup for the first time against Lazio on 22 January 2022. Piccoli has made a total of 15 appearances for Atalanta in
Serie A, while only scoring one goal for the Bergamo club.
Loan to Genoa
Piccoli joined
Genoa on loan for the remainder of the 2021–22 season after spending the first half of the season with
Atalanta.
Piccoli made his Genoa debut against
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
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** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
coming on as a substitute on 5 February 2022 in a 0–0 draw. He made five appearances for Genoa during the remainder of the season, though did not score any goals.
Loan to Hellas Verona
On 30 June 2022, Piccoli joined
Hellas Verona on loan for the 2022–23 season.
[
]
Loan to Empoli
On 31 January 2023, Piccoli moved on loan to Empoli
Empoli () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, about southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Roman times. The comm ...
for one and a half seasons, with an option to buy for Empoli and counter-option to buy back for Atalanta.
Loan to Lecce
On 31 August 2023, Piccoli's loan to Empoli was cut short and he moved on loan to Lecce
Lecce ( ); el, label=Griko, Luppìu, script=Latn; la, Lupiae; grc, Λουπίαι, translit=Loupíai), group=pron is a historic city of 95,766 inhabitants (2015) in southern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Lecce, the province ...
instead, with an option to buy.
International career
Youth
Roberto Piccoli made his first appearance in an international match when he came on as a substitute for the Italy U15 team in a friendly match against England U15 on 24 April 2016, in which the Italians were defeated 2–3.
With the Italy U19 squad he took part in the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship
The 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-19 Euro 2019) was the 18th edition of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship (68th edition if the Under-18 and Junior eras are included), the annual international youth footb ...
. While qualifying for the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship
The 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship (also known as UEFA Under-19 Euro 2019) was the 18th edition of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship (68th edition if the Under-18 and Junior eras are included), the annual international youth footb ...
, Roberto Piccoli scored two goals in a 2–0 victory against the Serbian U19's on 26 March 2019. Piccoli's U-19 side was knocked out in the group stage of the tournament after suffering defeats to both Portugal U19 and Spain U19.
On 3 September 2021 he made his debut with the Italy U21 squad, playing as a starter in the qualifying
Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to:
* Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional exper ...
match won 3–0 against Luxembourg. Roberto Piccoli's last appearance for the Italy U21 squad was on 16 November 2021, playing as a starter in a friendly match won 4–2 against Romania U21.
Senior
Roberto Piccoli has yet to make his senior debut for the Italy national team.
Career statistics
Style of play
Regarded as a talented young prospect, Piccoli is a player with good technique and a tall stature of 193 centimeters, while mostly being deployed as a center-forward. His height allows him to be dangerous in the air. Gian Piero Gasperini
Gian Piero Gasperini (born 26 January 1958) is an Italian football manager and former player, who is currently the manager of Italian side Atalanta.
Playing career
Gasperini entered the Juventus youth system at the age of 9; during his stay ...
, Atalanta's head coach, describes Roberto Piccoli as great young talent who is a harder worker and a player that brings great value to the team.
Piccoli describes himself as a center-forward who loves to exploit the depth of the defense, while being technically gifted but also explaining he can still improve in that area. Piccoli has said that he is inspired by the likes of Duván Zapata and Mario Mandžukić.
Personal life
On 22 January 2021, Piccoli met Pope Francis.
Piccoli has a passion for cycling, which he uses to maintain fitness.
Honors
Atalanta
* 2x Italian youth champion (Primavera) 18/19,19/20
* Italian Supercoppa Winner (Primavera) 19/20
Individual
* UEFA Youth League Top Scorer: 2019–20
* Cosme Damião Awards – Revelation of the Year: 2021
* Italian Golden Boy: 2021
* 20 man shortlist for the European Golden Boy award: 2021
References
External links
*
*
Serie A Profile
FIGC U18 Profile
FIGC U19 Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Piccoli, Roberto
2001 births
Living people
Footballers from Bergamo
Men's association football forwards
Italian men's footballers
Italy men's youth international footballers
Italy men's under-21 international footballers
Atalanta BC players
Spezia Calcio players
Serie A players
Genoa CFC players
Hellas Verona FC players
Empoli FC players
US Lecce players