Stefano Sensi (; born 5 August 1995) is an Italian professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
for club
Monza, on loan from club
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
, and the
Italy national team.
He began his career with Italian side
Cesena
Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137. ...
in 2013, and was subsequently loaned out to
San Marino
San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...
for two seasons before returning to the club. He joined
Sassuolo
Sassuolo (; egl, label= Modenese, Sasól ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna.
Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known f ...
in January 2016, and was promptly loaned out to Cesena for the remainder of the season. He became a Sassuolo player in summer 2016. Sensi was loaned out to Inter Milan in summer 2019, and joined them on a permanent basis in the following year. Inter loaned him out to
Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa.
The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, ...
and Monza in 2022.
Club career
Youth career
Born in
Urbino
Urbino ( ; ; Romagnol: ''Urbìn'') is a walled city in the Marche region of Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of F ...
in the
Marche, Sensi started to play football with the local team Urbania at the age of six. During this time at the club, he played with his older brother. While at Urbania, he was spotted by a
Rimini
Rimini ( , ; rgn, Rémin; la, Ariminum) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy and capital city of the Province of Rimini. It sprawls along the Adriatic Sea, on the coast between the rivers Marecchia (the ancient ''Ariminu ...
scout, joining the youth team in 2007. He spent three years in Rimini, until the end of the 2009–10 season when the club bankrupted, releasing all the players. Sensi was taken by the youth academy of the local rivals
Cesena
Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137. ...
.
Cesena
Sensi began his senior career with
Cesena
Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and ''comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostrada A14 (Italy), Autostrada A14, and located near the Apennine Mountains, about from the Adriatic Sea. The total population is 97,137. ...
. He was first included in a matchday squad for their
Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
fourth-round game on 28 November 2012, remaining unused in a 3–1 loss to
Atalanta
Atalanta (; grc-gre, Ἀταλάντη, Atalantē) meaning "equal in weight", is a heroine in Greek mythology.
There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology ...
at the
Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia.
On 23 July 2013, he was one of a quintet of Cesena players who moved to
San Marino Calcio
Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Victor San Marino, better known as Victor San Marino, is a Sammarinese professional association football club based in the city of Acquaviva, that competes in the Eccellenza, the fifth tier of Italian foot ...
, in his case a loan with the option of co-ownership. He made his professional debut on 8 September, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–0
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione loss away to
Reggiana. A week later he scored his first goal, finishing from the edge of the penalty area to conclude a 2–0 win over
Como
Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label= Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.
Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps h ...
at the
Stadio Olimpico. On 16 March 2014, he was one of three ''Titani'' players sent off in a 2–0 defeat at
Cremonese. He played 26 games in his first professional season, scoring another goal in the last game, a 2–2 home draw with Vicenza on 4 May.
San Marino did not take up the option to obtain Sensi, but on 7 July 2014 he went to the club for a second loan. In his second match of the season, on 8 September, he was sent off in added time at the end of a 2–1 loss at
Pontedera
Pontedera (; la, Pons Herae) is an italian comune with a population of 29.270 inhabitants, located in the province of Pisa, Tuscany, central Italy.
The town is located 20 km (12 miles) from Pisa and 50 km (31 miles) from Florence.
It house ...
. He played 33 games in a season which ended with relegation to
Serie D
The Serie D () is the top level of semi-professional football in the country. The fourth tier of the Italian league system, the competition sits beneath the third professional league, Serie C. It is administered by the Lega Nazionale Dilettant ...
, scoring eight goals, including two in a 3–2 home win over
L'Aquila on 14 February 2015, in which he was again sent off at the end.
Sensi made his Cesena debut on 20 August 2015, playing the entirety of their 4–1 win at
Catania in the third round of the Coppa Italia. On 5 September, he made his league debut, as the team won 2–0 against
Brescia
Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo ...
at the
Stadio Dino Manuzzi
The Stadio Dino Manuzzi, officially known as Orogel Stadium Dino Manuzzi for sponsorship reason, is a football stadium in Cesena
Cesena (; rgn, Cisêna) is a city and '' comune'' in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, served by Autostr ...
in the first game of the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and ...
. On 3 October he scored from a penalty as Cesena defeated
Livorno 1–0.
Sassuolo
On 13 January 2016, Sensi was signed by Serie A club
Sassuolo
Sassuolo (; egl, label= Modenese, Sasól ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna.
Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known f ...
. He would spend the first 6 months of the contract on loan with Cesena. He returned in Sassuolo in July 2016 ahead of
2016–17 season, making his
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...
debut by playing full 90 minutes in the opening championship match against
Palermo, which ended in a 1–0 away win. His first top flight goal came later in October 2016 in a 2–1 home win over newly promoted side
Crotone. Sensi concluded his first season at
Mapei Stadium
Mapei S.p.A. () is an Italian limited company founded in 1937 in Milan that manufactures chemical products for the building industry. History
Innovation and research
The company was founded and originally called ''Materiali Autarchici per ...
by playing 19 matches in all competitions, scoring only once. In the
2017–18 season, he scored two goals in 17 league appearances. Sensi was a protagonist in the
2018–19 season under manager
Roberto De Zerbi
Roberto De Zerbi (; born 6 June 1979) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the head coach of club Brighton & Hove Albion.
Playing career
De Zerbi started his professional career at AC Milan. He spent four season ...
, making 30 appearances between league and cup, netting twice in the process.
Inter Milan
On 2 July 2019,
Inter Milan
Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...
officially announced that Stefano Sensi had been signed from Sassuolo on an initial paid loan deal, with an option to buy at the end of the season. The total cost of the operation is expected to reach €25 million. Sensi made his club debut on 26 August in a 4–0 home win against
Lecce, in Inter's opening match of the
2019–20 Serie A season; he marked the occasion by scoring a goal, but later came off in the second half for
Roberto Gagliardini
Roberto Gagliardini (; born 7 April 1994) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for club Monza.
Club career Atalanta and loan spells
Born in Bergamo to physical education teacher and a Sicilian mother, Gagl ...
. Sensi made his
Champions League debut on 17 September in a 1–1 home draw against
Slavia Prague
Sportovní klub Slavia Praha – fotbal (Sports Club Slavia Prague – Football, ), commonly known as Slavia Praha or Slavia Prague, is a Czech professional football club in Prague. Founded in 1892, they are the second most successful club in ...
; he contributed to Inter's injury-time equaliser, as his free kick struck the cross-bar, and was subsequently turned in by
Nicolò Barella to tie the game. Starting from January, he picked a series of injuries that effectively ruled him out of the latter half of the
2019–20 season.
On 31 August 2020, Inter exercised the buyout clause in his contract and Sensi signed a four-year deal with the club.
Loan to Sampdoria
On 29 January 2022, Sensi moved on loan to
Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa.
The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, ...
.
Loan to Monza
On 2 July 2022, Sensi joined newly-promoted Serie A side
Monza on a one-year loan. He made his debut on 8 August, as a substitute in a 3–2
Coppa Italia
The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since.
History
The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...
win against
Frosinone
Frosinone (, local dialect: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, the administrative seat of the province of Frosinone. It is located about south-east of Rome close to the Rome-Naples A1 Motorway. The city is the main city of the ...
. Sensi's first goal for the ''biancorossi'' came on 11 September, scoring from a direct
free kick
A free kick is an action used in several codes of football to restart play with the kicking of a ball into the field of play.
Association football
In association football, the free kick is a method of restarting the game following an offe ...
against Lecce. The match eventually finished in a 1–1 draw, which gave Monza their first-ever Serie A point.
International career
Sensi has represented Italy at youth level, making one appearance for the
under-17 side, and making his debut for the
under-20 side in a 2–2 draw against
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
on 7 October 2015.
[
On 20 November 2018 he made his debut with the Italy senior team, playing as a starter in a 1–0 friendly victory over the ]United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, held in Genk
Genk () is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the town of Genk itself. It is one of the most important industrial towns in Flanders, located on the Albert Canal, ...
. On 26 March 2019, Sensi scored his first goal for the national team in a 6–0 home win over Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein (), officially the Principality of Liechtenstein (german: link=no, Fürstentum Liechtenstein), is a German-speaking microstate located in the Alps between Austria and Switzerland. Liechtenstein is a semi-constitutional monarch ...
in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying tournament was a football competition that was played from March 2019 to November 2020 to determine the 24 UEFA member men's national teams that advanced to the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament, played across Europ ...
match.
In June 2021, he was initially included in Italy's final 26–man squad for UEFA Euro 2020
The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 (stylised as UEFA EURO 2020) or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the quadrennial international men's football championship of Europe ...
by manager Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini (; born 27 November 1964) is an Italian football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the Italy national team.
As a player, Mancini operated as a deep-lying forward, and was best known for his time at Sa ...
; however, he was later ruled out of the tournament after sustaining an injury during training, and Matteo Pessina was called up to the tournament in his place.
Style of play
A former offensive or central midfielder
A midfielder is an outfield position in association football.
Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...
, with noted vision, good technique, and an eye for goal, Sensi now usually functions in a defensive
Defense or defence may refer to:
Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups
* Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare
* Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks
* Defense indust ...
or creative midfield
Midfield is the part of a sports field that lies approximately in the center. In American football, association football (soccer) and field hockey, it is the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region. In ...
role for his team. He often acts as a deep-lying playmaker in front of the back-line, due to his ball control, range of distribution, and long passing ability with both feet in spite of being naturally right-footed, which allows him to create chances for teammates; he is also capable of playing in several other midfield and offensive positions, and has been deployed as a winger, as a mezzala, or as a supporting forward. Already regarded as one of the most promising young Italian footballers of his generation, Sensi has drawn the attention of larger clubs, and his playing style, mobility, small stature, and low centre of gravity have drawn comparisons with Marco Verratti
Marco Verratti (; born 5 November 1992) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and the Italy national team. He is often considered as one of the best midfielders in the wor ...
, as well as Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo (; born 19 May 1979) is an Italian professional football coach and former player who is head coach of Süper Lig club Fatih Karagümrük. Considered one of the best deep-lying playmakers ever, Pirlo was renowned for his visio ...
, although he has personally stated that his main influence is Spanish playmaker Xavi. Sensi has also been praised by Italy manager Roberto Mancini
Roberto Mancini (; born 27 November 1964) is an Italian football manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the Italy national team.
As a player, Mancini operated as a deep-lying forward, and was best known for his time at Sa ...
, who described him as: "...good, technically gifted, and fast", also noting that "...he has character." In spite of his slender build, which makes him ineffective at winning more physical challenges for the ball, he is also effective defensively due to his tactical intelligence and interpretation of space. Despite his ability, however, he has often struggled with injuries throughout his career.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Sensi goal.''
Honours
Inter Milan
* Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Cop ...
: 2020–21
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
* Supercoppa Italiana: 2021
* UEFA Europa League
The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. ...
runner-up: 2019–20
Notes
References
External links
Profile
at A.C. Monza
Associazione Calcio Monza () is a professional football club that is based in Monza, Lombardy, Italy. The team plays in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football, following promotion in the 2021–22 Serie B season.
The club was fou ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sensi, Stefano
1995 births
Living people
People from Urbino
Sportspeople from the Province of Pesaro and Urbino
Footballers from Marche
Italian footballers
Association football midfielders
A.C. Cesena players
A.S.D. Victor San Marino players
U.S. Sassuolo Calcio players
Inter Milan players
U.C. Sampdoria players
A.C. Monza players
Serie A players
Serie B players
Serie C players
Italy youth international footballers
Italy international footballers