Mattia De Sciglio

Mattia De Sciglio (Italian: [matˈtiːa de(ʃ)ˈʃiʎʎo]; born 20 October 1992) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a full-back for Serie A club Milan and the Italian national team.
He made his professional debut for Milan in 2011, after several seasons in the club's youth system, and subsequently became a regular in the line-up, being able to play as either right or left back. At international level, De Sciglio made his senior debut in March 2013 and he was selected in the Italian squads for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, 2014 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2016.

Early career

A native of Milan, De Sciglio started playing football as a child at the Santa Chiara e San Francesco parish recreation centre in the nearby municipality of Rozzano, before moving to local amateur team Cimiano in 2001.

Milan

The following year, aged ten, he joined A.C. Milan's youth system, where he spent nine seasons. In 2010, he was a member of the under-20 squad who won the Coppa Italia Primavera, 25 years after the team's last success in the competition.

2011–12 season

De Sciglio in action for Milan

At the start of the 2011–12 season De Sciglio was officially included in the first team squad by manager Massimiliano Allegri. He made his professional debut on 28 September 2011, coming on as a substitute in a UEFA Champions League group stage home game against Viktoria Plzeň, which Milan won 2–0. He was given his first start (and second overall appearance) in a 2–2 away draw against the same team on 6 December. Four months later, on 10 April, De Sciglio also made his league debut, playing as a starter in a 1–0 away win over Chievo. The following month, on 6 May, he played in his first Milan derby against city rivals Inter, replacing an injured Daniele Bonera midway through the first half of a 4–2 loss.

2012–13 season

As from the 2012–13 season De Sciglio was assigned the number 2 shirt, which he called "very important" as in the past it was worn "by great players like Mauro Tassotti and Cafu", adding that he hoped to "live up to their standards". Throughout the season, De Sciglio became a regular in the starting line-up thanks to a series of convincing performances. He made 33 appearances in the 2012–13 season, managing three assists in the process. He played as both a left back and right back, showing competence on either flank.

2013–14 season

The 2013–14 season was a frustrating one for De Sciglio. He missed 20 matches in total due to various injuries which limited him to making just 21 appearances for the season in all competitions. On May 18, De Sciglio was sent off in Milan's game against Sassuolo .De Sciglio healed in time to participate with his national side Italy in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil

2014–15 season

De Sciglio made 18 appearances for Milan in the 2014–15 season as he struggled with injury and vied with Ignazio Abate for the starting right-back spot. Towards the end of the season, however, he started to fall into Filippo Inzaghi's favor and began to start most games. Despite this, he also received criticism due to a perceived lack of discipline, particularly citing the 3–0 loss to Napoli on 3 May, where De Sciglio conceded a penalty (saved by Diego López) and was sent off in the first minute of the match for a foul in the penalty area.

2015–16 season

Inzaghi's replacement as coach, Siniša Mihajlović, has firmly established De Sciglio in the right-back position, having started him in almost every game this season, mostly replacing Abate on the right-back but also playing in place of the injured left-back Luca Antonelli. On 6 March 2016, De Sciglio made his 100th Milan appearance, being given the captain's armband to mark the occasion, in a 2–0 away loss to Sassuolo.

Following impressive performances at UEFA Euro 2016, it was reported that Milan had rejected a €15 million offer from Napoli.

De Sciglio playing with Italy in 2015

De Sciglio won eight caps for Italy under-19 between 2010 and 2011, including two appearances and one goal in the 2011 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship qualifying round. Subsequently, he represented Italy under-20, winning five caps between 2011 and 2012. On 25 April 2012, he made his debut for Italy under-21, coming on as a substitute midway through the second half of a friendly match against Scotland, which Italy won 4–1. For the under-21 side, he went on to make four further appearances, all in 2012.

Less than four months after making his debut for the under-21 side, De Sciglio received his first call-up to the Italy senior team, as manager Cesare Prandelli named him to the squad for a friendly match against England to be played on 15 August 2012. However, he was left as an unused substitute in the 2–1 defeat. He went on to make his debut for the senior team on 21 March 2013, in a friendly match against Brazil that ended in a 2–2 draw.

At the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup De Sciglio played in four games out of five, including the third-place match against Uruguay that Italy won on penalties.

After appearing in Italy's 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, De Sciglio was chosen under Prandelli to take part at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He made his World Cup debut during the tournament, although Italy were eliminated in the first round.

On 31 May 2016, De Sciglio was named to Antonio Conte's 23-man Italy squad for UEFA Euro 2016. After having been benched for Italy's first two games, he was highly praised for his performances against Republic of Ireland and Spain.

On 3 July 2016, he started the quarterfinal match against Germany; he successfully converted his penalty in the resulting shoot-out, but Italy were eventually eliminated by a 6–5 defeat.

De Sciglio is primarily a right-sided full-back, who can play comfortably also on the left side due to his ability with his left foot as well as his stronger right foot. Former Milan player Alberigo Evani, who coached him during the 2007–08 season, described De Sciglio as "a fast runner, with good technique", and also as "a versatile footballer". Along with fellow Italian fullback Davide Santon, De Sciglio's precocious displays for Milan and the Italian National side have caused players, managers and pundits to describe him as the heir apparent of Paolo Maldini; he has also been compared to former Milan right-back Mauro Tassotti. A former centre-back, his managers have also praised him for his maturity, tenacity and composure, both when attacking or defending.

Club

As of 12 January 2017.

International

As of 12 November 2016

Club

Milan

• Supercoppa Italiana: 2011, 2016

National team

Italy

• FIFA Confederations Cup: 2013 (Third place)

Individual

• Serie A Team of the Year: 2012–13

• ^ "M. De Sciglio". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 8 December 2015. 
• "Pirlo voted Serie A's finest as Juve lead awards". UEFA.com. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 21 December 2015.