Tommaso Baldanzi
Personal information
Full name Tommaso Baldanzi[1]
Date of birth (2003-03-23) 23 March 2003[1]
Place of birth Poggibonsi, Italy
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)[1]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Empoli
Number 35
Youth career
2011–2022 Empoli
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Empoli 35 (5)
International career‡
2019–2020 Italy U17 3 (1)
2021 Italy U18 1 (2)
2021–2022 Italy U19 12 (2)
2023 Italy U20 7 (2)
2023– Italy U21 3 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Italy
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Runner-up2023 Argentina
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 October 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 17 October 2023

Tommaso Baldanzi (born 23 March 2003) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A club Empoli.[2]

Club career

Born in Poggibonsi and raised in Castelfiorentino, Baldanzi first started playing football at the local grassroots club, aged six; two years later, he joined the youth sector of Empoli,[3][4] where he came through the youth ranks and won an under-16 national championship in 2019.[5]

On 28 October 2020, the midfielder made his professional debut for Empoli, coming on as a substitute in a Coppa Italia 4–2 win against Benevento: in the occasion, he assisted Leonardo Mancuso's closing goal.[3][4][6] In the same season, he helped Empoli's Under-19 team win the Campionato Primavera,[7] being also nominated as the league's MVP in the process.[8]

In the following season, after featuring in the UEFA Youth League,[9] Baldanzi was officially promoted to the first team, together with team-mates Jacopo Fazzini and Duccio Degli Innocenti.[10] He then made his Serie A debut on 22 May 2022, replacing Patrick Cutrone at the 74th minute of the 0–1 away win against Atalanta.[11]

On 28 August of the same year, he started his first league match against Lecce,[12] which ended in a 1–1 draw.[13] Three days after, on 31 August, he scored his first professional goal in the 1-1 league draw against Hellas Verona.[14] On 23 January 2023, Baldanzi scored the only goal of a 0-1 league victory against Inter Milan.[15]

International career

Baldanzi has represented Italy at various youth international levels.

In June 2022, he was included in the squad that took part in the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Slovakia,[16] where the Azzurrini reached the semi-finals before losing to eventual winners England.[17]

Both in May and December 2022, Baldanzi was involved in training camps led by the Italian senior national team's manager, Roberto Mancini, and aimed to the most promising national talents.[18][19] On 24 March 2023 he made his debut for the Italy U21 squad in a friendly match won 2–0 against Serbia.

In May 2023, he was included in the Italian squad that took part in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina,[20] where the Azzurrini finished runners-up after losing to Uruguay in the final match.[21][22]

Style of play

Baldanzi is an attacking midfielder, who mainly operates as a number 10, but can also play as a left winger in an attacking trio.[4][23][24][25] Due to his low center of gravity, he has shown notable quickness, ball control, technique and creativity.[3][24] Primarily a left-footer, he can also use his weaker right foot as well,[4][24] and represents a frequent attacking threat, thanks to his vision, his dribbling skills and his shooting (both from short and long range).[23][24][25]

Rated as one of the best Italian prospects of his generation,[3] he has been compared to Sebastian Giovinco and Alejandro Gómez,[4][26] although he cited Paulo Dybala as his biggest source of inspiration.[23][26]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 6 October 2023[27]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Coppa Italia Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Empoli 2020–21 Serie B 0020—20
2021–22 Serie A 1000—10
2022–23 26410—274
2023–24 8100—81
Career total 3553000385

Honours

Empoli U16

  • Campionato Nazionale Under-16 A e B: 2018–19[5]

Empoli U19

Italy U20

Individual

References

  1. 1 2 3 "FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023™ SQUAD LIST: Italy (ITA)" (PDF). FIFA. 22 May 2023. p. 14. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
  2. ↑ Tommaso Baldanzi at Soccerway
  3. 1 2 3 4 Luciano, Aniello (11 December 2020). "Tommaso Baldanzi, il gioiellino che può cambiare il futuro dell'Empoli (e non solo)". Transfermarkt (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Pedullà, Alfredo (20 June 2022). "BALDANZI, UN'ALTRA PEPITA EMPOLI". Alfredo Pedullà (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  5. 1 2 Carzaniga, Dennis (15 June 2019). "Empoli-Inter, la finale: Gnonto non basta, toscani Campioni". www.sprintesport.it (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  6. ↑ "Benevento-Empoli 2-4 finale, Coppa Italia 2020/2021: terzo turno". SportFace (in Italian). 28 October 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Empoli campione d'Italia Primavera, Atalanta battuta 5-3". Sky Sport (in Italian). 30 June 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  8. 1 2 Zarra, Angelo (30 June 2021). "Primavera 1, Baldanzi nominato MVP del campionato". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  9. ↑ Brianti, Simone (29 September 2021). "Youth League, Domzale-Empoli 1-2: Baldanzi fa volare gli azzurri, esordio vincente per la banda di Buscè". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  10. ↑ Zampini, Matteo (20 May 2022). "Empoli, Corsi: "Baldanzi e Fazzini saranno convocati da Mancini. L'anno prossimo aggregati in prima squadra"". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  11. ↑ Nalesso, Pietro (22 May 2022). "Empoli, esordio per Tommaso Baldanzi in Serie A". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  12. ↑ Nalesso, Pietro (28 August 2022). "Empoli, prima da titolare per Baldanzi in Serie A contro il Lecce". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  13. ↑ "Lecce-Empoli 1-1, Strefezza risponde a Parisi". La Repubblica (in Italian). 28 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  14. ↑ Cioni, Giacomo (31 August 2022). "Kallon risponde a Baldanzi: Empoli e Verona ancora senza vittorie". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  15. ↑ Kilpatrick, James (23 January 2023). "Inter Milan 0-1 Empoli: Tommaso Baldanzi strikes as 10-man hosts suffer shock defeat at San Siro". Eurosport. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  16. ↑ "Gli Azzurrini in Slovacchia alla conquista dell'Europa. Ufficializzata la lista dei 20 convocati, non ci sono Gnonto e Scalvini". FIGC (in Italian). 16 June 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  17. ↑ "L'Italia perde di misura con l'Inghilterra ma esce a testa alta dall'Europeo". FIGC (in Italian). 28 June 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  18. ↑ "Raduno dei giocatori di interesse nazionale, iniziato il lavoro del secondo gruppo azzurro". FIGC (in Italian). 25 May 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  19. ↑ "Stage a Coverciano dal 20 al 22 dicembre, convocati due gruppi di calciatori di interesse nazionale". FIGC (in Italian). 15 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  20. ↑ "Ufficializzata la lista dei 21 convocati per il Mondiale in Argentina" (in Italian). FIGC. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  21. 1 2 "Returning Rodriguez snatches Uruguay maiden title". FIFA. 11 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  22. 1 2 Di Chiaro, Michael (11 June 2023). "Uruguay-Italia Under 20 1-0: Luciano Rodriguez stende gli Azzurrini, sudamericani Campioni del Mondo". Goal.com (in Italian). Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  23. 1 2 3 Sorteni, Lorenzo (11 December 2020). "Tommaso Baldanzi, il mancino pronto a incantare Empoli". La Giovane Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  24. 1 2 3 4 Abagnale, Valerio (23 February 2021). "Empoli, Baldanzi ai raggi X: rapidità e imprevedibilità sulla trequarti toscana". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  25. 1 2 Ferrio, Edoardo (24 June 2021). "Baldanzi guida l'Empoli Primavera in semifinale". La Giovane Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  26. 1 2 Dafirbillah, Karim (2 December 2020). "FOCUS - Tommaso Baldanzi, il 'nuovo Giovinco' che fa volare l'Empoli". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  27. ↑ "T. Baldanzi". Soccerway.
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