Andrea Natali

Andrea Natali (born January 28, 2008) is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Andrea Natali
Personal information
Full name Andrea Natali
Date of birth (2008-01-28) 28 January 2008
Place of birth Milan, Italy
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Youth career
2014 Bologna
2014–2016 Brera
2016–2017 Pont Marina - Almogàvers
2017–2018 Cañada Blanch
2018–2019 Udinese
2019–2020 AC Milan
2020–2021 Espanyol
2021–2024 Barcelona
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2024– Bayer 04 Leverkusen 0 (0)
International career‡
2022–2023 Italy U15 13 (0)
2023 Italy U16 4 (0)
2024– Italy U17 9 (0)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Italy
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Winner2024 Cyprus
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 June 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19:30, 5 June 2024 (UTC)

Early life

Natali moved with his family to Spain as a child.[1]

Club career

He started playing football at the age of six when he joined the youth academy of Bologna, the club where his father played from 2012 to 2014.[2] In the summer of 2014, he joined Brera and after a few seasons with the neroverdi, he moved abroad, first to Spain and then to England.[2]

Natali joined the youth academy of Spanish La Liga side Barcelona at the age of thirteen,[3] after playing in Udinese[4] and AC Milan's youth academies.[2] He has been described as "one of the most promising defenders in the Blaugrana youth team".[5]

On 26 June 2024, he joined Bayer 04 Leverkusen.[6]

International career

Natali has captained the Italy national under-15 football team.[7]

He won the Euros U17 in 2024.

Style of play

Natali mainly operates as a defender and has been described as "stood out for his driving and quality in passing".[8]

Personal life

Natali is the son of Italian footballer Cesare Natali.[9] He has four siblings.[10]

Honours

Italy U17

References
  1. "Andrea Natali: un centrale di grande fisico e tecnica per il Barça". tuttomercatoweb.com.
  2. "Un Clásico all'italiana, Natali ed Emanuel oltre ogni rivalità: "Siamo diventati amici grazie alla Nazionale"" (in Italian). 29 May 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  3. "Andrea Natali - un italiano nella cantera blaugrana" (in Italian). 22 January 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  4. Monica Tosolini (5 June 2024). "Andrea Natali, dalle giovanili dell'Udinese al tetto d'Europa con l'Under17" (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  5. Jordi Carné (14 September 2022). "Andrea Natali, el joven central del Barça que ya lidera la selección italiana" (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  6. "BAYER 04 VERPFLICHTET ITALIENISCHES TOPTALENT NATALI VOM FC BARCELONA" (Press release) (in German). Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  7. "Andrea Natali - Bergamo News article".
  8. "Andrea Natali - Sport.es article".
  9. "Figlio d'arte coi piedi da Barça: Andrea Natali". gazzetta.it.
  10. "Natali: dal Milan al Barcellona, un italiano nella Masìa". calciomercato.com.
  11. "UEFA Under-17 EURO final report: Italy 3-0 Portugal". UEFA.com. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
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