Mattia Liberali
Italian footballer (born 2007)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mattia Liberali (born 6 April 2007) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and winger for Serie B club Catanzaro.
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 April 2007 | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Carate Brianza, Italy | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Positions | |||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Catanzaro | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 14 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Aquile della Brianza | ||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | La Dominante | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2025 | AC Milan | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Milan Futuro (res.) | 8 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | AC Milan | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Catanzaro | 23 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Italy U15 | 6 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Italy U16 | 10 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Italy U17 | 28 | (6) | ||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Italy U19 | 16 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Italy U20 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 April 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 28 March 2026 | |||||||||||||||||
Early life
Liberali was born in Carate Brianza, Italy.[1]
Club career
AC Milan
In 2013, the manager of local amateur side Rhodense, Alberto Bianchi, spotted Liberali and invited him to play in a youth tournament with a view to later sign him.[2] However, he would participate at the tournament with Aquile della Brianza from Muggiò instead, spending a year with the side before joining La Dominante, who he would train during the week with, while playing with professional side AC Milan on weekends.[2]
After a year of this arrangement, Liberali made the switch to AC Milan permanent.[2] During the 2021–22 under-16 Scudetto tournament, he finished second-top scorer behind Francesco Camarda with nine goals, as AC Milan went on to win the competition.[2] He was called up to train with the first team for the first time, alongside Camarda and Nirash Perera, in December 2022.[3] The following year, in July 2023, he signed his first professional contract with the club through 2027.[4]
Liberali joined AC Milan for their 2024–25 pre-season, displaying impressive performances during the friendly matches, including the headlining assist for a 1–0 win against Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid at the Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois, United States, the club's third friendly match on 31 July 2024.[5] He made his professional debut on 10 August 2024, starting for the newly created reserve team Milan Futuro, and scoring the first goal of a 3–0 away win Coppa Italia Serie C first round match against Lecco.[6]
Liberali made his debut with AC Milan on 15 December 2024, starting on a 0–0 home draw Serie A match against Genoa, simultaneously celebrating the club's 125th anniversary.[7]
He was one of the players that were called up by AC Milan head coach Massimiliano Allegri, for the 2025 AC Milan Asia-Pacific Tour pre-season matches against English Premier League clubs Arsenal and Liverpool, as well as Australian A-League Men club Perth Glory on 23, 26 and 31 July 2025, respectively.[8]
Catanzaro
On 8 August 2025, Liberali joined Serie B club Catanzaro on a free transfer, signing a contract until 2029.[9][10]
International career
Style of play
Initially a central defender while playing at 7-a-side level, Liberali was moved up the pitch in the academy of AC Milan, settling at left-wing, with Italy under-17 coach Massimiliano Favo also utilising him as an attacking midfielder.[2] Former AC Milan defender and current football pundit, Alessandro Costacurta, compared him with English international Phil Foden for their similar playing style.[12]
In October 2024, Liberali was included in The Guardian's list of the 60 best talents in the world born in 2007.[13]
Career statistics
Club
- As of match played 25 April 2026.[14]
- Appearances in Coppa Italia Serie C