Simone Verdi

Early career

Verdi started playing football with amateur club Audax Travacò, before joining Milan at the age of 11. He made his professional debut for the club, aged 17, in a Coppa Italia game against Novara, on 13 January 2010. He then made his second appearance two weeks later, in the quarter-final against Udinese, which Milan lost 0–1. While playing for the under-20 squad, the young striker scored his first goal at the San Siro in the return leg of the Primavera Cup final, on 14 April 2010. Milan went on to win the match 2–0, as Verdi also made an assist, and secured the trophy 3–1 on aggregate. Here, he was nicknamed Verdinho, as his playing style resembled that of a Brazilian. In May 2010, Milan CEO Adriano Galliani announced that Verdi, along with three other teammates, was expected to join the senior team permanently for the 2010–11 season. Subsequently, Verdi signed his first professional contract with the club. However, he continued playing mainly in the youth team.

Torino

At the beginning of the 2011–12 season, Verdi transferred to Serie B club Torino in a co-ownership deal for €2.5 million (exchanged with Gianmario Comi and €150,000 cash). He made his official debut for the club in the first league game of the season, a 2–1 away win against Ascoli on 27 August 2011. He played 12 games in Serie B in the 2011–12 season with Torino, which finished in 2nd place and gained promotion to Serie A. In 2012–13, he played 4 games in Serie A, making his…

On 22 September 2010, he was called up to the Italy under-19 to play a game against the Serbia under-19. On 31 May 2014, he was called up to the Italy under-21 side for which he made his debut on 4 June in the 4–0 friendly win over Montenegro. On 28 March 2017, Verdi made his senior international debut for the Italy national football team, along with four other players, coming on as a substitute in a 2–1 friendly away win against the Netherlands.

A dynamic and versatile forward or attacking midfielder, Verdi can adapt to any offensive midfield role, both in the centre or on either wing, due to his ambidexterity, although his favoured role is on the right flank; he is also capable of playing as a second striker. He is mainly noted for his dribbling ability, technique and remarkable speed on the ball, as well as his ability to create chances for teammates; he is also capable of finding spaces and make attacking runs from behind. In the 2016–17 Serie A season he was also noted for his shooting power and ability to score goals from long range, including free kicks. During his militancy in Napoli, he had declared that he was a natural left.

Club

As of match played 25 April 2025

International

As of 4 June 2018