Manuel Locatelli

Early career

Born in Lecco, Lombardy, Locatelli began his career with Atalanta, before moving to AC Milan at the age of 11 years. With the Rossoneri he progressed through each youth category, from Esordienti to Primavera. In March 2015, Locatelli signed his first professional contract with Milan, effective from 1 July 2015 until 30 June 2018.

AC Milan

Locatelli received his first-ever call-up to Milan's senior team ahead of the away game against Udinese played on 22 September 2015; he, however, remained an unused substitute. Later that season, he was promoted into the first team by the then Milan head coach Siniša Mihajlović. He made his Serie A debut aged 18, on 21 April 2016, replacing Andrea Poli after 87 minutes in a 0−0 home draw against Carpi. On 14 May 2016 he made his debut as a starter, in the last league match of the season against Roma at the San Siro.

2016–17 season

He made his season debut in a 1–0 victory over Sampdoria, appearing as a second-half substitute. On 2 October 2016, after coming on as a substitute for captain Riccardo Montolivo, Locatelli scored his first Serie A goal with his first ever shot, in a dramatic 4–3 win over Sassuolo. Beginning the season on the bench, Locatelli received his first start of the season on 16 October at Chievo, taking over the deep-lying playmaker role in midfield vacated by Montolivo, who suffered a long-term injury over the international break. On 22 October, Locatelli scored with his second…

Youth

Locatelli was part of the Italy U17 team at the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship. He also took part in the 2016 Under-19 Championship with the under-19 side, as Italy finished runners-up. Locatelli made his debut with the Italy U21 team on 23 March 2017, in a friendly 2–1 win against Poland. In June 2017, he was included in the Italy under-21 squad for the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship by manager Luigi Di Biagio. Italy were eliminated by Spain in the semi-finals on 27 June, following a 3–1 defeat. Locatelli additionally took part in the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

Senior

Locatelli debuted with the Italian senior squad on 7 September 2020, playing as a starter in a 1–0 UEFA Nations League victory against the Netherlands in Amsterdam. On 28 March 2021, Locatelli scored his first goal for Italy, the second of a 2–0 away victory over Bulgaria in a 2022 World Cup qualification match. In June 2021, Locatelli was included in Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2020 by manager Roberto Mancini. On 16 June, he scored two goals in Italy's second group stage match, a 3–0 win against Switzerland. Although he started in Italy's first two group games of the tournament, he was later relegated to the bench following the recovery of the injured Marco Verratti. On 6 July, in the semi-final of the competition against Spain, Locatelli came on as a substitute for Nicolò Barella late in the second half of regulation time; following a 1–1 draw after…

Locatelli is primarily deployed as a deep-lying midfielder, usually operating in a defensive role in front of the team's defence, in a position similar to that of his idol Andrea Pirlo, due to his ability to create chances or dictate the tempo of his team's play in midfield with his passing range. A versatile midfielder, he can also play in a box-to-box role, or as a mezzala in a 4–3–3 formation, although this is not his preferred position; he has occasionally even been used as an attacking midfielder, a position in which he was initially fielded in his youth, before being moved into a deeper midfield role. While not particularly fast, he is an elegant and quick-thinking player who possesses excellent vision, passing, ball control, technique, and dribbling skills, as well as a powerful and accurate shot from long range. His reading of the game, defensive work-rate, tactical intelligence, and ball-winning abilities are also optimal for a defensive midfielder. His playing style has been compared to that of Argentine midfielder Fernando Redondo, but with more of an offensive mindset, due to his ability to make late attacking runs off the ball from behind; he has also been likened to other playmakers such as Xavi, Zinedine Zidane, and Demetrio Albertini. Not long before Locatelli signed with Juventus, former long-term club player Alessio Tacchinardi compared him to himself and Antonio Conte, calling Locatelli a mix of both. Considered to be a promising young player, in 2015 The…

On 21 June 2022, he married Thessa Lachovic. On 16 October, his wife announced that she was pregnant.