Simone Zaza

Early career

Born in Policoro in the Province of Matera, Zaza grew up in Metaponto and began his youth career with Stella Azzurra from Bernalda in 1997. He remained with the organization until 2002, when he moved to the youth academy of Valdera at the age of 11. He remained until 2006, when he was scouted by Serie A side Atalanta, whom he joined shortly after. He remained within the club's youth team for four years and even began to earn senior call-ups towards the end of the 2008–09 Serie A campaign. He made his Serie A debut on 1 March 2009 in a 0–2 home defeat to Chievo Verona as an 86th-minute substitute for Ferreira Pinto. He made two further substitute appearances for Atalanta that season, though he remained within the club's youth setup for the entire 2009–10 Serie A campaign.

Sampdoria

In July 2010, Zaza transferred from Atalanta to fellow Serie A side Sampdoria on a four-year contract. With the Genoa-based club, he was enlisted in the club's Primavera (under-20) youth team for the 2010–11 season, though he also earned several first team callups, including two substitute appearances against Genoa and Fiorentina during the 2010–11 Serie A campaign. He was promoted to the first team at the conclusion of that season.

Juve Stabia and Viareggio (loans)

On 14 July 2011, Zaza was officially sent out on loan to Juve Stabia in Serie B on what was set to be a season-long deal. After just four appearances and no goals for the club, Sampdoria opted…

Zaza has represented Italy in under-16, under-17, and under-19 levels. On 31 August 2014, he was called up by head coach Antonio Conte as part of the senior team squad for a friendly match against the Netherlands and the first UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying game against Norway. On 4 September, Zaza made his debut with the Italy national team, playing as a starter in a 2–0 win against the Netherlands. He was fouled by Bruno Martins Indi in the ninth minute to win the penalty kick from which Daniele De Rossi scored Italy's second goal in the 2–0 victory. On 9 September, Zaza scored his first goal for the Italy national team in the 16th minute of their opening Euro 2016 qualifier against Norway, of a 2–0 victory. On 31 May 2016, he was named to Conte's 23-man Italy squad for Euro 2016. On 17 June, he came off the bench to set-up Éder's match-winning goal against Sweden in the 88th minute of his nation's second group match, which qualified Italy to the Round of 16. On 2 July, he was brought on in the last few seconds of extra-time to take a penalty in the resulting penalty shoot-out against Germany in the quarter-final match up, which he subsequently missed after a bizarre trot up to the ball, as Italy were defeated in the shoot-out 6–5 and eliminated from the tournament. In the events after the match, Zaza issued an apology to the fans of the national team stating, "I am sorry to have let the Italian people down. I missed the most important penalty of my life and I will carry this…

Zaza is a left-footed forward with strong technique, a powerful shot, and an ability to find the net. He is a versatile striker, capable of playing as a centre-forward and as a second striker. His attributes include physical strength, offensive movement, heading accuracy, and positional sense, which contribute to his effectiveness in the air. His goals against prominent clubs while playing for Sassuolo earned him a reputation as an ammazza grandi, or "giant killer."

Since 2022, Zaza has been in a relationship with Angelica Erthal, a Brazilian model; their first child was born in January 2024.