Tommaso Baldanzi

Tommaso Baldanzi (born 23 March 2003) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A club Empoli.[1]

Tommaso Baldanzi
Personal information
Date of birth (2003-03-23) 23 March 2003
Place of birth Poggibonsi, Italy
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Empoli
Number 35
Youth career
2011–2022 Empoli
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Empoli 27 (4)
International career‡
2019–2020 Italy U17 3 (1)
2021 Italy U18 1 (2)
2021–2022 Italy U19 12 (2)
2023 Italy U20 0 (0)
2023– Italy U21 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 May 2023
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24 March 2023

Club career

Born in Poggibonsi and raised in Castelfiorentino, Baldanzi first started playing football at the local grassroots club, aged six; two years later, he joined the youth sector of Empoli,[2][3] where he came through the youth ranks and won an under-16 national championship in 2019.[4]

On 28 October 2020, the midfielder made his professional debut for Empoli, coming on as a substitute in a Coppa Italia 4-2 win against Benevento: in the occasion, he assisted Leonardo Mancuso's closing goal.[2][3][5] In the same season, he helped Empoli's Under-19 team win the Campionato Primavera,[6] being also nominated as the league's MVP in the process.[7]

In the following season, after featuring in the UEFA Youth League,[8] Baldanzi was officially promoted to the first team, together with team-mates Jacopo Fazzini and Duccio Degli Innocenti.[9] He then made his Serie A debut on 22 May 2022, replacing Patrick Cutrone at the 74th minute of the 0-1 away win against Atalanta.[10]

On 28 August of the same year, he started his first league match against Lecce,[11] which ended in a 1-1 draw.[12] Three days after, on 31 August, he scored his first professional goal in the 1-1 league draw against Hellas Verona.[13] On 23 January 2023, Baldanzi scored the only goal of a 0-1 league victory against Inter Milan.[14]

International career

Baldanzi has represented Italy at various youth international levels.

In June 2022, he was included in the squad that took part in the 2022 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Slovakia,[15] where the Azzurrini reached the semi-finals before losing to eventual winners England.[16]

Both in May and December 2022, Baldanzi was involved in training camps led by the Italian senior national team's manager, Roberto Mancini, and aimed to the most promising national talents.[17][18]

In May 2023, he was included by head coach Carmine Nunziata in the Italian squad that took part in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina.[19]

Style of play

Baldanzi is an attacking midfielder, who mainly operates as a number 10, but can also play as a left winger in an attacking trio.[3][20][21][22] Due to his low center of gravity, he has shown notable quickness, ball control, technique and creativity.[2][21] Primarily a left-footer, he can also use his weaker right foot as well,[3][21] and represents a frequent attacking threat, thanks to his vision, his dribbling skills and his shooting (both from short and long range).[20][21][22]

Rated as one of the best Italian prospects of his generation,[2] he has been compared to Sebastian Giovinco and Alejandro Gómez,[3][23] although he cited Paulo Dybala as his biggest source of inspiration.[20][23]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 15 May 2023[24]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Coppa Italia Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Empoli 2020–21 Serie B 0020—20
2021–22 Serie A 1000—10
2022–23 26410—274
Career total 2743000304

Honours

Empoli U16

  • Campionato Nazionale Under-16 A e B: 2019[4]

Empoli U19

Individual

References
  1. Tommaso Baldanzi at Soccerway
  2. Luciano, Aniello (11 December 2020). "Tommaso Baldanzi, il gioiellino che può cambiare il futuro dell'Empoli (e non solo)". Transfermarkt (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  3. Pedullà, Alfredo (20 June 2022). "BALDANZI, UN'ALTRA PEPITA EMPOLI". Alfredo Pedullà (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  4. Carzaniga, Dennis (15 June 2019). "Empoli-Inter, la finale: Gnonto non basta, toscani Campioni". www.sprintesport.it (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  5. "Benevento-Empoli 2-4 finale, Coppa Italia 2020/2021: terzo turno". SportFace (in Italian). 28 October 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. "Empoli campione d'Italia Primavera, Atalanta battuta 5-3". Sky Sport (in Italian). 30 June 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  7. Zarra, Angelo (30 June 2021). "Primavera 1, Baldanzi nominato MVP del campionato". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  8. Brianti, Simone (29 September 2021). "Youth League, Domzale-Empoli 1-2: Baldanzi fa volare gli azzurri, esordio vincente per la banda di Buscè". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  9. Zampini, Matteo (20 May 2022). "Empoli, Corsi: "Baldanzi e Fazzini saranno convocati da Mancini. L'anno prossimo aggregati in prima squadra"". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  10. Nalesso, Pietro (22 May 2022). "Empoli, esordio per Tommaso Baldanzi in Serie A". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  11. Nalesso, Pietro (28 August 2022). "Empoli, prima da titolare per Baldanzi in Serie A contro il Lecce". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  12. "Lecce-Empoli 1-1, Strefezza risponde a Parisi". La Repubblica (in Italian). 28 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  13. Cioni, Giacomo (31 August 2022). "Kallon risponde a Baldanzi: Empoli e Verona ancora senza vittorie". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  14. Kilpatrick, James (23 January 2023). "Inter Milan 0-1 Empoli: Tommaso Baldanzi strikes as 10-man hosts suffer shock defeat at San Siro". Eurosport. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  15. "Gli Azzurrini in Slovacchia alla conquista dell'Europa. Ufficializzata la lista dei 20 convocati, non ci sono Gnonto e Scalvini". FIGC (in Italian). 16 June 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  16. "L'Italia perde di misura con l'Inghilterra ma esce a testa alta dall'Europeo". FIGC (in Italian). 28 June 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  17. "Raduno dei giocatori di interesse nazionale, iniziato il lavoro del secondo gruppo azzurro". FIGC (in Italian). 25 May 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  18. "Stage a Coverciano dal 20 al 22 dicembre, convocati due gruppi di calciatori di interesse nazionale". FIGC (in Italian). 15 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  19. "Ufficializzata la lista dei 21 convocati per il Mondiale in Argentina" (in Italian). FIGC. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  20. Sorteni, Lorenzo (11 December 2020). "Tommaso Baldanzi, il mancino pronto a incantare Empoli". La Giovane Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  21. Abagnale, Valerio (23 February 2021). "Empoli, Baldanzi ai raggi X: rapidità e imprevedibilità sulla trequarti toscana". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  22. Ferrio, Edoardo (24 June 2021). "Baldanzi guida l'Empoli Primavera in semifinale". La Giovane Italia (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  23. Dafirbillah, Karim (2 December 2020). "FOCUS - Tommaso Baldanzi, il 'nuovo Giovinco' che fa volare l'Empoli". MondoPrimavera (in Italian). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  24. "T. Baldanzi". Soccerway.
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