Giacomo Faticanti: The Italian wonder kid set to take the football world by storm

Hot off winning the U-19 Euro, Italian youngster Giacomo Faticanti has begun to attract attention from world-class clubs across Europe as the gritty Roman midfielder develops into a world-class talent. 

Purchased from Frosinone in 2018, Faticanti has quickly distinguished himself at Roma as a promising talent. He earned his professional debut under Mourinho in a 2-1 Europa League victory over HJK Helsinki.

Born in Sora, Italy in 2004, he started his football career with the local team in Sora, before making a move to play with Frosinone at the age of six.

He played with Frosinone Juvenil for eight seasons, where he displayed his great talent. Giallorossi scouts spotted him and offered him the chance to play for Roma's youth teams. At the age of 14, he moved from Frosinone to Roma.

In his first year with the club, he contributed to lifting the league trophy in the Italian U-15 league, and after being made captain, winning it again in the U-17 league in 2021.

Simultaneously, he was already featuring with Roma’s ‘Primavera’ or U-19 team as only a 16-year-old in 2021, eventually becoming a regular starter.

The summer after the 2022 season, he even began training with the first team, and featured in friendlies under Jose Mourinho against English side Sunderland and Portuguese side Portimonense.

For Italy’s national team, he has been making similar waves, first representing the 'Azurri' in the U-15s, he would go on to earn the captain’s armband with the U-16s and became a regular starter from then all the way through to the U-20’s.

During this stretch, The Azurri came close to winning silverware twice, once in 2022, when the U-19s were knocked out of the Euro Cup U-19s by England, who would go on to win it.

A year later, Faticanti and the Azurri suffered another disappointment in the U-20 World Cup, losing to Uruguay 1-0 in the final after an 86th-minute goal from Uruguayan Luciano Rodriguez

Finally, Italy broke the run of bad luck and emerged victorious against Portugal in the final of the Euro U-19’s, winning 1-0 and giving Italy their second-ever U-19 Euro title.

An anchor in the defensive midfield, he wears the #16 kit of his idol, Daniele De Rossi, who also came up through the Roma academy, and went on to become the Roma player with the second most caps, only behind the venerated Francisco Totti.

De Rossi was one of many stars featured in Italy’s 2006 world cup winning side, locking down the midfield and featuring in eight of the 'Azzurri’s' world cup winning runs.

Since joining Roma, Faticanti has been able to model his game even closer to his idol, as Daniele De Rossi’s father, Alberto De Rossi is among Roma’s youth coaching staff, who facilitated Faticanti's transition.

"I have a very good relationship with Daniele. He is an important person for me.” Said Faticanti on his budding relationship with the Italian legend. “We write to each other often. Watch my games, We analyze them and he gives me advice".

Faticanti stands two centimeters taller than De Rossi, however, there are clear similarities in their patrolling of the midfield in front of their back line.