Andrea Belotti (; born 20 December 1993) is an Italian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who plays as a striker for

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

club

Como Como (, ; , or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Nestled at the southwestern branch of the picturesque Lake Como, the city is a renowned tourist destination, ce ...

. Belotti started his career with AlbinoLeffe. He was later signed by

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

, where he won a

Serie B The Serie B (), officially known as Serie BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season. It had b ...

title in the 2013–14 season, before being joining

Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

in 2015. Belotti left the club in 2022 as their eighth-highest goalscorer of all time, and joined Roma on a free transfer. A former Italy under-19, under-20 and under-21 international, Belotti took part in the

UEFA European Under-21 Championship The UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the UEFA Under-21 Championship or simply the Euro Under-21, is a biennial football competition contested by the European men's under-21 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Since 1992, the comp ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

. He made his debut with the

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

national team in 2016 and was included in the Italy squad that won

UEFA Euro 2020 The 2020 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2020 or simply Euro 2020, was the 16th UEFA European Championship, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international men's association footb ...

Early life

Andrea Belotti was born in

Calcinate Calcinate (Bergamasque: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy, northern Italy. Its economy is mostly based on industry. History The origin of the town are Gaulish and Roman, though it is first mentioned in a document f ...

, a small town in close vicinity of

Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from the alpine lakes Lake Como, Como and Lake Iseo, Iseo and 70 km (43 mi) from Lake Garda, Garda and Lake ...

northern Italy Northern Italy (, , ) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. The Italian National Institute of Statistics defines the region as encompassing the four Northwest Italy, northwestern Regions of Italy, regions of Piedmo ...

. He is nicknamed ''Il Gallo'' (The

Rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

). The nickname comes from the surname of his close childhood friend, who jokingly suggested he celebrates his goals by mimicking a rooster's

comb A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...

with an open hand to his forehead. Belotti was a childhood fan of

AC Milan (), commonly referred to as Milan or AC Milan () mainly outside of Italy, is an Italian professional Football club (association football), football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Founded in 1899, the club competes in the Serie A, the top tie ...

Club career

AlbinoLeffe

He took his first steps as a footballer in the oratory school of

Gorlago Gorlago (Bergamasque: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about southeast of Bergamo Bergamo ( , ; ) is a city in the Alps, alpine Lombardy regi ...

, and with Grumellese. After an unsuccessful trial with

Atalanta Atalanta (; ) is a heroine in Greek mythology. There are two versions of the huntress Atalanta: one from Arcadia (region), Arcadia, whose parents were Iasus and Clymene (mythology), Clymene and who is primarily known from the tales of the Caly ...

, he was signed by AlbinoLeffe and went through their youth system. He made his debut for the first team in the 2011–12 season, when he played eight matches in

and scored two goals. He also scored 13 goals as team top-scorer for the youth team throughout the 2011–12 season, winning a youth title, the ''Trofeo Dossena'', in June 2012. The following season, he was fully promoted to the first team, and made 31 appearances in

Lega Pro Prima Divisione Serie C1 was the third highest football league in Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into ...

, scoring 12 goals. He also made an appearance during the

2012–13 Coppa Italia The 2012–13 Coppa Italia, also known as TIM Cup for sponsorship reasons, was the 66th edition of the domestic competition. As in the previous year, 78 clubs have taken part in the tournament. Napoli were the cup holders. Lazio were the winners, ...

. Given the presence in the squad of the defender Mauro Belotti, Andrea was nicknamed ''Belottino''.

Palermo

On 2 September 2013, he was loaned for a fee of €500,000 (with a buyout clause set at €2.5 million) to

. He made his debut with the Sicilians on 24 September 2013, as a substitute for Davide Di Gennaro in a game against

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...

, and provided an assist to

Kyle Lafferty Kyle Joseph George Lafferty (born 16 September 1987) is a Northern Irish professional footballer who plays as a striker for side Johnstone Burgh. Lafferty began his professional career with English side Burnley, where he made 89 appearances ...

in a 2–1 loss. He scored his first goal for the ''Rosaneri'' on 5 October against

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

. On 3 May 2014, he was promoted to

after a 1–0 win away to

Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...

. He closed the season with 10 goals scored in the league. On 18 June 2014, Palermo exercised the right to redeem half of his contract in co-ownership, with an option to redeem the other half for €3.5 million. He made his debut in Serie A on 31 August 2014, at age 20, as a substitute for

Paulo Dybala Paulo Exequiel Dybala (born 15 November 1993) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as an Attacking Midfielder, attacking midfielder or Forward (association football), winger for club AS Roma, Roma and the Ar ...

in a 1–1 draw at home to

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa, Liguria. Sampdoria was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the ...

. On 12 September, Palermo announced they had redeemed the remainder of his contract. On 24 September, he scored his first two career goals in Serie A, playing as a starter in a 3–3 draw away to

Napoli Naples ( ; ; ) is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its province-level municipality is the thir ...

. On 13 December, he scored the winning goal in injury time against

Sassuolo Sassuolo (; ) is an Italian town, ''comune'', and industrial centre of the Province of Modena in Emilia-Romagna. Standing on the right bank of the river Secchia some southwest of Modena, the town is best known for being the centre of the Ita ...

, securing a 2–1 win for Palermo and their seventh consecutive useful result (equalling the record of the 2009–10 season under the coach

Delio Rossi Delio Rossi (born 26 January 1960) is an Italian football manager and former footballer who played as a midfielder. Playing career Rossi was born in Rimini. His playing career was not a bright one, as he reached his personal top from 1981 to 198 ...

). He played in 38 games throughout the season, largely as a substitute, in which he scored six goals.

Torino

On 18 August 2015, he was officially signed by

for a reported fee of €7.5 million. He scored his first goal for Torino in a 2–0 win against

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

. On 16 January 2016, he scored his first brace for the club in a 4–2 win over

Frosinone Frosinone (; local dialect: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Lazio, administrative seat of the province of Frosinone. It is about southeast of Rome, close to the Rome-Naples A1 Motorway. The city is the main city of th ...

. On 20 March, he scored from the penalty spot in the 48th minute to halt

Juventus Juventus Football Club (; from , ), commonly known as Juventus or colloquially as Juve (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Turin, Piedmont, who compete in Serie A, the ...

goalkeeper

Gianluigi Buffon Gianluigi Buffon (; born 28 January 1978) is an Italian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Widely regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he is ...

's record of longest consecutive minutes not conceded in a 4–1 home defeat. He concluded the 2015–16 season with 12 goals in 35 appearances. He began the 2016–17 season scoring a header against

at the

San Siro San Siro is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy. It has a seating capacity of 75,817, making it the largest stadium in Italy and one of the largest stadiums in Europe. It is the home stadium of the city's principal ...

, but had a penalty saved by

Gianluigi Donnarumma Gianluigi Donnarumma (; born 25 February 1999) is an Italian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain FC, Paris Saint-Germain and Captain (ass ...

in a 3–2 defeat. The following round, on 28 August, he scored his first career hat-trick in a 5–1 home win against

. On 4 December 2016, he extended his contract with Torino until 2021, with a €100 million release clause valid only to foreign clubs. On 5 March 2017, he wore the

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

's armband for the first time against

, in which he scored the fastest hat-trick in Serie A since 30 January 2000 (seven minutes and 15 seconds), surpassing the previous record belonging to the Ukrainian

Andriy Shevchenko Andriy Mykolayovych Shevchenko (, ; born 29 September 1976) is a Ukrainian former Manager (association football), football manager and Football player, player. Shevchenko is considered one of the greatest Striker (association football), strik ...

. The following month, he became the first player under the age of 24 to score 24 goals in a single Serie A season since Shevchenko in 1999–00. He ended the season with 26 goals in 35 appearances, and as the third top-scorer in the league behind

Edin Džeko Edin Džeko (; born 17 March 1986) is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a striker for and captains both Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. He is the all-time top goalscorer and most capped ...

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

(29) and

Dries Mertens Dries "Ciro" Mertens (; born 6 May 1987) is a free agent Belgian professional Association football, footballer who last played as a Forward (association football), forward or Winger (association football), winger for Süper Lig club Galatasaray ...

(28). After being appointed team captain on a permanent basis, he scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season with a scissor-kick in a 3–0 win against

. Often injured, he was unable to repeat his performance of the previous season, scoring 10 goals in Serie A. On 26 August 2018, Belotti scored his first goal of the 2018–19 season in a 2–2 draw against

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...

at the

. On 4 November, he scored his first brace of the season in a 4–1 away win against

. On 25 May, he scored the second scissor kick goal of his career, once again against Sassuolo. In virtue of his performance during the season, he was voted as Torino's player of the year (succeeding

Nicolas Nkoulou Nicolas Julio Nkoulou Ndoubena (born 27 March 1990), known as Nicolas Nkoulou, is a Cameroonian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Sakaryaspor on loan from Turkish TFF 1. Lig club Amedspor and the Cameroon national team. ...

). Belotti concluded the season with 15 goals in Serie A - contributing to Torino's qualification to the

2019–20 UEFA Europa League The 2019–20 UEFA Europa League was the 49th season of Europe's secondary club association football, football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 11th season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. Sevilla FC, Sevill ...

, after the exclusion of Milan. On 25 July 2019, Belotti made his debut in

UEFA competitions UEFA competitions (), referred improperly by the mass media as European football, are the set of tournaments organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), generally in professional and amateur association football and futsal. Th ...

, in the first qualifying round of the Europa League against

Debrecen Debrecen ( ; ; ; ) is Hungary's cities of Hungary, second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain Regions of Hungary, region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the large ...

, scoring the opening goal on a penalty kick. On 29 August, Belotti scored with a header against

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

to record his 77th goal for Torino, entering in Torino's top 10 goalscorers of all-time. On 26 September, he scored his first brace of the season in a 2–1 win over Milan. On 23 June 2020, by virtue a goal scored in a home match against

Udinese Udinese Calcio (; "Udinese Football") is a professional football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. The team currently competes in the Serie A, the first tier of Italian football. It was founded on 30 November 1896 as a sport ...

(1–0), he reached double-figures in Serie A for the fifth consecutive season. On 16 July 2020, Belotti scored in his seventh

match in a row in a 3–0 win over

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

. On 12 December 2020, in a league match lost 3–2 at home against

, he scored his 100th goal for Torino in all competitions, equalling

Adolfo Baloncieri Adolfo Baloncieri (; 27 July 1897 – 23 July 1986) was an Italian football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. Critically regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Gianni Brera considered him one of the greate ...

in the club's all-time scorer list. On 30 January 2021, with a goal scored at

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...

, Belotti achieved double figures in the league for all six season played in Serie A with Torino (behind only

Paolo Pulici Paolo Pulici (; born 27 April 1950) is an Italian Manager (association football), football manager and former association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. With 172 goals in all competitions, he is the ...

, who achieved double figures for seven consecutive years between 1972 and 1979). Belotti began his seventh consecutive season with Torino scoring a goal in a 2–1 loss at home to

. On 30 October 2021, Belotti scored the final goal in a 3–0 win against Sampdoria, achieving the milestone of 100 goals in Serie A (94 goals scored, up to that moment with Torino in seven season and six goals with Palermo). On 1 July 2022, Torino announced that Belotti would not extend and leave for free.

Roma

On 28 August 2022, Belotti signed an initial one-year contract with

that runs until 30 June 2023. As part of the overall agreement there is also the option for an additional two-year extension, based on certain performance-related criteria. He scored his first goal for Roma against

Cremonese Cremona ( , , ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po (river), Po river in the middle of the Po Valley. It is the capital of the province of Cremona and the seat of the local city a ...

in the Coppa Italia on 1 February 2023. He ended his first season at Roma featuring in 31 league matches without scoring any goal. However, he extended his contract until 2025.

Loan to Fiorentina

On 1 February 2024, Belotti moved on loan to

. On 2 May, he scored Fiorentina's second goal in a 3–2 home win over

Club Brugge (), known simply as Club Brugge (in English also: ''Club Bruges''), is a Belgian professional football club based in Bruges, Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,042. They pl ...

in the first leg of the Conference League semi-finals. On 29 May, Belotti started in Fiorentina's 1–0 extra-time defeat to

Olympiacos Olympiacós Sýndesmos Filáthlon Peiraiós (, Olympic Association of Fans of Piraeus) is a major multi-sport club based in Piraeus, Greece. Olympiacos is parent to a number of different competitive departments which participate in football, ...

in the

2024 UEFA Europa Conference League final The 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League final was the final match of the 2023–24 UEFA Europa Conference League, the third season of Europe's tertiary club football tournament organised by UEFA. It was held at the Agia Sophia Stadium in Athens, G ...

Como

On 25 June 2024, Belotti signed a two-year contract with newly promoted Serie A club

, for a reported fee of €4m plus an additional €1m in add-ons.

Loan to Benfica

On 3 February 2025, Belotti joined

Primeira Liga The Primeira Liga (), also known as Liga Portugal Betclic for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Portugal and the highest level of the Portuguese football league system. Organised and supervised by the Liga ...

club Benfica on loan until the end of the 2024–25 season.

International career

Youth

Belotti received his first call-up to the Italy under-19 side in December 2011 against the Lega Pro representative squad; he scored a goal in the match, which the under-19 side won 4–2. In the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship elite qualification round he featured as Italy's

centre-forward In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than Midfielder, midfielders and Defender (association football), d ...

in the team's 4–2–3–1 formation, scoring once in three appearances. Belotti made nine appearances for the under-20 (scoring four goals), before making his debut for the under-21 team on 14 August 2013 in a 4–1 friendly victory against

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

. On 5 September he featured in the

2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification The 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship started with a qualifying competition which began in March 2013 and finished in September 2014. The final tournament was held in the Czech Republic. The draw for the qualifying rounds was held on 31 Ja ...

3–1 loss at home to

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, later scoring his first goal in the group on 14 November, in a 3–0 win against

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. On 5 September 2014 he scored his first brace for the team in a European Championship qualifier against

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

, which ended in a 3–2 victory for Italy. Under manager

Luigi Di Biagio Luigi Di Biagio (; born 3 June 1971) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is currently managing Saudi Arabia U23. A former midfielder, Di Biagio last played for Ascoli in 2007, and previously also played for seve ...

, Belotti took part in the

in the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

, scoring the opening goal in a 3–1 defeat of

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in Italy's final group match, although the result was not enough to see the Italian under-21 side progress to the semi-finals, as the ''azzurrini'' finished third in their group, behind the two eventual finalists

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

Senior

On 27 August 2016, Belotti was called up to the senior squad for the first time by

Gian Piero Ventura Gian Piero Ventura (; born 14 January 1948) is an Italian football manager. His playing career as a midfielder was spent in the lower leagues, having not made the grade at Sampdoria, where he began his coaching career with the youth team in 197 ...

for a friendly against

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

on 1 September and a

2018 World Cup qualification The 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification process was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA confederations to decide 31 of the 32 teams which would play in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, with Russia qualifying automatically as hosts. All 210 ...

match on 5 September against

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

. He made his senior international debut in the friendly against France, coming on as a substitute in a 3–1 home loss. Belotti scored his first senior goal on 9 October, the opening goal of their third World Cup qualification match, a 3–2 away victory over

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

. In June 2021, Belotti was included in Italy's squad for

by manager

Roberto Mancini Roberto Mancini (; born 27 November 1964) is an Italian football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of the Saudi Arabia national team. As a player, Mancini operated as a deep-lying forward, and was best known for h ...

. On 6 July, following a 1–1 draw after extra-time against

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in the semi-final of the competition, Belotti scored Italy's second spot-kick in an eventual 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory, to send Italy to the final. On 11 July, Belotti won the European Championship with Italy following a 3–2

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

victory over

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium, currently branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE Limited, EE for sponsorship reasons, is an association football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Sta ...

in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

, after a 1–1 draw in

extra-time Overtime (OT) or extra time (ET) is an additional period of play to bring a game to a decision and avoid declaring the match a tie or draw where the scores are the same. In some sports, this extra period is played only if the game is required t ...

; Belotti came on as a substitute late in the second half of regulation time for

Lorenzo Insigne Lorenzo Insigne (; born 4 June 1991) is an Italian professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward or Midfielder#Winger, winger for Major League Soccer club Toronto FC. Insigne began his pro ...

, and in the shoot-out, he took Italy's second penalty, which was saved by

Jordan Pickford Jordan Lee Pickford (' Logan; born 7 March 1994) is an English professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for club Everton and the England national team. Pickford began his career at Sunderland, and played for their academy, reserve ...

Style of play

Belotti began his career as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

and winger, but under the guidance of AlbinoLeffe's youth coach Alessio Pala, was converted to a

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People *Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Smal ...

. Compared to

Gianluca Vialli Gianluca Vialli (; 9 July 1964 – 5 January 2023) was an Italian football player and manager who played as a striker. Vialli started his club career at his hometown club Cremonese in 1980, where he made 105 league appearances and scored 23 g ...

for his athleticism and style of play, Belotti is a quick, physical, and prolific striker, who has a strong and powerful shot with either foot. He is strong in aerial duels, and stands out for his acceleration, tactical intelligence, positioning, work-rate, and eye for goal, which, along with his speed, allows him to lose his markers by making attacking runs into the penalty area. Although he is primarily deployed as an out-and-out striker or

, he is also capable of playing as a

second striker In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on bein ...

, due to his ability to hold up the ball with his back to goal and link-up with teammates, in addition to scoring goals himself. An acrobatic player, he has also scored several

overhead kick In association football, a bicycle kick, also known as an overhead kick or scissors kick, is an acrobatic strike where a player kicks an airborne Ball (association football), ball rearward in midair. It is achieved by throwing the body backwar ...

goals in his career. Belotti's playing style has also been likened to that of Ukrainian former striker

, who was a major influence on him in his youth; he has also been compared to former Italy striker

Giorgio Chinaglia Giorgio Chinaglia (; 24 January 1947 – 1 April 2012) was an Italian association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. He grew up and played his early football in Cardiff, Wales, and began his career with ...

, as well as fellow former Torino strikers

Francesco Graziani Francesco "Ciccio" Graziani (; born 16 December 1952) is an Italian football manager and former football player who played as a forward. He began his career with Arezzo in 1970, and later joined Torino in 1973, where he remained until 1981, wi ...

and

Christian Vieri Christian Vieri (; born 12 July 1973), commonly known as Bobo Vieri, is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a centre forward. Having been born in Italy, Vieri moved with his family to Australia as a child, before returning ...

Personal life

Belotti married Giorgia Duro on 15 June 2017. They have a dog called Angi. In February 2021, Belotti tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

amid its pandemic in Italy; during his isolation period, his wife gave birth to their daughter Vittoria on 22 February.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Belotti goal''.

Honours

Palermo *

: 2013–14 Italy *

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro or Euros, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Individual * Pallone d'Argento: 2016–17 *Giuseppe Prisco Award: 2017 *

Gazzetta Sports Awards The Gazzetta Sports Awards and the Gazzetta Referendum are surveys conducted annually by the Italian sports newspaper to reward the best sportsmen and sportswomen of the calendar year. Winners Italian Worldwide Other awards Since 2015, othe ...

Performance of the Year: 2017 * Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 2020 Orders * 5th Class / Knight: ''

Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republic, it is awarded for ...

'': 2021

References

External links

*
Andrea Belotti
at the AS Roma website
Andrea Belotti Profile
at FIGC.it * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Belotti, Andrea 1993 births Living people Footballers from Calcinate Italian men's footballers Men's association football forwards Italy men's international footballers Italy men's under-21 international footballers Italy men's youth international footballers UEFA European Championship–winning players European champions for Italy UEFA Euro 2020 players UC AlbinoLeffe players Palermo FC players Torino FC players AS Roma players ACF Fiorentina players Como 1907 players Serie A players Serie B players Serie C players Knights of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 21st-century Italian sportsmen S.L. Benfica footballers Italian expatriate men's footballers Primeira Liga players Italian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Expatriate men's footballers in Portugal