Cristiano Biraghi (; born 1 September 1992) 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

left-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

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

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 ...

, on loan from

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 ...

, and the Italy national team.

Club career

Youth years

Born in

Cernusco sul Naviglio Cernusco sul Naviglio (; , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Milan, Lombardy, northwestern Italy. With a population of 33,436 as of 2015 it is the 14th-largest municipality in the metropolitan city. It is located 11 kilometres ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

, Biraghi began his career with

Internazionale 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 football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Since 1 ...

, playing in their youth teams from 2005 onwards. For the 2007–08 season he spent time at Pro Sesto alongside his club compatriots and youth products. He started 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 ...

but later became a

left back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

. He played a few friendlies for the club and participated in their 2010 summer tour, scoring a goal in the

Pirelli Cup The Pirelli Cup was an annual friendly football tournament sponsored by the Pirelli Tyre company. The competition was started in 1996 as a single 90-minute friendly match between Pirelli-sponsored Internazionale and another invited team. Since 19 ...

, helping them to a 3–0 victory over

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

Inter Milan

Biraghi made his first team debut in a competitive game on 24 November 2010, against

Twente Twente ( , Tweants dialect: ''Tweante'') is a region in the eastern Netherlands. It encompasses the most urbanised and easternmost part of the province of Overijssel. Twente is most likely named after the Tuihanti or Tvihanti, a Germanic people ...

in the

2010–11 UEFA Champions League The 2010–11 UEFA Champions League was the 56th season of Europe's premier club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the 19th under the UEFA Champions League format. The final was held at Wembley Stadium in London on 28 May 2011, where Ba ...

, replacing

Goran Pandev Goran Pandev (, ; born 27 July 1983) is a Macedonian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Known for his goal-scoring ability, consistency, and intelligence, he is regarded as one of the best Macedonian footballers of all time. ...

. Before that match Inter had lost a number of first team players through injury. Biraghi would be given a starting berth in Inter's next game in the Champions League, on 7 December 2010, against

Werder Bremen Sportverein Werder Bremen von 1899 e. V. (), commonly known as Werder Bremen, Werder or simply Bremen, is a German professional sports club based in Bremen. Founded on 4 February 1899, Werder are best known for their professional association foo ...

in what would be a 3–0 home win for the German side, with the likes of

Davide Santon Davide Santon (; born 2 January 1991) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a left wing-back. A former Inter Milan youth product, Santon began his professional club career with Inter in 2008, and remained with the club unt ...

moving to wing forward and

Cristian Chivu Cristian Eugen Chivu (; born 26 October 1980) is a Romanian professional football coach and former player who is the current head coach of Serie A club Inter Milan. A defender, he began his career with hometown club CSM Reșița before moving ...

unable to play due to an injury. In July 2011, he was loaned to

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 ...

club

Juve Stabia Società Sportiva Juve Stabia is an Italian professional football club based in Castellammare di Stabia, Campania. Juve Stabia plays in Serie B, the second tier of Italian football system, following their promotion ahead of the 2024–25 seas ...

. On 27 August 2011, he made his debut for the club in the first league match of the season, a 2–1 loss against

Empoli Empoli () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, about southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno River, Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Ancient Ro ...

Cittadella

In summer 2012, Biraghi was signed by Serie B club

A.S. Cittadella Associazione Sportiva Cittadella, commonly referred to as Cittadella, is an Italian professional football club based in the city of Cittadella, Veneto, currently playing in , but will play in Serie C following relegation in the 2024–25 seaso ...

on loan, with an option to sign half of the registration rights. In June 2013 Cittadella exercised the option for €150,000.A.S. Cittadella S.r.l. ''bilancio'' (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2013 (in Italian)
PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A.
/ref> However, Inter also paid a subsidy () of €50,000 to Cittadella for the loan. Biraghi was loaned to

Catania Catania (, , , Sicilian and ) is the second-largest municipality on Sicily, after Palermo, both by area and by population. Despite being the second city of the island, Catania is the center of the most densely populated Sicilian conurbation, wh ...

on 2 September 2013 for €300,000.A.S. Cittadella S.r.l. ''bilancio'' (financial report and accounts) on 31 December 2014 (in Italian)
PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A.
/ref>

Return to Inter Milan

In June 2014, Inter bought back Biraghi from Cittadella for €610,000 (€600,000 plus the remain 50% registration rights of Simone Pecorini).F.C. Internazionale Milano S.p.A. ''bilancio'' (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2015 (in Italian)
PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A.
/ref> He signed a new four-year contract with Inter in 2014. However, he spent 2 seasons on loan to other clubs before he became a make-weight of another signing. He signed a two-year loan deal with

Chievo Chievo (4,500 inhabitants) is a frazione of Verona located to the west of the city, around from the historic city centre, on the shores of the river Adige. It is best known for its football team, A.C. ChievoVerona. History The name came from t ...

on 6 July 2014. On 27 August 2015, Biraghi moved to

La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known as the Primera División or La Liga, and officially known as LaLiga EA Sports for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Spain and the highest ...

side

Granada CF Granada Club de Fútbol (), known simply as Granada or ''"Graná"'', is a professional List of football clubs in Spain, Spanish football club based in the city of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, that currently plays in Segunda ...

, after agreeing to a one-year loan deal.

Pescara

On 11 July 2016, Biraghi was sold to Serie A newcomers

Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...

in a permanent deal. On the same day Pescara also signed

Rey Manaj Rey Aldo Manaj (; born 24 February 1997) is an Albanian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Süper Lig club Sivasspor and the Albania national team. Club career Early career Manaj was born in Lushnjë, Albania in 1997, and move ...

on loan, as well as

Gianluca Caprari Gianluca Caprari (born 30 July 1993) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Monza and the Italy national team. Club career Roma Born in Rome, Italian capital, Caprari started his career at Atletico 2000. He then ...

who was sold to Inter but loaned back to Pescara for a season. Pescara were relegated at the end of season.

Fiorentina

On 15 August 2017, Biraghi joined Serie A club

on loan, with an obligation to buy the player. On 29 May 2024, Biraghi 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 ...

Second return to Inter Milan

In August 2019, Biraghi was re-signed by

Inter Inter may refer to: Association football clubs * Inter Milan, an Italian club * SC Internacional, a Brazilian club * Inter Miami CF, an American club * Inter Playa del Carmen, a Mexican club * FC Inter Sibiu, a Romanian club * FC Inter Turku, ...

in a temporary deal, with

Dalbert Dalbert is a name. It may refer to: * Suzanne Dalbert Suzanne Dalbert (12 May 1927 – 31 December 1970) was a French actress who appeared in a number of American films and television series during the 1940s and 50s. Biography Dalbert was born ...

moving the opposite direction. Inter had an option to sign Biraghi from Fiorentina in a permanent deal in 2020 for a reported €12 million fee, but opted not to take this up.

Torino

On 3 February 2025, Biraghi was loaned to

with an option to buy.

International career

Under the new regime of

Ciro Ferrara Ciro Ferrara (; born 11 February 1967) is an Italian former footballer and manager. Ferrara spent his playing career as a defender, initially at Napoli and later on at Juventus, winning seven total Serie A titles as well as other domestic and ...

, he made his U21 debut on 17 November 2010, as starting left back in the

friendly match An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, scrimmage, demonstration, training match, pre-season game, warmup match, or preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sport, sporting event whose prize money and impact on th ...

that

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 the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

won 2–1 against

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. In that match he also featured alongside former Inter teammates

Giulio Donati Giulio Donati (born 5 February 1990) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a right-back. Club career Inter Milan Primavera and first team Born in Pietrasanta, the Province of Lucca, Donati started his career at hometown club Lucc ...

and

Luca Caldirola Luca Caldirola (born 1 February 1991) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a defender. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a left-back. Club career Inter Milan 2009–10 season Caldirola started his career at Inter Milan, wh ...

in the defensive line. He received his first call-up along with

Felice Natalino Felice Natalino (born 24 March 1992) is an Football in Italy, Italian former footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender. Club career Natalino arrived F.C. Internazionale Milano, Internazionale's youth system in August 2 ...

in August 2010 for the

2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification The 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship started with a qualifying competition which began on 27 March 2009 and finished on 13 October 2010. The final tournament was held in Denmark between 11–25 June 2011. The first stage of the qualifyin ...

. In the next month, he made his U19 debut 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 ...

. Before that, he received only one call-up in 2009 from the U18 team. He was given his first senior international call-up for

in September 2018, 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 ...

, for Italy's opening

UEFA Nations League The UEFA Nations League is an international European football competition played by the senior men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA, the sport's European governing body. The competition was devised to minimise friendlies a ...

matches against

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

and

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 ...

later that month. He made his senior international debut in Italy's 1–1 home draw against Poland on 7 September, in their UEFA Nations League opener. On 14 October 2018, he scored his first goal for Italy on his third cap in the return UEFA Nations League match away to Poland to secure a 1–0 win in the 92nd minute, which secured Italy's safety in the group; Biraghi dedicated his goal to former Fiorentina teammate

Davide Astori Davide Astori (; 7 January 1987 – 4 March 2018) was an Italian professional footballer who played as a central defender. After playing youth football for Pontisola and AC Milan, Astori started his senior career at Serie C clubs Pizzighettone ...

who died early that year.

Career statistics

Club

International

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

Honours

Inter Milan *

Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

runner-up: 2019–20 Fiorentina *Coppa Italia runner-up:

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

UEFA Europa Conference League The UEFA Conference League (UECL), usually known simply as the Conference League, is an annual association football, football competition organised since 2021 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European foot ...

runner-up:

, 2023–24 Italy U21 *

UEFA U-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 ...

runner-up:

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Individual *

Serie A Goal of the Month The Serie A Goal of the Month, officially known as the Iliad Goal of the Month for sponsorship reasons, is an association football award that recognises the player who is deemed to have scored the best Serie A goal each month of the season. The ...

: February 2023 *UEFA Europa Conference League Team of the Season:

, 2023–24

References

External links

Profile
at the ACF Fiorentina website
FIGC Profile

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Biraghi, Cristiano 1992 births Living people Footballers from Cernusco sul Naviglio Men's association football fullbacks Italian men's footballers Italy men's international footballers Serie A players Serie B players Inter Milan players Pro Sesto 1913 players SS Juve Stabia players AS Cittadella players Catania FC players AC ChievoVerona players Delfino Pescara 1936 players ACF Fiorentina players Torino FC players La Liga players Granada CF footballers Italy men's youth international footballers Italy men's under-21 international footballers Italian expatriate men's footballers Italian expatriate sportspeople in Spain Expatriate men's footballers in Spain 21st-century Italian sportsmen