| Mattia Viti | |
| Birth Date: | 24 January 2002 |
| Birth Place: | Borgo San Lorenzo, Italy |
| Height: | 1.90 m[1] |
| Position: | Centre-back, left-back |
| Currentclub: | Empoli (on loan from Nice) |
| Clubnumber: | 21 |
| Youthyears1: | 2006–2009 |
| Youthyears2: | 2009–2010 |
| Youthyears3: | 2010–2020 |
| Youthclubs3: | Empoli |
| Years1: | 2020–2022 |
| Clubs1: | Empoli |
| Caps1: | 22 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2022– |
| Clubs2: | Nice |
| Caps2: | 9 |
| Goals2: | 1 |
| Years3: | 2023–2024 |
| Clubs3: | → Sassuolo (loan) |
| Caps3: | 15 |
| Goals3: | 1 |
| Years4: | 2024– |
| Clubs4: | → Empoli (loan) |
| Caps4: | 0 |
| Goals4: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2017 |
| Nationalteam1: | Italy U15 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 0 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2018 |
| Nationalteam2: | Italy U16 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 3 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 0 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2020 |
| Nationalteam3: | Italy U18 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 2 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2021 |
| Nationalteam4: | Italy U20 |
| Nationalcaps4: | 4 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 0 |
| Nationalyears5: | 2022– |
| Nationalteam5: | Italy U21 |
| Nationalcaps5: | 6 |
| Nationalgoals5: | 0 |
| Club-Update: | 22:53, 23 July 2024 (UTC) |
| Nationalteam-Update: | 24 March 2023 |
Mattia Viti (born 24 January 2002) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or left-back for club Empoli, on loan from club Nice.
Born in Borgo San Lorenzo,[2] [3] [4] in the province of Florence, Mattia Viti already played football at the age of 4, with the club of Ponte a Greve—that would later merge with Rondinella Marzocco—in the Tuscan capital. Having moved to the nearby Audace Legnaia, he joined the Empoli academy as an 8-year-old, in 2010.[5] [6]
After a full 2019–20 season with the Primavera, Viti made his professional debut on the 30 September 2020, starting a 2–1 Coppa Italia win against Renate.[7] He played his first Serie B game with Empoli on the 9 April 2021, replacing Nedim Bajrami in a 1–0 away win to Reggina, already proving to be decisive with a late minute goal line clearance.[8] [9] His side eventually won the championship, making their come-back in Italy's top flight, while the Primavera squad also won their championship.[10]
On 22 September 2021 he made his Serie A debut in a 2–0 away victory against Cagliari, with Aurelio Andreazzoli making him start and finish the game, as the youngster proved to be instrumental in keeping a clean sheet for the Azzurri.[11] [12] [13]
During the following months—despite having to face the loss of his mother in November 2021[14] —he became a regular with the first team, alternating with Sebastiano Luperto or the veterans Tonelli and Romagnoli. He was a starter for several important Serie A wins, against the likes of Bologna,[15] Sassuolo[16] or Udinese,[17] appearing as one of the Italian championship most promising young defenders.[13] [18] [19]
On 3 August 2022, Viti joined Ligue 1 side Nice on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of €13 million.[20] [21]
On 12 July 2023, Serie A side Sassuolo announced the signing of Viti on a season-long loan with a future option to buy.[22]
On 22 July 2024, Viti returned to Empoli, signing on loan until the end of the 2024–25 season, with an option to make the deal permanent.[23]
Viti is a youth international for Italy, having played at under-15,[24] under-16[25] and under-18 levels.[26]
In September 2021, he was selected with the under-20,[27] making his debut during a 1–0 away friendly win against Serbia on the 6 September and becoming a regular starter for the team in November,[28] [29] [30] before being promoted to the under-21 side,[31] where he was however forced to withdraw due to injury.[32] [33]
A left-footed centre-back with a good physical presence, he is seen as a technically gifted defender, able to launch offensive movements from the back, who doesn't hesitate to take risks and dribble to move froward.[13]
Proactive in putting pressure on the opponent, he has a good discipline—not having received a single card during his first six months in Serie A—but still does his far share of defensive tasks, as he was for example among the top 1% of centre-backs in the top 5 European leagues in therms of blocks, halfway through his first Serie A season.
Very soon compared to former Empoli star Daniele Rugani,[34] his profile is often associated with the one of Alessandro Bastoni.[13] He cites Sergio Ramos and Paolo Maldini as his main inspirations as a player.
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Empoli | 2020–21 | Serie B | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |||
| Total | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | ||||
| Nice | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 1 | |
| Sassuolo (loan) | 2023–24 | Serie A | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 1 | |
| Empoli (loan) | 2024–25 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 46 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 56 | 2 | |||
Empoli