Sandro Tonali Explained

Sandro Tonali
Full Name:Sandro Tonali[1]
Birth Date:8 May 2000
Birth Place:Lodi, Italy
Height:1.81 m[2]
Position:Midfielder
Currentclub:Newcastle United
Clubnumber:8
Youthyears1:2009–2012
Youthclubs1:Piacenza
Youthyears2:2012–2017
Youthclubs2:Brescia
Years1:2017–2021
Clubs1:Brescia
Caps1:88
Goals1:6
Years2:2020–2021
Clubs2:AC Milan (loan)
Caps2:25
Goals2:0
Years3:2021–2023
Clubs3:AC Milan
Caps3:70
Goals3:7
Years4:2023–
Clubs4:Newcastle United
Caps4:8
Goals4:1
Nationalyears1:2018
Nationalteam1:Italy U19
Nationalcaps1:12
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:2019–2023
Nationalteam2:Italy U21
Nationalcaps2:14
Nationalgoals2:0
Nationalyears3:2019–
Nationalteam3:Italy
Nationalcaps3:15
Nationalgoals3:0
Club-Update:10:35, 22 October 2023 (UTC)
Nationalteam-Update:9 September 2023

Sandro Tonali (pronounced as /it/; born 8 May 2000) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Newcastle United and the Italy national team. He is currently banned from all competitive footballing activities until 27 August 2024 for gambling offences.

He began his professional career at Brescia, winning Serie B in 2018–19. A year later he moved to Milan, initially on loan. He played 130 total games for Milan, and won Serie A in 2021–22. In 2023 he signed for Newcastle for a reported fee of €70 million, making him the most expensive Italian footballer of all time.

Club career

Brescia

Tonali made his professional debut for Brescia Calcio on 26 August 2017, aged 17, coming on as a substitute in the Serie B away match lost 2–1 against Avellino.[3] On 28 April 2018 he scored his first professional career goal, in a 4–2 defeat against Salernitana in Serie B.[4] He obtained 19 league appearances in total during his first season as a professional player, scoring two goals and providing two assists during the 2017–18 Serie B season.[5]

The following season, Tonali won the Serie B title with Brescia, and achieved promotion to Serie A, featuring as a starter for the club throughout the entire 2018–19 season.[6]

He made his Serie A debut on 25 August 2019, aged 19, in a 1–0 away win against Cagliari.[7] On 29 September, he assisted Mario Balotelli's goal from a corner kick in a 2–1 away loss to Napoli; he also scored a goal during the match with a powerful shot from outside the area, which was disallowed by VAR, however, for a foul by Brescia's Dimitri Bisoli on Napoli's Nikola Maksimović.[8] He scored his first Serie A goal on 26 October, netting a long-range free kick into the top corner from the left flank, which was the opening goal in an eventual 3–1 away defeat to Genoa.[9] [10]

AC Milan

2020–2021: loan

On 9 September 2020, Tonali joined AC Milan,[11] [12] on a season-long loan for €10 million with an option to buy for €15 million, plus bonuses worth €10 million.[13] The player will earn a yearly wage of €2 million for five years. Three days later, he made his non-competitive debut in a friendly at Milanello against his previous club.[14]

Tonali made his competitive debut for Milan on 17 September 2020, coming on as a substitute in the 83rd minute in a 2–0 victory against Shamrock Rovers FC in the second round of Europa League qualifying. He made his Serie A debut for Milan on 21 September 2020, coming off the bench in the 77th minute in a 2–0 victory over Bologna FC 1909 at the San Siro. Tonali finished the season with 37 appearances, 23 of those in the starting eleven.

2021–2022: Serie A champion

On 8 July 2021, Milan officially purchased Tonali's rights from Brescia and he signed a five-year contract with the club.[15] He took a pay-cut to secure his childhood dream move to Milan and was praised by the fans on social media for this gesture.[16]

Tonali scored his first goal with Milan's shirt on 29 August 2021 against Cagliari, a free kick that opened the scoresheet in eventual 4–1 win.[17] On 3 October at Gewiss Stadium against Atalanta, Tonali dispossessed the ball from Remo Freuler and ran to the opponents box to score the second goal in eventual 3–2 victory for Milan.[18] On 25 February 2022, Tonali assisted Rafael Leão's goal against Udinese, becoming the youngest midfielder to have scored more than one goal (two) and delivered more than one assist (two) in Serie A that season.[19]

On 24 April as the match against Lazio was heading to 1–1 draw, Tonali scored the winner in the stoppage time, securing the lead for his team in Serie A table.[20] On 8 May 2022, his 22nd birthday, Tonali scored an equalizing and a winning goal in the 3–1 away Serie A victory against Hellas Verona.[21] The comeback victory brought Milan back on top of the Serie A following Inter's 48-hour stay there in a close championship race. Tonali is also the youngest midfielder to have scored five or more goals in Serie A that season (and the second-youngest among all players, older only than Bologna's Aaron Hickey).[22] After 3–0 away win against Sassuolo on 22 May, Milan secured their first Scudetto in 11 years, In total, Tonali played 36 games in the campaign, scoring 5 goals and providing 3 assists.

Tonali's performance that season brought the attention and praise of renowned Italian football pundits, the likes of Paolo Di Canio, Roberto Donadoni and Fabio Capello, the latter went on to state that Tonali would have found a place in even the greatest of Milan's generation in the past.[23] [24]

Newcastle United

On 3 July 2023, Premier League club Newcastle United announced the signing of Tonali on a five-year contract, for an undisclosed fee.[25] [26] Reported to be around €70 million, this made Tonali the most expensive Italian player of all time.[27]

On 18 July, he made his debut for Newcastle in Allan McGregor's testimonial match against Rangers.[28] On 12 August, he scored the opening goal on his Premier League debut in a 5–1 win over Aston Villa.[29]

On 18 October 2023, Newcastle announced Tonali was being investigated by the Italian Prosecutor's Office and the Italian Football Federation in relation to alleged illegal betting activity.[30] On 26 October, he was banned from playing football for 10 months for breaching Italian betting regulations. This included a further eight months in gambling rehabilitation. This meant he would miss the rest of the season and UEFA Euro 2024.[31] [32] In March 2024 he was charged with misconduct in relation to alleged breaches of the Football Association's betting rules. The FA alleged that Tonali broke rules by placing bets on matches between 12 August and 12 October 2023.[33] He was handed an additional two-month suspended ban by the FA for these breaches in May 2024, though will be allowed to return to football in August on the condition that no further breaches are made during the 2024–25 season.[34]

International career

Youth

With the Italy U19 he took part in the 2018 European Under-19 Championship, reaching the final of the tournament, where Italy lost 4–3 after extra time against Portugal.

He made his debut with the Italy U21 team on 21 March 2019, in a 0–0 friendly draw against Austria in Trieste.[35] He took part in the 2019 European Under-21 Championship.[36]

Senior

In November 2018, he was called for the first time to the senior national team by manager Roberto Mancini.[37] After appearing for the Italy U21 side in a 0–0 away draw against Ireland on 10 October 2019, in a European qualifier, he was called up to the Italy senior squad once again the following day, for the team's Euro 2020 qualifiers against Greece and Liechtenstein.[38]

Tonali made his senior international debut on 15 October 2019, coming on as a substitute in the 5–0 away win against Liechtenstein in Vaduz.[39] His first start for Italy came in his following appearance on 15 November, a 3–0 away win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.[40]

Style of play

Regarded as a promising young Italian player in his position by the media, Tonali has been described by pundits as a regista,[41] although he is a versatile midfielder, who is capable of playing in several roles.[42] In his youth, he was often likened to Andrea Pirlo – who also started his career with Brescia – in terms of his movement, coordination, appearance, technical qualities, position, and playing style.[43] [44] A strong, fast, energetic, elegant, and creative midfielder, with excellent vision and an ability to read the game, Tonali usually plays in a central or defensive midfield role as deep-lying playmaker in a 4–3–3 formation,[45] [46] [47] Dictating play for Brescia with his passing in midfield, he set up two goals and scored two himself in his 19 appearances in Serie B during the 2017–18 season.[48] Although naturally right-footed, he is known for his accurate long passing ability with either foot.[49] Moreover, he is also adept at taking set-pieces.[50] His tenacity and defensive contribution also allow him to play as a box-to-box midfielder, while his creativity, ability to find space, make late runs, and his penchant for driving forward with the ball even saw him deployed in a more advanced role on occasion at Milan under manager Stefano Pioli, namely as a mezzala.[51] [52]

In addition to Pirlo, Tonali has also cited Steven Gerrard and Luka Modrić as influences, and has also compared his own playing style to that of Gennaro Gattuso.[53] In July 2019, he was named by UEFA as one of the 50 promising young players to watch for the 2019–20 season.[54]

Personal life

Tonali has been an AC Milan fan since childhood.[55] [56]

Career statistics

Club

[57]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupEuropeOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Brescia2017–18Serie B19200192
2018–19Serie B34300343
2019–20Serie A35110361
Total88610896
AC Milan (loan)2020–21Serie A25010110370
AC Milan2021–22Serie A3653060455
2022–23Serie A3421012010482
Total95750290101307
Newcastle United2023–24Premier League81001030121
Career total1911360103201023114

International

[58]

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Italy201930
202010
202120
202260
202330
Total150

Honours

Brescia

2018–19[6]

AC Milan

2021–22[59]

Italy U19

Individual

2018[61]

2018[62]

2020[64]

2020[65]

May 2022[66]

2022[67]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Comunicato Ufficiale N. 283 . Official Statement No. 283 . Lega Serie A . 3 . 30 July 2020 . 29 August 2021 . it . 25 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220325154607/https://www.legaseriea.it/uploads/default/attachments/comunicati/comunicati_m/8410/files/allegati/8506/cu283.pdf . dead .
  2. Web site: Sandro Tonali: Biography . AC Milan . 30 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230627160518/https://www.acmilan.com/en/teams/men-first-team/players/sandro-tonali/biography . 27 June 2023 . dead .
  3. Web site: Soccerway. Game Report by Soccerway. 26 August 2017.
  4. Web site: Angelo Taglieri. 28 April 2018. Tonali, primo gol in carriera: Juve e Inter lo hanno già chiesto, il Milan.... 14 October 2018. www.calciomercato.com. Italian.
  5. Web site: Nikita Fesyukov. 14 October 2018. Introducing Tonali, 'the next Pirlo' wanted by Sarri and Allegri. 14 October 2018. www.calciomercato.com.
  6. Web site: Brescia back in business . Football Italia . Rahaman . Vijay . 26 July 2019 . 25 September 2019 .
  7. Web site: Juventus and Milan dealt blow as Brescia will keep Tonali . www.calciomercato.com . 26 August 2019 . 25 September 2019 .
  8. Web site: Napoli 2 – 1 Brescia. Football Italia. 29 September 2019.
  9. Web site: Juventus held to draw at Serie A struggler Lecce . TSN . 26 October 2019 . 26 October 2019 .
  10. Web site: 3 subs, 3 goals as Motta's Genoa debut goes to plan . The Score . 26 October 2019 . 26 October 2019 .
  11. Web site: 9 September 2020. Official Statement: Sandro Tonali. 9 September 2020. AC Milan.
  12. Web site: Tonali ceduto a titolo temporaneo. 2020-09-10. www.bresciacalcio.it. it. 28 October 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20211028175418/https://www.bresciacalcio.it/news/ultime-news/12888/tonali-ceduto-a-titolo-temporaneo. dead.
  13. Web site: Mercato, Tonali al Milan: ci sono firma e annuncio. 2020-09-10. La Gazzetta dello Sport. 9 September 2020 . it-IT.
  14. Web site: Milan-Brescia 3–1: il tabellino dell'amichevole. Milan News.
  15. Web site: AC Milan. OFFICIAL STATEMENT: SANDRO TONALI. 8 July 2021.
  16. Web site: Tonali reveals why he accepted pay cut to stay at Milan and admits:there were other clubs. 21 July 2021.
  17. Web site: AC MILAN HIT FOUR IN HOME OPENER . acmilan . 16 February 2022.
  18. Web site: DOMINANT AC MILAN EMERGE VICTORIOUS IN BERGAMO . acmilan . 16 February 2022.
  19. Web site: AC MILAN V UDINESE: THE NUMBERS FROM THE GAME . acmilan . 27 February 2022.
  20. Web site: COMEBACK IN THE CAPITAL . acmilan . 24 April 2022.
  21. Web site: Le pagelle di Tonali: siamo a livelli extraterrestre, leader del Diavolo a 22 anni . MilanNews . 10 May 2022.
  22. Web site: HELLAS VERONA V AC MILAN: THE NUMBERS FROM THE GAME . ACMILAN . 10 May 2022.
  23. Web site: Mork . Martin . DONADONI AND DI CANIO ON TONALI: 'HE HAS IMPROVED A LOT' . Football Italia . 4 October 2021 . 16 March 2022.
  24. Web site: Capello: "Rossoneri, la ricetta per vincere. Tonali? avrebbe giocato anche nel grande Milan" . La Gazetta dello Sport . 16 March 2022 . 16 March 2022.
  25. Web site: NEWCASTLE UNITED SIGN SANDRO TONALI. nufc.co.uk. 3 July 2023.
  26. News: 3 July 2023 . Newcastle sign Milan midfielder Tonali . en-GB . BBC Sport . 2023-07-03.
  27. Web site: Newcastle sign Tonali from AC Milan. 3 July 2023. reuters.com. 3 July 2023.
  28. Web site: 18 July 2023 . Rangers 1 Newcastle United 2 . 2023-07-18 . Newcastle United Football Club . en.
  29. Web site: Sandro Tonali and Alexander Isak star in Newcastle's rout of Aston Villa . The Guardian . 12 August 2023 .
  30. Web site: Sandro Tonali: Newcastle confirm midfielder is being investigated over alleged betting activity . . 19 October 2023 . 18 October 2023.
  31. Web site: Sandro Tonali: Italian FA agrees 10-month ban for Newcastle footballer. Louise. Taylor. 26 October 2023. The Guardian.
  32. Web site: Newcastle's Sandro Tonali to miss rest of season and Euro 2024 after 10-month ban for betting breaches. Luke. Edwards. 26 October 2023. The Daily Telegraph.
  33. Web site: Sandro Tonali: Newcastle midfielder charged by FA for alleged breaches of betting rules . . 28 March 2024.
  34. https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11678/13127550/sandro-tonali-newcastle-midfielder-handed-two-month-suspended-ban-for-50-breaches-of-fa-betting-rules
  35. Web site: A Trieste è pari contro l'Austria: buona la prima mezz'ora dell'Italia ma il match finisce a reti bianche . figc.it . FIGC . It . 21 March 2019 . 16 October 2019 .
  36. Web site: Parte l'avventura europea: Di Biagio ufficializza la lista dei 23 Azzurrini. figc.it. FIGC. It. 6 June 2019. 13 April 2020.
  37. Web site: 9 November 2018. Nazionale di calcio: Mancini convoca Tonali, Balotelli resta fuori. BsNews. Italian.
  38. Web site: Italy promote Tonali to seniors . Football Italia . 11 October 2019 . 12 October 2019 .
  39. Web site: Historic manita in Liechtenstein . Football Italia . 15 October 2019 . 16 October 2019 .
  40. Web site: Italy: Dominant display in Bosnia . Football Italia . 15 November 2019 . 15 November 2019 .
  41. Web site: 20 September 2018. Agent: 'Tonali better than Pirlo!'. 14 October 2018. Football Italia.
  42. News: How Newcastle could replace Sandro Tonali: Signings, loans and Saudi Arabia . The Athletic . Whitehead . Jacob . 24 October 2023 . 29 November 2023 .
  43. Web site: Angelo Taglieri. 30 July 2018. Inter, Juve e Roma avvisate: per Tonali Cellino studia un affare alla Nainggolan. 14 October 2018. www.calciomercato.com. Italian.
  44. Web site: Gian Paolo Laffranchi. 5 February 2018. Brescia al passo di Tonali in viaggio sulle orme di Pirlo. 14 October 2018. www.bresciaoggi.it. Italian. 1 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190401193510/http://www.bresciaoggi.it/home/sport/brescia-calcio/brescia-al-passo-di-tonali-in-viaggio-sulle-orme-di-pirlo-1.6277956. dead.
  45. Web site: Fabio Pettenò. 9 July 2018. Brescia, rifondazione in atto: cambia più di metà squadra. 14 October 2018. www.bresciaoggi.it. Italian. 1 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190401193508/http://www.bresciaoggi.it/home/sport/brescia-calcio/brescia-rifondazione-in-atto-cambia-pi%C3%B9-di-met%C3%A0-squadra-1.6621603. dead.
  46. Web site: Alessandro Rubichini. 7 September 2018. Analisi del Singolo: Sandro Tonali del Brescia. 2020-08-12. AIAPC. it-IT.
  47. Web site: Bresciaingol – Brescia calcio – News, esclusive, diretta partita, calcio mercato, giovanili, calcio femminile. 2020-08-12. www.bresciaingol.com. 16 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200916211908/http://www.bresciaingol.com/news.asp?id_news=29603. dead.
  48. Web site: Sandro Tonali. 14 October 2018. www.tuttocalciatori.net. Italian.
  49. Web site: Chi è Sandro Tonali, il piccoletto che studia da Pirlo . www.calcionews24.com . Italian . Piazzola . Andrea . 30 October 2018 . 30 September 2019 .
  50. Web site: Why Sandro Tonali Could Become a Better Player Than Andrea Pirlo . 90min.com . Bushe . Lee . 13 May 2020 . 14 November 2021 .
  51. Web site: Tonali's arrival gives Milan a glimpse of their bright new dawn on the horizon . ESPN.com . 9 September 2020 . 29 November 2023 .
  52. Web site: UCL: How Tonali can guide Newcastle to victory in Milan . Football Italia . Heyes . Apollo . September 2023 . 29 November 2023 .
  53. Web site: Brescia, Tonali: 'I am ready for the Serie A. Pirlo? I am more like Gattuso...' . www.calciomercato.com . 27 July 2019 . 30 September 2019 .
  54. Web site: 50 for the future: UEFA.com's ones to watch in 2019/20 . UEFA.com . 30 July 2019 . 30 September 2019 .
  55. Web site: GdS: Milan fans are crazy about Tonali and his incredible growth this season . sempremilan . 6 November 2021 . 16 February 2022.
  56. News: Yokhin . Michael . AC Milan: Is Sandro Tonali the new Andrea Pirlo? . 16 February 2022 . BBC . 15 September 2021.
  57. Web site: S. Tonali. Soccerway. 29 January 2019.
  58. Web site: Tonali, Sandro. FIGC. it. 16 October 2019.
  59. Web site: Milan secure 1st Serie A title in 11 years. News18 India. 22 May 2022. 22 May 2022.
  60. Web site: Under-19 – Portugal win epic U19 EURO final. UEFA. 31 July 2018.
  61. News: Under-19 EURO team of the tournament. UEFA. August 2018. 8 February 2019.
  62. Web site: Gran Galà del calcio AIC 2018: Icardi il miglior giocatore 2017–2018. Tutti i premi. 3 December 2018. sport.sky.it. 3 December 2018. it.
  63. Web site: Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners . Football Italia . 2 December 2019. 2 December 2019.
  64. Web site: Malik. Muqaddam. 16 December 2020. AC Milan Midfielder Wins The 2020 Golden Boy Award For Italy. 29 August 2021. The AC Milan Offside.
  65. Web site: IFFHS.
  66. News: Sandro Tonali EA Sports Player of the Month for May . Serie A . 19 May 2022 . 19 May 2022 . 13 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220813081843/https://www.legaseriea.it/en/press/news/info/sandro-tonali-ea-sports-player-of-the-month-for-may-1 . dead .
  67. Web site: 25 May 2022. Milan, Tonali premiato come miglior mezz'ala: "Un onore e una gioia? . 25 May 2022 . Pianeta Milan.
  68. News: 2 June 2023 . EA Sports™ FIFA 23 Serie A Team of the Season . Serie A . 2 June 2023.