| Tommaso Mancini | |
| Birth Date: | 23 July 2004 |
| Birth Place: | Vicenza, Italy |
| Height: | 1.93 m |
| Position: | Center-forward |
| Currentclub: | Juventus Next Gen |
| Clubnumber: | 23 |
| Youthyears1: | –2022 |
| Youthclubs1: | Vicenza |
| Youthyears2: | 2022– |
| Youthclubs2: | Juventus |
| Years1: | 2020–2022 |
| Clubs1: | Vicenza |
| Caps1: | 13 |
| Goals1: | 0 |
| Years2: | 2022– |
| Clubs2: | Juventus |
| Caps2: | 0 |
| Goals2: | 0 |
| Years3: | 2022– |
| Clubs3: | → Juventus Next Gen (res.) |
| Caps3: | 13 |
| Goals3: | 0 |
| Nationalyears1: | 2019 |
| Nationalteam1: | Italy U15 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals1: | 4 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2019–2020 |
| Nationalteam2: | Italy U16 |
| Nationalcaps2: | 12 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 8 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2021–2022 |
| Nationalteam3: | Italy U18 |
| Nationalcaps3: | 7 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 1 |
| Nationalyears4: | 2021– |
| Nationalteam4: | Italy U19 |
| Nationalcaps4: | 12 |
| Nationalgoals4: | 3 |
| Pcupdate: | 14 April 2024 |
| Ntupdate: | 23:00, 19 November 2022 (UTC) |
Tommaso Mancini (born 23 July 2004) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a center-forward for club Juventus Next Gen.
Born in Vicenza, Mancini progressed through the youth ranks at the city's main club,[1] [2] [3] [4] where he signed his first professional contract in July 2020, penning a three-year deal.[5] In the meantime, the forward also started training with the first team, under manager Domenico Di Carlo,[6] [7] and featured for Lega Pro's under-15 national team.[8]
On 30 September 2020, Mancini made his senior debut for Vicenza, playing the first half of the Coppa Italia game against Pro Patria, which ended in a 3–2 win after extra time for his side.[9] At 16 years and 67 days, he became the club's second youngest player ever, behind only Nicola Rigoni (who had debuted at 16 years and 60 days).[10] On 4 January 2021, the forward made his league debut, coming in as a substitute for Stefano Giacomelli at the 80th minute of the Serie B match against Brescia, which ended in a 3–0 away win for his team.[11] [12] At 16 years and 162 days, he became the youngest player to ever feature in a Serie B match.[13] Throughout the season, Mancini made four more senior appearances, including a start.[14] In the following campaign, the forward saw his playing time limited by injuries and tactical decisions: in the end, he gained a total amount of nine senior appearances, as Vicenza eventually faced relegation from the second tier.
In the summer of 2022, Mancini attracted interest by several high-profile Italian and European teams: after starting the pre-season at Vicenza,[15] and failing to agree personal terms with AC Milan,[16] he eventually joined Juventus on a permanent deal,[17] [18] with the estimated transfer fee being between €2 million and €2.5 million.[19]
Mancini was initially assigned to the club's under-19 squad, where he impressed with his performances in the Campionato Primavera and the UEFA Youth League.[20] On 7 December 2022, the center-forward made his debut for Juventus Next Gen, coming in as a substitute in the second half of the Coppa Italia Serie C match against Padova.[21]
Mancini has represented Italy at various youth international levels.
After featuring for the under-15 national team for the first time in March 2019,[22] he went on to play for the under-16,[23] under-18 and under-19 national teams in the following years.[24]
The forward was included in the under-18 squad that took part in the 2022 Mediterranean Games in Oran,[25] as the Azzurrini eventually won the silver medal after losing to France (1–0) in the tournament's final match.[26]
Both in May and December 2022, he took part in training camps at Coverciano with the Italian senior national team, led by the head coach Roberto Mancini.[27] [28] [29]
Mancini has been described as a complete center-forward, who can play either as a standalone target man or in an attacking duo. Despite being naturally right-footed, he can also use his left foot as effectively. Thanks to his height and his physique, he excels in heading and defending possession: however, he can also take on his opponent with his technical skills and his athleticism. Moreover, he has been regarded for his coordination, his off-the-ball movement and his finishing prowess, which provide him with a wide variety of options to find the net through, including acrobatic strikes and free kicks.[30]
Due to his characteristics, he has been compared to Zlatan Ibrahimović.
| Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Vicenza | 2020–21 | Serie B | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | |||
| 2021–22 | Serie B | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||
| 2022–23 | Serie C | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | |||
| Juventus | 2022–23 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Juventus Next Gen | 2022–23 | Serie C | 2 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 0 | |||