Mattia Destro

At 33 years old, Mattia Destro has this physical status:

Mattia Destro (Italian pronunciation: [mattia dstro]; born 20 March 1991) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Empoli's Serie A club Mattia Destro. He has also played on international level, winning eight caps for Italy.

Personal life

Destro is the son of former Italian footballer Flavio Destro. He married model girlfriend Ludovica Caramis on September 1st, 2014.

He was positive for COVID-19 in September, 2020.

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Club career

Destro started his career with Ascoli, which is located in the city. In the 2004-05 season, he served in the Giovanissimi Nazionali squad, while his father Flavio was coaching the Allievi Nazionali team. In mid-2005, he joined Inter Milan's youth department.

In the 2005–09 season, Destro was the top-scoper of the Giovanissimi Nazionali team, the second top-scoper of the Allievi Nazionali team (behind Mario Balotelli), and the second top-scoring of the Primavera team in the 2006–09 season (behind Aiman Napoli). In 2008, Destro joined the Allievi Nazionali team in 2008 and played for the Primavera team, scoring four goals in the league group stage; 1 in Primavera league playoffs; 1 in the Primavera league playoffs, beating Sampdoria.

In the 2009–10 Campionato Nazionale Primavera Group Stage, Destro scored 18 goals and appeared in just a few club friendly matches for the first team. Despite not being used in any of the games, Destro was champion of the 2009-10 UEFA Champions League, and he had been included in the Champions League as one of the top youth products in the B list since the 2008–09 series.

Inter Milan agreed an agreement with Genoa to sign centre-back Andrea Ranocchia, and that Destro was part of the exchange agreement, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport in June 2010. The transfer took place on July 20, 2010 when Genoa purchased a more favorable option to sign Destro in a joint venture in June 2010.

Destro played his first match in Serie A against Chievo on September 12, 2010 as the only central forward in the match's 3–4–3 lineup, with Luca Toni missing, and he scored a goal in the sixth minute of the match. Genoa lost the match 1–3.

In January 2011, Destro was sold to Genoa in June as another 50% registration rights of Ranocchia was sold to Inter. In a co-ownership contract, Genoa also signed Inter teammate Samuele Longo on a monthly basis. Inter's purchase of Ranocchia culminated in the two strikers becoming part of the dialogue that culminated in Inter's signing of Ranocchia.

Destro paid for Serie A newcomers Siena on loan for €1.5 million, with the possibility of a co-ownership agreement.

With 12 goals and Emanuele Calai's 11 goals, Destro became the team's top goalcorer. Siena purchased half of Destro's registration rights from Genoa on June 20, 2012, costing him €1.3 million. Nevertheless, after Roma reached an agreement with both Genoa and Siena, Genoa bought Destro from Siena for €7.5 million (€6 million cash plus half of Eugenio Lamanna) in order to complete the transaction.

Roma announced on July 30, 2012, that they had signed Destro from Genoa in a loan agreement worth €11.5 million (€8.5 million cash plus half of both Giammario Piscitella and Valerio Verre's rights) with the option to purchase him outright for an additional €16 million (which meant Destro would cost Roma €16 million in total if the transaction was completed). Fabio Borini, a Liverpool-bound striker, who Roma just sold for €13.3 million, will be replaced by Destro. Destro made his Roma debut against Inter on September 2nd in a 3–1 victory over Inter. In a 4–1 home match against Palermo on November 4, he scored his first goal for the Giallorossi. After receiving two tickets from the referee, the second of which was for taking off his shirt when celebrating his goal, he got his first red card with the club in the same match. In his first season, Destro appeared in 21 Serie A matches for Roma, several in which he started as a replacement and scored six goals. Roma came in sixth in Serie A, but they did qualify for Coppa Italia's final. Destro scored five goals en route, making him the top scorer for the tournament. However, Lazio won by 1–0 over Roma in the final, despite losing by 1–0.

During his first season at Roma, Destro had trouble with injuries, and he continued to have health issues into the 2013–14 season. He did not make his first appearance against Fiorentina until November 8, 2013. He made an immediate difference by scoring the winning goal in the 67th minute in a 2–1 win. Destro then started playing regularly, displaying his goalscoring form from earlier in his career. In a 3–0 victory over Sampdoria in February and a hat-trick in a 3–1 victory over Cagliari in April 2014, he scored twice as the season progressed. Following the Cagliari game, Controversy ensued, although Destro punched defender Davide Astori, but was not punished at the time by the referee, but not sanctioned at the time by the referee. However, the league authorities later imposed a three-match suspension on Destro (which became four matches for accumulated yellow cards). Despite this, Destro scored 13 league goals for Roma, ending the season as the club's top scorer and helping his side to a second-place finish in Serie A, behind Juventus. He was rated as one of the best strikers in Serie A. Only Sergio Aguero and Lionel Messi had a higher goal-per-minute ratio than Destro in Europe's top five leagues.

During the summer of 2014, Destro was a point of intense transfer speculation, with moves to Chelsea and Real Madrid being closely linked by the media. VFL Wolfsburg's offer of €30 million was rejected by Roma's decision to keep him. Roma beat Cagliari 2–0 on September 20th, his first goal of the 2014–15 Serie A season. In the 2–0 triumph over Hellas Verona, he scored his second game of the season, with a 40-yard half volley to tie the win after Alessandro Florenzi's earlier strike.

Destro began working with AC Milan on loan from Roma on January 30, 2015. In a 1-1 draw with Empoli on February 15, he scored his first Milan goal. He left the club at the end of the 2014–15 season, having scored three goals in 15 games.

Bologna signed Destro from Roma for €8.5 million in bonuses up to €3 million on a five-year contract on August 20, 2015. Destro was Bologna's highest earner during the season, earning him a €1.6 million net salary. On August 22, 2015, he made his debut on August 22, 2015, as a replacement in the 2–1 loss to Lazio. In a 3–0 victory over Atalanta on November 1, he scored his first goal. Destro has signed a new deal worth €2 million a year.

Destro returned to Genoa on loan until the end of the season on January 4th, 2020. On September 7, 2020, he signed a long-term deal with the club on a free transfer.

On June 28, 2022, Destro joined Empoli, a Serie A club, on a free transfer.

International career

From under-16 to under-21, except the under-20 team, Destro has been captained for the Azzurrini at every level, except for the under-20 team. In 2005, Destro was first called up to a training camp. Destro's average was more than a goal for the Italian U19 team, with 10 out of his first 11 games scoring. In any of the final tournament's matches, he failed to score.

In the international Val-de-Marne tournament, Destro made his debut for the Italy under-16 team. He was a member of the Under-17 team in 2008 Euro qualification, as well as then-Inter teammates Davide Santon, Luca Caldirola, and Michele Rigione, who each scored one goal in two appearances. Destro appeared in all three games of the elite qualification, scoring one goal. He was also named in the 2008 Minsk under-17 International Tournament, where he scored a goal and a goal in a 1–1 draw with Moldova and a goal against Belarus. After winning 1–0 against Belgium, the Azzurrini lost 0–1 to Russia (line-up unavailable) and finished third. (Line-up is out of stock).

Destro scored a goal on his under-19 debut against Romania on December 17, 2008, a 3–1 win. Destro scored the only goal in the following match, a 1–0 victory over Norway in March 2009. In the 3–0 victory over Denmark, he captained once for the Italian under-18 team in January 2009, scoring a goal. The Italy under-18 team (players born 1991) was de facto the same team as under-19, despite the early departure of the Italy under-19 team in the 2009 season (also with players born in 1991). Destro was a regular member of the under-18/19/19 squad, earning the call-up against Ukraine but he did not participate and missed a friendly tournament in Slovakia due to injury. In September 2009, he scored a goal in the 4–1 friendly victory over Denmark and five goals in three appearances in the qualification. Luca Caldirola and Luca Tremolada, two of the team's teammates, were also in the starting lineup. In January 2010, Destro scored a hat-trick against Turkey, the first goal against Germany in March and three goals in two appearances in the elite round in May 2010. Only in April 2010, when Destro did not score in the friendly match against Switzerland.

He appeared in all three matches of the 2010 UEFA European Under-19 Championship for Italy's U19 team. The team failed to score any goals and ended at the bottom of Group B (equal 7th).

Destro got his first under-21 call-up and substituted Stefano Okaka in the 80th minute as striker Alberto Paloschi was supposed to miss the final qualifier match of 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification due to injury. Azzurrini defeated Wales 1–0 and went on to represent Wales as the group's champions after winning the head-to-head record. In a 4–4–2 system, he started the play-off match and partnered with Okaka, scoring the first goal by converting a Diego Fabbrini pass with a left-foot shot. In the 53rd minute, Luca Marrone was recalled as the coach's role was switched to a 4–3-3 configuration. The Azzurrini eventually defeated Belarus 2–0. However, Italy lost 0–3 to Belarus in Borisov after losing winger Ezequiel Schelotto and fullback Lorenzo De Silvestri. At halftime, winger Guido Marilungo replaced Destro. In a 1–0 victory over Turkey in an under-21 Championship qualifier, he scored against Turkey.

Although Destro was accepted by head coach Cesare Prandelli in the 32-man preliminary squad for UEFA Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, but he was not selected in the tournament's final squad.

He made his Italy national team debut on August 15, 2012, beginning in a 1–2 friendly loss to England at Wembley Stadium. In the 84th minute, he was called off for fellow debutant Diego Fabbrini. In Italy's second 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier match, Destro scored his first international goal in the first five minutes of Italy's 2–0 victory over Malta in the first five minutes.

Destro was drafted in the provisional 30-man squad for the 2014 World Cup, but he was one of seven players dropped from the final squad.

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