Mattia Liberali
Mattia Liberali (born 6 April 2007) is an Italian footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and winger for Catanzaro in Serie B, wearing number 14. He was born in Carate Brianza, Italy, and is 1.69 meters tall.
Liberali began his youth career at local clubs, spending time with Aquile della Brianza and La Dominante before joining AC Milan. He trained with Milan while playing weekends with La Dominante, and later moved to Milan on a permanent deal. In the 2021–22 season, he was the second-highest scorer in Milan’s Under-16 Scudetto campaign, helping the team win the title. He first trained with Milan’s first team in December 2022 and signed his first professional contract with the club in July 2023, running through 2027.
In the 2024–25 pre-season, Liberali impressed in friendlies and provided an assist in a 1–0 win over Real Madrid in Chicago. He made his professional debut for Milan Futuro (the reserve team) on 10 August 2024, scoring in a 3–0 Coppa Italia Serie C win over Lecco. He made his AC Milan first-team debut on 15 December 2024 in a 0–0 draw with Genoa, during the club’s 125th anniversary celebrations.
Liberali was included in AC Milan’s pre-season plans for the 2025 Asia-Pacific tour, facing Arsenal, Liverpool and Perth Glory. On 8 August 2025, he joined Catanzaro on a free transfer and signed a contract until 2029.
Internationally, Liberali has represented Italy at the U15, U16, U17 and U19 levels. He has been used as an attacking midfielder and as a left winger, and was former Italy U17 coach Massimiliano Favo’s choice in several games. He began as a central defender in 7-a-side football. He has been praised for his style and was compared to Phil Foden by Alessandro Costacurta. In October 2024, he was listed by The Guardian as one of the 60 best talents born in 2007. He also helped Italy win the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in 2024 in Cyprus.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 19:00 (CET).