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Giulia Dragoni

Giulia Dragoni (born 7 November 2006) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga F club Barcelona and the Italy women's national team.

Club career

Early life and Inter Milan

Born in Milan, Italy, Dragoni started playing football at the age of four, joining grassroots club Franco Scarioni, before moving to Cimiano, and then entering the junior academy of Pro Sesto in 2015. Here, she first came to prominence for her performances in mixed-sex junior championships, where she played until 2019, earning the nickname "Little Messi".

Having first joined Inter Milan on trial for a youth tournament in 2018, Dragoni officially entered the club's youth sector in the summer of 2020. During the 2020–21 campaign, following the halt of several youth leagues due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, she was promoted to Inter's under-19 squad, aged just 14, and contributed to a third-place finish in the national championship.

Having been promoted to Inter's first team at the start of the 2022–23 season, under head coach Rita Guarino, Dragoni made her professional debut on 20 November 2022, coming in as a substitute for Ghoutia Karchouni in the 74th minute of a goalless league draw against Fiorentina. Having just turned 16 years old, she became the youngest player to ever feature in a Serie A match since the league had achieved full-time professional status. She went on to make three more appearances for Inter's senior team before the end of 2022.

Barcelona

On 31 January 2023, Dragoni officially joined Spanish side Barcelona on a permanent deal, signing a contract until June 2025. In the process, she became the first non-Spanish member of the women's team setup to reside at La Masia. Having been registered for the club's reserve team, Barcelona B, she scored her first goal for the side on 5 March, in a 3–0 league win over Athletic B. In her first season at the club, she helped Barcelona B win the second-tier title, having scored four goals in ten matches; she was also included in the first team's title-winning UEFA Women's Champions League squad, despite not featuring in any of their matches.

At the start of the 2023–24 season, Dragoni was officially promoted to Barcelona's first team, while still being a part of Barcelona B's roster. She made her first-team debut on 26 November 2023, coming on as a substitute for Mariona Caldentey in the 83rd minute of a 4–0 Liga F win over Athletic Club. In the process, at 17 years and 19 days, she became the youngest non-Spanish player to make her debut for Barcelona's senior team – either in men's or women's football –, overtaking the previous record by Lionel Messi (who was 17 years and three months old at the time of his debut). On 13 December, she made her UEFA Women's Champions League debut, coming on for Esmee Brugts in the 78th minute of a 6–0 win over FC Rosengård in the group stage. On 13 January 2024, she made her first start and scored her first goal for Barcelona's first team, opening the score in a 6–0 Copa de la Reina win over Fundación Albacete. At the end of the campaign, Dragoni helped Barcelona retain the Champions League title, becoming the first Italian player to win the trophy, as the Blaugrana completed a quadruple by also winning the league title, the Copa de la Reina and the Super Cup.

International career

Dragoni has represented Italy at various youth international levels, having played for the under-16, under-17 and under-19 national teams.

In March 2023 she received her first call-up to the Italian senior national team for the friendly match against Colombia. In June of the same year, she was included in the preliminary squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup by head coach Milena Bertolini. She subsequently made her debut for the Azzurre on 1 July, coming on as a substitute in the second half of a friendly match against Morocco, which ended in a goalless draw: at 16 years and 236 days, she became the youngest person to represent an Italian senior national football team in the 21st century, but did not beat the all-time record, originally established by Carolina Morace in 1978.

The following day, she was officially included in the final 23-women squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, aged just 16; in the process, she became the second youngest player to get called up for the tournament, behind only Casey Phair. On 24 July 2023, Dragoni started in a 1–0 group stage win over Argentina: at 16 years and 259 days, she became the youngest player to ever represent the Azzurre in the competition's history, a record that previously belonged to Rita Guarino, while also overtaking Giuseppe Bergomi as Italy's youngest player to take part in any World Cup match, including both men's and women's football. She also became the second-youngest European player to feature in a FIFA Women's World Cup game.

Style of play

Dragoni mainly operates as a midfielder in the mezzala role; she is best known for her dribbling skills, as well as her ball control, her passing and her tactical intelligence.