Alessandro Bastoni

Alessandro Bastoni (born 13 April 1999) is an Italian professional footballer who plays primarily as a centre-back for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Italy national team. Regarded as one of the best centre-backs in the world, he is best known for his passing, speed, and versatility.

Early life Bastoni was born in Casalmaggiore, Lombardy, and began his career in the local Rivarolo Mantovano youth side, where his father was coach. At the age of 7, he joined the youth side of Serie A club Atalanta.

Club career

Atalanta Bastoni progressed through various age groups at Bergamo, including making nearly 30 appearances for the under-17 side, before eventually progressing to the Primavera side, where he established himself as a regular starter at the centre of defence. He was named on the first-team bench for the first time on 30 October 2016, for the game against Genoa, and made his full debut a month later in the Coppa Italia game against Pescara, playing the full game in a 3–0 victory. In Serie A, Bastoni remained as an unused substitute for the six games after Genoa until making his debut in a 1–0 win over Sampdoria on 22 January 2017, playing full 90 minutes.

Inter Milan On 31 August 2017, Inter Milan announced the signing of Bastoni for €31 million, and on the same day, his loan at Atalanta for the next two seasons. Inter officially recalled defender Alessandro Bastoni early from his loan with Atalanta and renewed his contract until 2023 on 14 July 2018.

Loan to Parma On 7 August 2018, Bastoni joined Parma on loan until 30 June 2019. He made his debut on 7 October 2018, in the league match won 3–1 away against Genoa.

International career Youth Bastoni has been capped by Italy at every level from U15 to U19. His first international goal came in a 4–0 victory against Norway whilst playing for the under-16 team. He was first called up to the under-18 side by coach Paolo Nicolato in August 2016. On 11 October 2018, Bastoni made his debut with the Italy U21 team in a 1–0 friendly loss against Belgium. He became immediately a starter and took part in the 2019 UEFA European Under-21 Championship on home soil.

Senior In September 2020, Bastoni received his first call up to the senior Italy squad from coach Roberto Mancini for UEFA Nations League matches against Bosnia Herzegovina and the Netherlands. He made his senior debut for Italy on 11 November, starting in a 4–0 friendly victory against Estonia in Florence.

In June 2021, Bastoni was included in Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He made his first and only appearance of the tournament in Italy's final group match, starting in a 1–0 victory against Wales in Rome on 20 June, resulting in the country to finish on top of their group. On 11 July, Bastoni won the European Championship with Italy following a 3–2 penalty shoot-out victory against England at Wembley Stadium in the final after a 1–1 draw in extra-time. On 14 June 2022, in Italy's fourth group match of the UEFA Nations League, Bastoni scored his first international goal in a 5–2 away loss against Germany.

In June 2024, Bastoni was included in Italy's final squad for UEFA Euro 2024 by manager Luciano Spalletti. On 15 June, in Italy's opening group match of the tournament against Albania, he scored Italy's temporary equaliser as they came from behind to win the match 2–1. Italy was eliminated from the tournament in the round of 16 following a 2–0 loss to Switzerland. Italy was eliminated from the World Cup after he received a red card in the playoff final, where Bosnia eventually defeated Italy on penalties.

Style of play A left–footed defender, Bastoni started his career as a full-back, but is also capable of playing as a centre-back, a role in which he became increasingly deployed as his career progressed. He is mainly known for his passing ability and ball control, while his height and ability to exploit spaces allows him to be effective in the air, which makes him a goal threat from indirect set–pieces. Regarded as a promising young player in the media, in 2020, he was included in the list of "Fifty for the future: UEFA.com's ones to watch." Known for his ability to time his challenges and his calmness under pressure, in 2024 he was included in 90min.com's list of "the 25 best centre-backs in world football."

Due to high presence of other left-footed center-backs in the national team, namely Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Buongiorno, and Riccardo Calafiori, Bastoni also plays in the middle of a back-three or even as a right-sided center-back in the back-four. When playing in this role, he is usually compared to Leonardo Bonucci due to his ability to provide accurate long passes from the back.

Personal life Bastoni's father, Nicola, was also a footballer, who played as a left–back for Cremonese. On 21 January 2022, Bastoni's long-time partner gave birth to a daughter.

Bastoni was under investigatation by the Guardia di Finanza in July 2026 for alleged involvement in prostitution – with a 17-year-old through a high-end escort service catering to Serie A players – six years prior.

Career statistics Club

International 2023–24, 2025–26 Coppa Italia: 2021–22, 2022–23, 2025–26 Supercoppa Italiana: 2021, 2022, 2023 UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2022–23, 2024–25 UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2019–20

Individual Serie A Team of the Year: 2020–21, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25 UEFA Champions League Team of the Season: 2022–23, 2024–25 Serie A Player of the Month: March 2024 Serie A Best Defender: 2023–24, 2024–25 Serie A Team of the Season: 2023–24, 2024–25

Orders