Destiny Udogie

Iyenoma Destiny Udogie (; born 28 November 2002) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a left-back for club Tottenham Hotspur and the Italy national team.

Club career

Hellas Verona Udogie developed in the Hellas Verona youth system, and made his Serie A debut on 8 November 2020, in a 2–2 draw away to Milan.

Udinese On 15 July 2021, Udogie joined Udinese on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy. During his debut season, he made 37 appearances for the club, primarily as a left wingback, and scored five goals. Following his debut season, Udinese activated the option-to-buy clause for a reported €4 million.

Tottenham Hotspur On 16 August 2022, Tottenham Hotspur confirmed that they had signed Udogie on a permanent transfer for a fee of €20 million until 2027, with Udogie immediately loaned back to Udinese for the 2022–23 season. Udogie made his debut for Tottenham on 13 August 2023 during the first matchday of the 2023–24 Premier League season, starting in an away match against Brentford. On 10 December, he scored his first Premier League goal for Tottenham in a 4–1 victory over Newcastle United. On 12 December, Udogie signed a new contract at the club, running to 2030. His first season with Spurs was cut short in April 2024, as he underwent surgery following an injury to his left quadriceps. On 9 May, Udogie was nominated for the Premier League Young Player of the Season Award.

International career

Born in Italy, Udogie is of Nigerian descent. He was a youth international for Italy.

On 3 September 2021, he made his debut with the Italy U21 squad, starting in the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying match against Luxembourg, which ended in a 3–0 win.

On 6 October 2023, Udogie received his first official call-up to the Italian senior national team by head coach Luciano Spalletti for their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and England. He then made his debut for Italy on 14 October 2023, coming on as a substitute in the 79th minute of the former match: in the process, he assisted Davide Frattesi's closing goal in a 4–0 victory. Three days later, he made his first international start in a 3–1 loss to England at the Wembley Stadium. Udogie sustained an injury during his first full season with Tottenham Hotspur which in turn ruled him out of the 2024 UEFA Euro and Italy's European Championship team. Italy was later eliminated in the Round of 16 by Switzerland.

Style of play Considered to be a promising player in the media, Udogie is a tall, tactically versatile, quick, and physically powerful defender, with good technique, vision, and stamina, who likes to make attacking runs with the ball. He mainly plays as a left-sided full-back or wing-back, although he is also capable of playing as a wide midfielder, or in the centre of defence, or even in midfield as a mezzala or defensive midfielder. During his time at Tottenham, he improved his all-round gameplay, showing significant developments. He has cited Brazilian attacking left-back Marcelo as a major influence.

International

Honours Tottenham Hotspur UEFA Europa League: 2024–25