Roberto Piccoli

Roberto Piccoli (born 27 January 2001) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Bologna, on loan from Fiorentina, and the Italy national team.

Club career Youth Piccoli began playing football at the age of ten for Tritium Calcio, which plays in the fourth division of Italian football. At the age of thirteen, he made a move to the Atalanta youth academy after being noticed by Maurizio Costanzi, head of Atalanta youth development. Piccoli remained with Atalanta for the entirety of his youth career.

Piccoli had a successful youth career while playing for Atalanta in the Campionato Primavera 1. In the 2018–19 season, he scored 14 goals in the league which eventually helped Atalanta lift the Campionato Primavera 1 trophy. Piccoli had a similar performance in the 2019–20 season where he scored a total of 7 goals in the league which eventually saw his Atalanta side lift the Campionato Primavera 1 title once again.

Atalanta Piccoli made his professional debut in a goalless Serie A draw against Empoli on 15 April 2019. On 15 September 2020, he joined Spezia on a season-long loan. Piccoli scored his first goal for Spezia in a 1–2 loss against Inter Milan on 20 December 2020.

Returning to Atalanta on 21 August 2021, Piccoli came on as a substitute for Atalanta in an away match against Torino and scored the winning goal in the 93rd minute, which was first goal for the Bergamo-based club in the top flight. Piccoli made several more substitute appearances for Atalanta throughout the season, and was named in the starting lineup for the first time against Lazio on 22 January 2022. Piccoli has made a total of 15 appearances for Atalanta in Serie A whilst only scoring one goal for Atalanta.

Loan moves In 2022, Piccoli joined Genoa on loan for the remainder of the 2021–22 season after spending the first half of the season with Atalanta. He made his league debut against in a goalless draw against Roma as a substitute on 5 February. He made five appearances for Genoa during the remainder of the season, but did not score any goals. On 30 June, Piccoli joined Hellas Verona on loan for the 2022–23 season.

On 31 January 2023, Piccoli moved on loan to Empoli for one season, with an option to buy for Empoli and counter-option to buy back for Atalanta. On 31 August, his loan to Empoli was cut short and he moved on loan to Lecce instead, with an option to buy.

Later career

On 17 July 2024, Piccoli moved to Cagliari on loan with an option to buy set at €12 million. On 24 June 2025, the club activated the option to buy and he signed a four-year contract. On 25 August 2025, Piccoli joined another Serie A club Fiorentina, reportedly signing a five-year contract for a fee of €25 million.

International career Youth On 24 April 2016, Piccoli debuted for Italy U15 as a substitute in a friendly match against England U15 on 24 April 2016, in which the Italians lost 2–3.

With the Italy U19 squad Piccoli took part in the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship. While qualifying for the 2019 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, he scored two goals in a 2–0 victory against the Serbian U19 on 26 March 2019. Piccoli's U-19 side was knocked out in the group stage of the tournament after suffering defeats to both Portugal U19 and Spain U19.

On 3 September 2021, Piccoli made his debut with the Italy U21 squad as a starter in a 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification won 3–0 against Luxembourg. Roberto Piccoli's last appearance for the Italy U21 squad was on 16 November 2021, playing as a starter in a friendly match won 4–2 against Romania U21.

Senior Following an impressive first-half to the 2024-25 Serie A season with Cagliari, Piccoli spoke about his hopes for a possible call-up for the Italian senior team in an exclusive interview with Steven Moore of Canadian Serie A Broadcaster TLN TV, stating that he is "focused on working hard at the club level" as this is "the only way you can get to the national team." On 14 October 2025, he eventually debuted in a 3–0 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification home victory against Israel, replacing Mateo Retegui in the 90th minute.

Style of play Regarded as a talented young prospect, Piccoli is a player with good technique and a tall stature of 193 centimeters, while mostly being deployed as a center-forward. given the right opportunity His height allows him to be dangerous in the air. Gian Piero Gasperini, Atalanta's head coach, describes Piccoli "as great young talent who is a harder worker and a player that brings great value to the team." Piccoli describes himself as a "center-forward who loves to exploit the depth of the defense, while being technically gifted but also explaining he can still improve in that area." Piccoli has said that he is inspired by the likes of Duván Zapata and Mario Mandžukić. He has a passion for cycling, which he uses to maintain fitness.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours Atalanta 2x Italian youth champion (Primavera) 18/19,19/20 Italian Supercoppa Winner (Primavera) 19/20

Individual UEFA Youth League Top Scorer: 2019–20 Cosme Damião Awards – Revelation of the Year: 2021 Italian Golden Boy: 2021 20 man shortlist for the European Golden Boy award: 2021