The 18-year-old centre-back was one of the revelations of the 2024-25 Serie A season and is now on the verge of joining Liverpool
There is arguably no better place to study the art of defending than Italy, and Giovanni Leoni is already looking like the country's next great centre-back. However, the 18-year-old would be the first to admit that he's also been shaped by English football.
Leoni grew up watching the Premier League on television and, according to his childhood friends, knew the name of every single player in every single team by heart. There was one name, though, that meant more to Leoni than any other: Virgil van Dijk. He idolised the Dutchman – and still does, which is good news for Liverpool, with the Reds having agreed a deal worth €35 million (£30m/$41m) to sign one of the most promising young players Italy has produced in years…
Where it all began
Leoni was born in Rome and remains a massive Roma fan to this day. However, his sports-mad family moved to Padua for work reasons when he was five, and it was in the north-eastern region of Veneto that he took his first steps towards becoming a footballer, with Vigontina. He then joined Cittadella in 2015, but was picked up by Padova four years later and that's where he too his first steps towards becoming a footballer.
Being the son of two former professional water polo players certainly didn't hinder his progress, as he learned about the importance of discipline and dedication at home, while it quickly became clear that he had also inherited his parents' athleticism. Indeed, Leoni was still only playing for Padova's Under-13s' B team when he was drafted into the U16s due to an injury crisis.
"I had the chance to play at a higher level and it was a valuable experience for me," he told the club's official website. "I was also lucky in Padua because I was always coached by defenders who could give me important advice. But the coach who taught me so much was Beppe Agostini. He taught me a lot both as a player and as a man. As he always says, "Even without football, life is beautiful."
AdvertisementThe big break
It was while lining out for Agostini's U17s that Leoni first came to the attention of Padova's senior team coach, Vincenzo Torrente, who brought him off the bench in the closing stages of a Serie C clash with AlbinLeffe on March 19, 2023. Leoni was just 16 years and three months old at the time and, thus, became the youngest player to make his professional bow in Italy across the entire 2022-23 campaign.
"When the coach told me to step onto the pitch, I was a little nervous," Leoni admitted after his historic debut. "But I was also happy because it was my dream. I never thought I'd make my first team debut at the beginning of the season; it all happened so quickly. The coach saw me play with the Under-17s and I think he liked my attitude, the fact that I never had any airs or graces. I just try to train hard and always give 100 percent."
How it's going
Less than a year after breaking through at Padova, Leoni was snapped up by Serie B side Sampdoria, who signed the youngster on February 1, 2024 on a six-month loan with an option to buy.
Andrea Pirlo was the Ligurians' coach at the time and the World Cup winner, who lined up alongside some of the finest defenders of all time during his illustrious playing career, knew Leoni was destined to play in Serie A from the moment he first saw him in action.
The hope was that he would do so with Samp, but after being knocked out in the preliminary round of the promotion play-offs, the cash-strapped Blucerchiati were left with no option but to cash in one of their more valuable assets.
By this stage, Inter and Juventus were being linked with Leoni, who had played more minutes than any other Under-18 player during the second half of the 2023-24 season, but it was newly-crowned Serie B champions Parma who agreed to meet Samp's request for an initial €5 million and a potential €3.5m in bonuses.
Unsurprisingly, Leoni proved a bargain buy. Although he took a little time to settle at the Ennio Tardini, the teenager broke into the Parma team under Fabio Pecchia in November before becoming a regular under Christian Chivu during the final four months of the season.
"We all know what Leoni can become," Chivu said shortly after replacing the sacked Pecchia in February. "It's now up to us and to him to realise [his potential]."
Getty Images SportBiggest strengths
What immediately stands out about Leoni is just how imposing he looks within the senior ranks. He's only 18, but he's 6'5 tall and puts his height to good use by constantly winning aerial battles in and around his own box. Furthermore, although he's yet to fully fill out, he's physically strong and has already proven himself capable of standing his ground against Serie A's biggest and most powerful No.9s.
However, Leoni's footballing intelligence is what really sets him apart from his peers.
"He's a very smart guy," former Sampdoria assistant coach Roberto Baronio told. "When you have above-average intelligence, you can go further, and he can read the opponent's intentions. It's a skill we noticed early on in him. When a defender encounters a fast attacker, or a more powerful one, he tries to 'manage' him, with simple shoulder thrusts or by anticipating the ball. These are subtleties, tricks that usually only an experienced player can possess, when he's already familiar with the player he's facing. But Leoni already has this knowledge, this level of cunning."