UEFA.com's weekly wonderkid: Federico Chiesa
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Article summary
Federico Chiesa, son of former Italy striker Enrico, is making a name for himself at Fiorentina. "He plays with the joy of a kid. It's the best thing you can see in a professional," says Paulo Sousa.
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Following in his father Enrico's footsteps, Federico Chiesa has quickly become a key player for Fiorentina in his first Serie A season.
Name: Federico Chiesa
Club: Fiorentina
Debut: 20 August 2016 v Juventus
Position: forward
Nationality: Italian
Date of birth: 25 October 1997
Preferred foot: right
Height: 175cm
They say ...
"Everyone is pushing him to become who he deserves to be. He won our hearts with his energy and enthusiasm. Federico plays with the joy of a child. It's the best thing you can see in a professional footballer."
Paulo Sousa, Fiorentina coach
"My son has a lot of fun playing, and this is the nicest part of it. He has to continue on this path, continue doing well with Fiorentina. A comparison to me? Federico is only 19, let's give him time to grow. He just has to continue enjoying himself."
Enrico Chiesa, former Fiorentina and Italy striker and father of Federico
Background ...
Genoa-born Chiesa began his youth career with Settignanese, a Tuscan club based not far from Florence, before moving to Fiorentina aged ten.
Sousa included Chiesa in his pre-season plans last summer and surprised everybody by starting him away to Juventus on the opening weekend of the Serie A campaign. He scored his first senior goal on his tenth appearance, in a 2-1 win against Qarabağ in which he was also sent off.
Playing style ...
Chiesa is full of energy and determination. Creative and with a nose for goal, he is comfortable on either flank or behind a lone striker, where he has space to attack defenders one-on-one. Chiesa's first instinct upon receiving possession is to dribble at his nearest opponent.
Shades of ...
Comparisons to his father – who bagged 138 Serie A goals during spells with Sampdoria, Cremonese, Parma, Fiorentina, Lazio and Siena – are inevitable. They are reinforced by Federico running and moving the ball in a similar way to Enrico, while the youngster also wears the same No25 shirt at Fiorentina.
Eureka moment ...
When Fiorentina got their second, ultimately decisive goal at home to Juventus on 15 January, everyone turned to Chiesa, who was celebrating wildly.
The teenager had run across the flight of Milan Badelj's pass into the penalty area, desperately wafting a leg in an attempt to turn the ball in. His failure to make contact mattered not as Gianluigi Buffon was distracted anyway. The goal was awarded to Badelj, although Chiesa said wryly: "I touched it."
He eventually struck his first Serie A goal a week later in a 3-0 victory over Chievo.
Best-case scenario ...
Chiesa and seventh-placed Fiorentina are trying to earn a place in Europe next season. A convincing UEFA Europa League campaign would help establish him as one of the brightest prospects in Italy.
He says ...
"I couldn't believe it when Sousa told me I would be starting against Juventus in August – my knees were trembling. When I scored my first Serie A goal against Chievo I didn't know what to do. I want to give 200% to improve as a player. I've been at Fiorentina for ten years now and will remain for four more. I could not be happier."