sport.wikisort.org - Athlete

Cesare Casadei (born 10 January 2003) is an Italian footballer, who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Chelsea.

Cesare Casadei

Personal information
Date of birth	(2003-01-10) 10 January 2003 (age 19)
Place of birth	Ravenna, Italy[1]
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)[2]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Club information
Current team	Chelsea
Number	46
Youth career
Team
	Cervia
0000–2018	Cesena
2018–2022	Inter Milan
2022–	Chelsea
National team‡
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2018–2019	Italy U16	9	(2)
2019	Italy U17	1	(1)
2021	Italy U18	1	(1)
2021–2022	Italy U19	10	(3)
2022–	Italy U20	2	(1)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 27 September 2022

Club career

Early life and Inter Milan

Born in Ravenna and growing up in Milano Marittima, Casadei started playing football at Cervia before joining Cesena.[3][4][5] In 2018, after the latter club faced bankruptcy, the midfielder moved to Inter Milan, where he quickly came through the youth ranks, winning a national Under-17 championship in 2019 and rising to the Under-19 squad while still being only seventeen.[4]

In October 2021, he was included in The Guardian's yearly "Next Generation" list, featuring the highest-rated prospects born in 2003.[6][7] The following year, Casadei received his first call-ups to Inter Milan's first team, while contributing to the U19's final victory in the Campionato Primavera 1.[8][4][9]

Chelsea

On 19 August 2022, it was announced that Chelsea had agreed a deal with Inter Milan for the signing of Cesare Casadei on a six-year contract.[10] His transfer fee was reported to be in the range of €15 million plus €5 million in add-ons.[9][10] On 31 August, Casadei made his debut for their under-21s against Sutton United, losing 1–0 in an EFL Trophy match and being red carded.[11] Four days later, he made his Premier League 2 debut, when he scored a 48th-minute goal to make it 2–0 against Everton U21.[12]

International career

Casadei has represented Italy at almost all youth international levels, from the Under-16 to the Under-19 national team.[1][13]

In June 2022, he was included in the squad that took part in the UEFA Under-19 European Championship in Slovakia,[14] where Italy reached the semi-finals before getting knocked out by eventual champions England.[15]

Style of play

Rated as one of the most promising Italian talents of his generation, Casadei has been described as a well-rounded and modern midfielder, who excels both physically and technically.[3][6][7] He can play on both sides in a three, four or five-man midfield trio, but also as an attacking midfielder, or even in the holding role.[4][10] Mainly a right-footed player, he's still quite comfortable with his weaker foot, too.[7]

Despite being quite tall and having a slight valgus deformity, he is elegant and comfortable on the ball, whether he is passing it or carrying it, while also showing good pace and coordination.[6][7] Thanks to his off-the-ball movement, his intelligence and his abilities in shooting and heading, he can get himself many chances to score.[13][6][7] Defensively, he tends to dive into tackles and press the opponents, while also using his body to duel with opponents or defend the ball.[7]

Due to his skills, he has been compared to Massimo Ambrosini and Sergej Milinković-Savić,[10] although he cited Nicolò Barella, Marcelo Brozović, Radja Nainggolan and Javier Zanetti as sources of inspiration.[10]

Personal life

Cesare's brother, Ettore, is also a footballer: as of 2022, he plays for Serie D club Savignanese.[8][15][10]

Honours

Inter Milan Under-17

• Campionato Nazionale Under-17 Serie A e B: 2019[4]

Inter Milan Under-19

• Campionato Primavera 1: 2021–22[8]

References

External links

• Cesare Casadei at Soccerway

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