The son of former professional footballerEnrico Chiesa, he came throughFiorentina'syouth academy, Chiesa made his first-team debut in 2016. He stayed at the club for four years, scoring 34 goals in 153 appearances in all competitions. Chiesa moved toJuventus in the2020–21 season, winning theCoppa Italia andSupercoppa Italiana in his first season. In 2024, Chiesa moved to England, signing for Premier League club Liverpool.
At international level, Chiesa made his senior debut forItaly in March 2018. He helped his country win theUEFA Euro 2020, while being named in the Team of the Tournament.
Federico Chiesa was born inGenoa. His father,Enrico, was also a professional footballer; he played for various Serie A clubs, most notablyParma,Fiorentina andSiena, and represented the Italy national team.[5] Chiesa enrolled at theInternational School of Florence, where he frequently took English lessons. He also spent two years at university, studying Sports Science.[6]
On 20 July 2024, Chiesa married his long-term girlfriend Lucia Bramani.[7]
Chiesa joinedFiorentina in 2007.[9] Initially a member of theirGiovanili side, he was assigned to theunder-19 squad for the2014–15 season, and scored a single goal in seven appearances for theirPrimavera side. The following season, he made 23 appearances and scored seven goals.[10] Chiesa signed his first professional contract with Fiorentina in February 2016.
He made his competitive debut forFiorentina in a 2–1 away defeat againstJuventus, during the opening fixture of the2016–17 Serie A season. Fiorentina managerPaulo Sousa opted to replace him at half-time with loan signingCristian Tello.[11] On 29 September, Chiesa made hisUEFA Europa League debut in Fiorentina's 5–1 home win overQarabağ.[12] On 8 December, he marked his fourth Europa League appearance by scoring his first ever senior goal in a 1–2 away victory over Qarabağ; he was later sent off during the same match for a double booking.[13][14]
On 15 January 2017, Chiesa appeared to score the match-winner in a 2–1 home win over rivals Juventus, from aMilan Badelj pass; however, the goal was awarded to Badelj, as, following review, the replays did not confirm whether Chiesa had deflected the pass.[15] Later that month, Chiesa extended his contract with Fiorentina until 30 June 2021.[16] On 21 January, he scored his first goal inSerie A in a 3–0 away victory overChievo.[17] Just eight days later, Chiesa scored his second league goal in a 3–3 home draw againstGenoa.[18] On 7 May, he netted the opening goal for Fiorentina in an eventual 2–2 draw againstSassuolo; this being his third goal for the club, and his first in Serie A in nearly four months. The goal came just four minutes after teammateNikola Kalinić's penalty miss just after the half-hour mark.[19]
On 16 September 2017, in the2017–18 season, Chiesa marked his 30th league appearance for Fiorentina with a goal in theDerby dell'Appennino againstBologna; scoring the opener in the 51st minute of the game, in an eventual 2–1 home win.[20] On 30 January 2019, during the2018–19 season, Chiesa scored ahat-trick in the 7–1 home victory over Roma in the quarter-final match of theCoppa Italia.[21]
On 5 October 2020, Chiesa signed a two-year loan deal withJuventus; a €3 million loan for the first season and a €7 million loan for the second season, with a conditional obligation to buy for €40 million plus €10 million in variables.[22] On 17 October, Chiesa made his debut for Juventus, providing an assist forÁlvaro Morata and getting a straight red card in a 1–1 away draw toCrotone.[23] He made hisUEFA Champions League debut three days later, in a 2–0 away win overDynamo Kyiv.[24][25] Chiesa scored his first goal in the competition, and for Juventus, on 2 December, in a 3–0 home win against the same opponent.[26]
His first league goal for Juventus came on 16 December, scoring a long-distance goal in a 1–1 home draw againstAtalanta.[27] On 6 January 2021, Chiesa scored a brace against league-leadersMilan to help Juventus win 3–1 away from home;[28] it was Milan's first league defeat in 27 games.[29] He scored three goals againstPorto in the2020–21 UEFA Champions League round of 16: one in the first leg and two in the second leg.[30] However, Juventus were eliminated on theaway goals rule.[30] On 19 May, Chiesa scored the match–winning goal in a 2–1 victory over Atalanta in the2021 Coppa Italia final.[31]
At the start of the new season, on 29 September 2021, in the2021–22 UEFA Champions League, Chiesa scored the winning goal in a 1–0 home win against title holdersChelsea in a group stage match, equallingAlessandro Del Piero's record of four consecutive goals in the competition.[32] On 9 January 2022, during a match againstRoma, he suffered ananterior cruciate ligament injury, ruling him out for seven months.[33] Chiesa ended his season early with four goals in 18 appearances.[34]
On 29 August 2024, Chiesa moved to thePremier League withLiverpool on a long-term deal reportedly worth £10 million plus £2.5 million in add-ons.[37][38] He made his Liverpool debut as a substitute in the 93rd minute of aUEFA Champions Leagueleague phase match away against AC Milan that his side won 3–1.[39] On 25 September, Chiesa made his first start and provided an assist in a 5–1 win againstWest Ham United in theEFL Cup.[40]
On 11 January 2025, Chiesa scored his first goal for Liverpool in a 4–0 home victory overAccrington Stanley in theFA Cup third round.[41] On 16 March, he came on as a substitute and scored late in theEFL Cup final againstNewcastle United, which ended in a 2–1 defeat.[42] In his first season in England, Chiesa has struggled for minutes under managerArne Slot.[43][44]
In June 2017, he was included in the U21 squad for the2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship by manager Di Biagio.[47] In Italy's opening match of the tournament on 19 June, he set-upAndrea Petagna's goal with a cross following a corner in a 2–0 win overDenmark.[48] Italy were eliminated by Spain in the semi-finals on 27 June, following a 3–1 defeat.[49]
Despite only being called up to the under-21 side in March 2017, Chiesa was selected byItaly's senior head coachGian Piero Ventura for the team's unofficial friendly againstSan Marino inEmpoli on 31 May.[51][52] He made his unofficial senior international debut in the match, starting in Italy's eventual 8–0 win.[53][54][55]
In March 2018, Chiesa was awarded his first official senior call-up to the Italy national team, under interim manager Di Biagio, for Italy's friendlies againstArgentina andEngland later that month.[56] On 23 March, he made his official senior international debut in the friendly against Argentina; Italy were defeated 2–0.[57]
In June 2021 Chiesa was included in Italy's squad forUEFA Euro 2020.[59] He was named Man of the Match byUEFA in Italy's final group match, a 1–0 victory overWales in Rome on 20 June, which saw them top theirgroup.[60] On 26 June, he scored the opening goal in a 2–1 extra-time win overAustria in the round of 16 of the tournament atWembley Stadium.[61] His father Enrico had scored 25 years and 12 days earlier in Italy's second group match atUEFA Euro 1996 in England, a 2–1 loss against eventual runners-upCzech Republic; as such they became the first father and son pair to have scored a goal at the Euros.[62][63]
In the semi-final againstSpain on 6 July, he scored the opening goal in a 1–1 draw; a game in which Italy advanced to thefinal of the tournament after extra time following a 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory. For his performance, Chiesa was named Man of the Match by UEFA for the second time.[64] On 11 July, Chiesa suffered an injury late in the second half of regulation time in theUEFA Euro 2020 Final againstEngland at Wembley Stadium, and was subsequently replaced byFederico Bernardeschi in the 86th minute; Italy went on to win the European Championship following a 3–2 victory in apenalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw inextra-time.[65][66] For his performances throughout the competition, he was named in the "Team of the Tournament".[67]
Chiesa is a talented, fast, skillful, and hardworking player, with good technique, a short stature, and a slender build. Possessing good stamina, acceleration, anddribbling skills, he usually plays as a leftwinger, a position which enables him to cut inside and create goalscoring opportunities for teammates, also shooting with his stronger right foot, despite also being an accurate striker of the ball with his left foot. He is also capable of playing effectively on the right wing.
Aside from his favoured roles on either flank, he has also been deployed in several other attacking positions, given his capability of playing anywhere across the front line; he has most frequently been played in a central role as either anattacking midfielder orsecond striker, but has also been fielded as amain striker on occasion. He has even occasionally been used in deepermidfield roles, including ascentral midfielder.[nb 1] His pace and movement off the ball allow him to exploit spaces and make attacking runs to beat the defensive line and provide depth to his team.[80][81][82][83]
In addition to his primary duties in attack, he is also known for his energy and work-rate, and often contributes to the defensive phase of the game by pressing opponents and chasing the opposition's wingers down the flank in order to win back possession, and has even occasionally been deployed as aright–sided wing back in a3–5–2 formation.[76][84][85][86][87] Moreover, he is highly regarded in the media for his composure, due to his penchant for scoring decisive goals in important matches.[79] Despite his ability, however, he has often struggled with injuries throughout his career.[88]
^"Comunicato Ufficiale N. 45" [Official Statement No. 45](PDF) (in Italian). Lega Serie A. 18 September 2018. p. 5. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 16 March 2022. Retrieved14 June 2021.
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