_88.jpg) Sensi playing forInter Milan in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1995-08-05)5 August 1995 (age 30)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Urbino, Italy[1] | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Anorthosis Famagusta | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2007 | Urbania | ||
| 2007–2010 | Rimini | ||
| 2010–2013 | Cesena | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2016 | Cesena | 17 | (3) |
| 2013–2015 | →San Marino (loan) | 59 | (10) |
| 2016–2020 | Sassuolo | 61 | (5) |
| 2016 | →Cesena (loan) | 14 | (1) |
| 2019–2020 | →Inter Milan (loan) | 12 | (3) |
| 2020–2024 | Inter Milan | 31 | (0) |
| 2022 | →Sampdoria (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2022–2023 | →Monza (loan) | 28 | (3) |
| 2024–2025 | Monza | 12 | (1) |
| 2025– | Anorthosis Famagusta | 7 | (4) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | Italy U17[3] | 1 | (1) |
| 2015 | Italy U20[4][nb 1] | 3 | (0) |
| 2018–2021 | Italy | 9 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21:58, 30 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 29 March 2022 | |||
Stefano Sensi (Italian pronunciation:[ˈsteːfanoˈsɛnsi]; born 5 August 1995) is an Italian professionalfootballer who plays as amidfielder forCypriot First Division clubAnorthosis Famagusta.
Sensi began his career with Italian sideCesena in 2013, and was subsequently loaned out toSan Marino for two seasons before returning to the club. He joinedSassuolo in January 2016, and was promptly loaned out to Cesena for the remainder of the season. He became a Sassuolo player in summer 2016. Sensi was loaned out toInter Milan in summer 2019, and joined them on a permanent basis in the following year. Inter loaned him out toSampdoria and Monza in 2022, with the latter team signing him on a permanent transfer in 2024.
Born inUrbino in theMarche, Sensi started to play football with the local team Urbania at the age of six. During this time at the club, he played with his older brother.[6] While at Urbania, he was spotted by aRimini scout, joining the youth team in 2007. He spent three years in Rimini, until the end of the 2009–10 season when the club bankrupted, releasing all the players. Sensi was taken by the youth academy of the local rivalsCesena.[7]
Sensi began his senior career withCesena. He was first included in a matchday squad for theirCoppa Italia fourth-round game on 28 November 2012, remaining unused in a 3–1 loss toAtalanta at theStadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia.[8]
On 23 July 2013, he was one of a quintet of Cesena players who moved toSan Marino, in his case a loan with the option of co-ownership.[9] He made his professional debut on 8 September, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–0Lega Pro Seconda Divisione loss away toReggiana.[10] A week later he scored his first goal, finishing from the edge of the penalty area to conclude a 2–0 win overComo at theStadio Olimpico.[11] On 16 March 2014, he was one of threeTitani players sent off in a 2–0 defeat atCremonese.[12] He played 26 games in his first professional season, scoring another goal in the last game, a 2–2 home draw with Vicenza on 4 May.[13]
San Marino did not take up the option to sign Sensi permanently, but on 7 July 2014, he went to the club for a second loan.[14] In his second match of the season, on 8 September, he was sent off in added time at the end of a 2–1 loss atPontedera.[15] He played 33 games in a season which ended with relegation toSerie D, scoring eight goals, including two in a 3–2 home win overL'Aquila on 14 February 2015, in which he was again sent off at the end.[16]
Sensi made his Cesena debut on 20 August 2015, playing the entirety of their 4–1 win atCatania in the third round of the Coppa Italia.[17] On 5 September, he made his league debut, as the team won 2–0 againstBrescia at theStadio Dino Manuzzi in the first game of theseason.[18] On 3 October he scored from a penalty as Cesena defeatedLivorno 1–0.[19]
On 13 January 2016, Sensi was signed by Serie A clubSassuolo.[20] He would spend the first 6 months of the contract on loan with Cesena.[21] He returned in Sassuolo in July 2016 ahead of2016–17 season, making hisSerie A debut by playing full 90 minutes in the opening championship match againstPalermo, which ended in a 1–0 away win.[22] His first top flight goal came later in October 2016 in a 2–1 home win over newly promoted sideCrotone.[23] Sensi concluded his first season at theMapei Stadium by playing 19 matches in all competitions, scoring only once. In the2017–18 season, he scored two goals in 17 league appearances.[24] Sensi was a key player in the2018–19 season under managerRoberto De Zerbi, making 30 appearances between league and cup, netting twice in the process.[25]
On 2 July 2019,Inter Milan officially announced that Stefano Sensi had been signed from Sassuolo on an initial paid loan deal, with an option to buy at the end of the season. The total cost of the operation is expected to reach €25 million.[26] Sensi made his club debut on 26 August in a 4–0 home win againstLecce, in Inter's opening match of the2019–20 Serie A season; he marked the occasion by scoring a goal, but later came off in the second half forRoberto Gagliardini.[27][28][29] Sensi made hisChampions League debut on 17 September in a 1–1 home draw againstSlavia Prague; he contributed to Inter's injury-time equaliser, as his free kick struck the cross-bar, and was subsequently turned in byNicolò Barella to tie the game.[30][31] Starting from January, he picked a series of injuries that effectively ruled him out of the latter half of the2019–20 season.[32]
On 31 August 2020, Inter exercised the buyout clause in his contract and Sensi signed a four-year deal with the club.[33]
On 29 January 2022, Sensi moved on loan toSampdoria.[34]
On 2 July 2022, Sensi joined newly-promoted Serie A sideMonza on a one-year loan.[35] He made his debut on 8 August, as a substitute in a 3–2Coppa Italia win againstFrosinone.[36] Sensi's first goal for thebiancorossi came on 11 September, scoring from a directfree kick against Lecce. The match eventually finished in a 1–1 draw, which gave Monza their first-ever Serie A point.[37]
After one season at Inter, where he won the 2023–24 Serie A title, Sensi returned to Monza on a permanent transfer on 8 August 2024, signing a one-year contract until 30 June 2025.[38]
Sensi has represented Italy at youth level, making one appearance for theunder-17 side, and making his debut for theunder-20 side in a 2–2 draw againstPoland on 7 October 2015.[4]
On 20 November 2018, he made his debut with theItaly senior team, playing as a starter in a 1–0 friendly victory over theUnited States, held inGenk.[39] On 26 March 2019, Sensi scored his first goal for the national team in a 6–0 home win overLiechtenstein in aUEFA Euro 2020 qualifying match.[40]
In June 2021, he was initially included in Italy's final 26-man squad forUEFA Euro 2020 by managerRoberto Mancini;[41] however, he was later ruled out of the tournament after sustaining an injury during training, andMatteo Pessina was called up to the tournament in his place.[42]
A formeroffensive orcentral midfielder, with noted vision, good technique, and an eye for goal, Sensi now usually functions in adefensive or creativemidfield role for his team. He often acts as adeep-lyingplaymaker in front of the back-line, due to his ball control, range of distribution, and long passing ability with both feet in spite of being naturally right-footed, which allows him to create chances for teammates; he is also capable of playing in several other midfield and offensive positions, and has been deployed as awinger, as amezzala, or as asupporting forward. Already regarded as one of the most promising young Italian footballers of his generation, Sensi has drawn the attention of larger clubs, and his playing style, mobility, small stature, and low centre of gravity have drawn comparisons withMarco Verratti, as well asAndrea Pirlo, although he has personally stated that his main influence is Spanish playmakerXavi. Sensi has also been praised by Italy managerRoberto Mancini, who described him as: "...good, technically gifted, and fast", also noting that "...he has character." In spite of his slender build, which makes him ineffective at winning more physical challenges for the ball, he is also effective defensively due to his tactical intelligence and interpretation of space.[2][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50] Despite his ability, however, he has often struggled with injuries throughout his career.[51]
| Club | Season | League | Coppa Italia | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| San Marino (loan) | 2013–14 | Lega Pro | 26 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 28 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | 33 | 8 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 35 | 9 | ||||
| Total | 59 | 10 | — | — | 4 | 1 | 63 | 11 | ||||
| Cesena | 2015–16 | Serie B | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 33 | 3 | |
| Sassuolo | 2016–17 | Serie A | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 19 | 1 | |
| 2017–18 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 2 | ||||
| 2018–19 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 2 | ||||
| Total | 61 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 68 | 5 | |||
| Inter Milan (loan) | 2019–20 | Serie A | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 19 | 3 | |
| Inter Milan | 2020–21 | Serie A | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |
| 2021–22 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | ||
| 2023–24 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Inter total | 43 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 4 | ||
| Sampdoria (loan) | 2021–22 | Serie A | 11 | 1 | — | — | — | 11 | 1 | |||
| Monza (loan) | 2022–23 | Serie A | 28 | 3 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 3 | ||
| Monza | 2024–25 | Serie A | 12 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 1 | ||
| Monza total | 40 | 4 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 44 | 4 | ||||
| Career total | 245 | 26 | 16 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 275 | 28 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 9 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 March 2019 | Stadio Ennio Tardini,Parma, Italy |  Liechtenstein | 1–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Euro 2020 qualification |
| 2 | 4 September 2020 | Stadio Artemio Franchi,Florence, Italy |  Bosnia and Herzegovina | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2020–21 UEFA Nations League A |
| 3 | 31 March 2021 | LFF Stadium,Vilnius, Lithuania |  Lithuania | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Inter Milan