ALESSANDRO FLORENZI: OUR FOCUS

Following the arrival of a World Champion (Olivier Giroud), a newly crowned European Championship winner is now stepping foot into Milanello. Alessandro Florenzi is a new face in the Rossoneri backline, although it would be restrictive to describe him as merely a defender. Indeed, the latest AC Milan addition has always stood out for his versatility: a player who predominantly occupies the right flank, Florenzi has shown his worth as a full-back, a wide midfielder and an attacking winger. He could therefore become a very important part of Coach Pioli's tactical setup.

Alessandro was born in Rome on 11 March 1991 and, after stints at Axa Calcio and Lodigiani, became part of Roma's youth setup at the age of eleven. Wearing Giallorosso, he progressed through the ranks of youth football and captained Roma's Primavera side to the Scudetto title in 2011, a season which saw him score 15 times. In the same year, he made his debut in Serie A, coming on to replace Totti against Sampdoria. The following campaign saw him experience Serie B football following a loan move to Crotone, where he netted eleven times in 35 matches and won the Serie B Young Player of the Year award. Then, on the orders of Zdeněk Zeman, he returned to Roma and had no trouble establishing himself as a starter, also managing to bag his first Serie A goal (against Inter at San Siro).

Between 2011 and January 2020, he made 279 appearances for Roma, scoring 28 times. His best finish was undoubtedly his first-ever goal in the Champions League: his wonder strike against Barcelona in September 2015 was shortlisted for the Puskás Award. Florenzi's spell at the Giallorossi finished with two loan moves abroad. First, he played 14 times for Valencia during the second half of the 2019/20 campaign. Then, last season, he took to the pitch for Paris Saint-Germain, making 36 appearances, scoring two goals and winning the French Super Cup and French Cup.

Florenzi has also enjoyed a successful career on the international stage. He made his Italy Under-21 debut in 2011 and started the 2013 European Under-21 Championship final in Israel, with the Azzurrini just falling short against Spain. Meanwhile, he's scored two goals in 45 appearances for the senior side. His first game for the Azzurri came in a friendly against France in 2012, but he really started to establish himself in the Italy setup in the run-up to Euro 2016, where he played as a starter. He might have also been a key figure at Euro 2020 if it wasn't for the injury he picked up in the Azzurri's opening match against Turkey. He did, however, recover in time to feature in the final minutes of the final against England at Wembley. Now, he's ready for a new chapter with the Rossoneri.

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