In the last six months, the early stages of Tommaso Baldanzi’s career has had an increasingly Azzurri feel about it. First, he made his U21 debut in Serbia, and then, with the No.10 shirt on his back, he was a key figure for the U20s as they reached the World Cup final. Now, the attacking midfielder is looking to make a decisive contribution as part of Carmine Nunziata’s U21 side, who will depart for Riga tomorrow ahead of their opening Euro 2025 qualifying fixture against Latvia at 16:00 CEST on Friday.

"We want to start well,” said Baldanzi during the team’s training camp in Tirrenia. “I’m happy that I’m part of this group and can make my characteristics available to help Italy qualify for the European Championship.” Inevitably, the U20s’ run to the World Cup final in Argentina, where they lost out to Uruguay, is still fresh in the mind: “It was a fantastic journey, and nobody expected it from us. We made it all the way to the final, and I was so proud with how it went. It was disappointing not to return to Italy with a winners’ medal, but we’re happy about what we did and how much we gave.”

If the past season was the one where he scored his first Serie A goals (four in 26 appearances, including the winning goal against Inter at San Siro on 23 January), the campaign that has just begun could be the one where he really establishes himself. “Empoli have had several players who have been lucky enough to go on to play for big sides,” said the 20-year-old. “I’m very happy that I remained at Empoli, aware that my breakthrough year would arrive. This season will be even more difficult and I want to do well and help the team achieve its objective, but I obviously hope that I’ll be the next one to take the kind of path others have been on. I’ll need to work well. I’ve always been quite calm: I don’t think about the future and have personally never received any calls.”

Baldanzi, who has been compared to some great champions, tries to “take something on board from all those who play in my position”. He is also set to once again work with Nunziata, who he played under during the Under-20 World Cup. “He can give us a lot; he’s a great coach and his results speak for themselves. He can do well, and we can all be successful.”

Squad list

Goalkeepers: Sebastiano Desplanches (Palermo), Jacopo Sassi (Pro Vercelli), Gioele Zacchi (Giana Erminio)
Defenders: Giorgio Cittadini (Monza), Diego Coppola (Verona), Daniele Ghilardi (Sampdoria), Gabriele Guarino (Empoli), Michael Olabode Kayode (Fiorentina), Lorenzo Pirola (Salernitana), Matteo Ruggeri (Atalanta), Riccardo Turicchia (Juventus), Mattia Zanotti (St. Gallen)
Midfielders: Tommaso Baldanzi (Empoli), Edoardo Bove (Roma), Cesare Casadei (Leicester), Jacopo Fazzini (Empoli), Fabio Miretti (Juventus), Cher Ndour (Paris Saint-Germain), Simone Panada (Sampdoria), Matteo Prati (Cagliari), Franco Heubang Tongya (Odense)
Forwards: Marco Nasti (Bari), Lorenzo Colombo (Monza), Francesco Pio Esposito (Spezia), Gaetano Pio Oristanio (Cagliari)

2025 UEFA EUROPEAN UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFICATION - GROUP A
Friday 8 September (16:00 CEST): Latvia vs. Italy (Jurmala)
Tuesday 12 September (18:30 CEST): Turkey vs. Italy (Sakarya)
Tuesday 17 October (17:45 CEST): Italy vs. Norway (Bolzano)
Thursday 16 November: San Marino vs. Italy
Tuesday 21 November: Republic of Ireland vs. Italy
Friday 22 March 2024: Italy vs. Latvia
Tuesday 26 March 2024: Italy vs. Turkey
Thursday 5 September 2024: Italy vs. San Marino
Tuesday 10 September 2024: Norway vs. Italy
Tuesday 15 October 2024: Italy vs. Republic of Ireland

Standings: Latvia (1) 3, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Norway, Turkey, San Marino (1) 0