The number 10 on his back, experience and sparkling talent: Mattia Liberali in just a few words. The 17-year-old, who scored Italy U17s’ second in their 2-0 victory over Slovakia on Friday, has made a significant contribution to the Azzurrini’s Euro campaign so far, with Massimiliano Favo’s side having progressed to the quarter-finals with one game to spare.

“This tournament represents a fantastic experience,” said the 2007-born attacking midfielder. “I also had the good fortune of experiencing it last season (Budapest 2023, ed.)”. Last year, Italy didn’t pick up any points from their opening two games, in stark contrast to the situation today: “We’re very happy because we’ve qualified for the quarters with a game to spare and have also mathematically secured first spot,” continued Liberali. “This is a really united and strong group, and I’m feeling positive about the rest of the tournament.” At 17:00 CEST on Monday 27 May, the Azzurrini will face Sweden in their final match in Group C: “We’ll play to win, as we always do. We also want to finish on maximum points to send out a message to our potential opponents in the last eight.”

Liberali started playing football for Mattia Liberali, an amateur club based in Lombardy, at the age of six before moving to La Dominante, where his brother, Daniele (born in 2011), currently plays (“he’s a central defender who possesses excellent physical and technical qualities: he’s the strong one in our family”). In 2014/15, Mattia became part of AC Milan’s youth sector and won the U15 league championship two years ago (AC Milan 1-0 Fiorentina, 24 June 2022). This season, at club level, he’s played for the U17s, U18s and Primavera, making 39 appearances, scoring 13 goals and providing six assists. With the latter, he reached the Youth League final in Nyon, where Olympiacos emerged victorious: “Developing at AC Milan is a privilege because it allows you to enjoy unique experiences and grow by learning from many great coaches. Personally, I have a very close relationship with Andrea 'Coach' Biffi, who taught me never to lose the desire to have fun on the pitch while doing everything that springs to mind without being afraid of making mistakes.” It is thanks to such advice that he is now pulling on the number 10 shirt for his National Team.

UEFA European Under-17 Championship

Group stage

Group A: Cyprus, Ukraine, Serbia, Czechia.
Group B: Denmark, Austria, Croatia, Wales.
Group C: ITALY, Sweden, Slovakia, Poland.
Group D: France, Portugal, Spain, England.

Group C schedule

Matchday 1 (Tuesday 21 May)

Slovakia 0-0 Sweden
ITALY 2-0 Poland

Matchday 2 (Thursday 24 May)

ITALY 2-0 Slovakia
Sweden 2-2 Poland

Table: ITALY* 6 points, Sweden 2, Slovakia and Poland 1.

*mathematically guaranteed top-place finish and qualified for the quarter-finals.

Matchday 3 (Monday 27 May)

17:00 CEST: Sweden vs. ITALY, Paralimni Municipal Stadium Tasos Markou in Paralimni
17:00 CEST: Poland vs. Slovakia, Dasaki Achnas Stadium in Dasaki

Knockout phase

Quarter-finals (Wednesday 29 and Thursday 30 May)

Semi-finals (Sunday 2 June)

Final (Wednesday 5 June)