{{short description|Italian footballer (born 2001)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Samuele Ricci | image = Lens - Torino FC (02-08-2023) 35 (cropped).jpg | image_size = | caption = Ricci with Torino in 2023 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|2001|8|21|df=yes}} | birth_place = Pontedera, Italy | height = 1.81 m<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.acmilan.com/en/teams/men-first-team/players/samuele-ricci/biography |title=Samuele Ricci |publisher=AC Milan |access-date=18 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250818112157/https://www.acmilan.com/en/teams/men-first-team/players/samuele-ricci/biography |archive-date=18 August 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref> | position = Midfielder | currentclub = AC Milan | clubnumber = 4 | youthyears1 = 2011–2019 | youthclubs1 = Empoli | years1 = 2019–2022 | clubs1 = Empoli | caps1 = 83 | goals1 = 3 | years2 = 2022 | clubs2 = → Torino (loan) | caps2 = 12 | goals2 = 0 | years3 = 2022–2025 | clubs3 = Torino | caps3 = 94 | goals3 = 4 | years4 = 2025– | clubs4 = AC Milan | caps4 = 31 | goals4 = 1 | nationalyears1 = 2017–2018 | nationalteam1 = Italy U17 | nationalcaps1 = 12 | nationalgoals1 = 3 | nationalyears2 = 2018–2019 | nationalteam2 = Italy U18 | nationalcaps2 = 6 | nationalgoals2 = 1 | nationalyears3 = 2019–2020 | nationalteam3 = Italy U19 | nationalcaps3 = 11 | nationalgoals3 = 0 | nationalyears4 = 2020–2023 | nationalteam4 = Italy U21 | nationalcaps4 = 17 | nationalgoals4 = 1 | nationalyears5 = 2022– | nationalteam5 = Italy | nationalcaps5 = 11 | nationalgoals5 = 0 |medaltemplates = {{Medal|Country|{{fb|Italy}}}} {{MedalCompetition|UEFA European Under-17 Championship}} {{Medal|RU|England 2018|U-17 Team}} | club-update = 12:12, 17 May 2026 (UTC) | nationalteam-update = 16 November 2025 }} '''Samuele Ricci''' ({{IPA|it|samuˈɛːle ˈrittʃi}}; born 21 August 2001) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for the {{Italian football updater|Milan}} club AC Milan and the Italy national team.
==Club career== ===Empoli=== Ricci came through the Empoli youth teams and started playing for their under-19 squad in the 2018–19 season.<ref>{{TuttoCalciatori|Ricci_Samuele}}</ref> He was called up to the senior squad for the first time in April 2019, but remained on the bench on that occasion. Ricci made his professional debut for Empoli on 21 September 2019, at the age of 18, replacing Leo Štulac in a 1–0 win against Cittadella.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Soccerway|url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2019/09/21/italy/serie-b/empoli-fc/as-cittadella/3122576/|title=Empoli v Cittadella game report|website=Soccerway|date=21 September 2019}}</ref> The following season, coach Alessio Dionisi mainly used him as a ''mezzala''. On 18 January 2021, RIcci scored his first goal as a professional in the 5–0 victory against Salernitana. Empoli finished the season in first place in the league standing and were promoted to Serie A, with Ricci winning the ''Manlio Scopigno'' award as the best player of the season.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://empolifc.com/samuele-ricci-ha-vinto-il-premio-manlio-scopigno-come-miglior-calciatore-dellultimo-campionato-di-serie-b/ | title=Samuele Ricci ha vinto il premio Manlio Scopigno come miglior calciatore dell'ultimo campionato di Serie B | date=3 August 2021 | access-date=30 January 2022 | archive-date=30 January 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130034634/https://empolifc.com/samuele-ricci-ha-vinto-il-premio-manlio-scopigno-come-miglior-calciatore-dellultimo-campionato-di-serie-b/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>
===Torino=== On 30 January 2022, Ricci was loaned to Torino with a conditional obligation to purchase.<ref>{{cite press release|publisher=Torino|url=https://torinofc.it/news/29/01/2022/ricci-al-toro_28283|title=Ricci al Toro|date=30 January 2022|access-date=30 January 2022|language=it}}</ref> On 28 January 2023, he scored his first goal for Torino in a 2–2 draw away against former club Empoli.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/serie-a/le-pagelle-del-torino-ricci-conferma-il-cliche-dell-ex-lukic-saluta-con-la-sua-qualita-1785039|first=Pietro|last=Lazzerini|title=Le pagelle del Torino - Ricci conferma il cliché dell'ex. Lukic saluta con la sua qualità|website=TuttoMercatoWeb|date=28 January 2023|access-date=24 June 2025|language=it}}</ref>
===AC Milan=== On 3 July 2025, Ricci completed his transfer to AC Milan from Torino for a fee of €23 million + €1.5 million in bonuses. He signed a contract until 30 June 2029, with an option in the club's favour for an extension until 30 June 2030, and chose to wear the shirt number 4.<ref>{{cite web |date=3 July 2025 |title=Official Statement: Samuele Ricci |url=https://www.acmilan.com/en/news/articles/media/2025-07-03/official-statement-samuele-ricci |access-date=3 July 2025 |publisher=AC Milan}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sportmediaset.mediaset.it/mercato/milan/milan-ricci-sono-prontissimo-visite-mediche-in-corso-poi-la-firma_100547996-202502k.shtml |title=Milan, completate le visite mediche per Ricci: "Sono prontissimo" |date=3 July 2025 |website=Sportmediaset.it |language=Italian}}</ref> Before his transfer eventually happened, he had already been linked with the move to Milan since April 2020, his debut season in senior football, with the club's numerous offers to sign the player turned down by both Empoli and Torino.<ref>https://m.milannews.it/primo-piano/tuttosport-milan-non-solo-tonali-per-il-centrocampo-piacciono-anche-koopmeiners-e-ricci-367959</ref>
==International career== Ricci was first called up to the Italy under-17 team in December 2017 for a friendly against France.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://figc.it/it/nazionali/nazionali-in-cifre/dettaglio-convocato/?calciatoreId=46452&squadraId=15|title=Ricci Italy U17 profile|publisher=Italian Football Federation|access-date=7 October 2019|language=it}}</ref>
Ricci was selected in the senior Italy squad for the 2022 Finalissima against Argentina on 1 June 2022 – as well as 2022–23 UEFA Nations League group stage matches against Germany (twice), Hungary, England – between 4 and 14 June 2022.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.figc.it/it/nazionali/news/una-finalissima-per-salutare-l-azzurro-chiellini-lascio-senza-rimpianti-l-europeo-il-ricordo-pi%C3%B9-bello/|title=Una 'Finalissima' per salutare l'azzurro. Chiellini: "Lascio senza rimpianti, l'Europeo il ricordo più bello"|publisher=Italian Football Federation |date=30 May 2022 |access-date=30 May 2022 |language=it}}</ref> He debuted against Germany in the latter tournament on 4 June.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Andrea|last=Ramazzotti|title=L'Italia scopre Ricci, regista totale: "Grazie Toro, non poteva esserci inizio migliore"|url=https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Nazionale/07-09-2024/francia-italia-ricci-regista-totale-grazie-toro.shtml|newspaper=La Gazzetta dello Sport|date=4 June 2022|access-date=24 June 2025|language=it}}</ref>
==Style of play==
Ricci is a right-footed player, mainly deployed as a playmaker in front of the defence or as a box-to-box midfielder, also known as a mezzala in his native Italy.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Serie-A/Empoli/31-08-2021/empoli-samuele-ricci-migliori-giovani-centrocampisti-serie-a-420859463900.shtml | title=Ricci, il talento dell'Empoli che studia da campione. In campo e sui libri|website=La Gazzetta dello Sport|date=31 August 2021|language=it}}</ref> Gifted with excellent individual technique and sense of positioning, he is regarded as one of the most important prospects in Italian football. His reference model is Andrea Pirlo.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://pianetaserieb.it/news-calcio/ricci-empoli-gioiello/ | title=Empoli, gli occhi di mezza Serie a sul gioiello Samuele Ricci|website=Serie B|date=24 March 2020|language=it}}</ref>
== Personal life == On 9 September 2020, Ricci tested positive for COVID-19.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://iltirreno.gelocal.it/empoli/sport/2020/09/09/news/samuele-ricci-positivo-al-covid-19-1.39286201|title=Empoli calcio, Samuele Ricci positivo al COVID-19|newspaper=Il Tirreno|date=12 October 2020|access-date=12 October 2020|language=it}}</ref>
==Career statistics== ===Club=== {{updated|match played 17 May 2026}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://int.soccerway.com/players/samuele-ricci/540574/|title=S. Ricci|website=Soccerway}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="3"|League !colspan="2"|Coppa Italia !colspan="2"|Other !colspan="2"|Total |- !Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="4"|Empoli |2019–20 |Serie B |29||0||1||0||colspan="2"|—||30||0 |- |2020–21 |Serie B |33||2||3||0||colspan="2"|—||36||2 |- |2021–22 |Serie A |21||1||3||0||colspan="2"|—||24||1 |- !colspan="2"|Total !83!!3!!7!!0!!colspan="2"|—|!!90!!3 |- |Torino (loan) |2021–22 |Serie A |12||0||colspan="2"|—||colspan="2"|—||12||0 |- |rowspan="4"|Torino |2022–23 |Serie A |28||2||4||0||colspan="2"|—||32||2 |- |2023–24 |Serie A |32||1||1||0||colspan="2"|—||33||1 |- |2024–25 |Serie A |34||1||2||0||colspan="2"|—||36||1 |- !colspan="2"|Torino total !106!!4!!7!!0!!colspan="2"|—!!113!!4 |- |AC Milan ||2025–26 |Serie A |31||1||3||0||0||0||34||1 |- !colspan="3"|Career total !220!!8!!17!!0!!0!!0!!237!!8 |} {{notelist}}
===International=== {{updated|match played 16 November 2025}}<ref name="FIGC">{{cite web|url=https://www.figc.it/it/nazionali/nazionali-in-cifre/dettaglio-convocato/?calciatoreId=46478&squadraId=24|title=Ricci, Samuele|publisher=Italian Football Federation|language=it|access-date=16 October 2019}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by national team and year !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="4"|Italy |2022||2||0 |- |2023||0||0 |- |2024||4||0 |- |2025||5||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total!!11!!0 |}
==Honours== '''Empoli''' *Serie B: 2020–21
'''Individual''' *Serie B Footballer of the Year: 2020–21<ref>{{cite web |url=https://football-italia.net/lukaku-and-conte-win-serie-a-awards-for-2020-21/|title=Lukaku, Ronaldo and Conte win Serie A awards for 2020-21|date=21 March 2022|website=Football Italia|access-date=21 March 2022}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [https://www.acmilan.com/en/teams/men-first-team/players/samuele-ricci/biography Profile] at the AC Milan website * {{UEFA}}
{{AC Milan squad}} {{Serie B Footballer of the Year}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ricci, Samuele}} Category:Living people Category:2001 births Category:Sportspeople from Pontedera Category:Footballers from the Province of Pisa Category:Italian men's footballers Category:Men's association football midfielders Category:Italy men's international footballers Category:Italy men's under-21 international footballers Category:Italy men's youth international footballers Category:Empoli FC players Category:Torino FC players Category:AC Milan players Category:Serie A players Category:Serie B players Category:21st-century Italian sportsmen