Mattia Viti

Born in Borgo San Lorenzo,^[2][3][4][5] in the province of Florence, Mattia Viti already played football at the age of 4, with the club of Ponte a Greve—that would later merge with Rondinella Marzocco—in the Tuscan capital.^[3][6] Having moved to the nearby Audace Legnaia, he joined the Empoli academy as a 8-year-old, in 2010.^[3][5][7]

After a full 2019–20 season with the Primavera, Viti made his professional debut on the 30 September 2020, starting a 2–1 Coppa Italia win against Renate.^[8] He played his first Serie B game with Empoli on the 9 April 2021, replacing Nedim Bajrami in a 1–0 away win to Reggina, already proving to be decisive with a late minute goal line clearance.^[6][9][10] His side eventually won the championship, making their come-back in Italy's top flight, while the Primavera squad also won their championship.^[11]

On 22 September 2021 he made his Serie A debut in a 2–0 away victory against Cagliari, with Aurelio Andreazzoli making him start and finish the game, as the youngster proved to be instrumental in keeping a clean sheet for the Azzurri.^[12][13][14]

During the following months—despite having to face the loss of his mother in November 2021^[15]—he became a regular with the first team, alternating with Sebastiano Luperto or the veterans Tonelli and Romagnoli. He was a starter for several important Serie A wins, against the likes of Bologna,^[16] Sassuolo^[17] or Udinese,^[18] appearing as one of the Italian championship most promising young defenders.^{[2][5][13][14][19][20]}

On 3 August 2022, Viti joined Ligue 1 side Nice on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of €13 million.^[21][22]

On 12 July 2023, Serie A side Sassuolo announced the signing of Viti on a season-long loan with a future option to buy.^[23]

Mattia Viti is a youth international for Italy,^[4] having played at under-15,^[24] under-16^[25] and under-18 levels.^[26]

In September 2021, he was selected with the under-20,^[27] making his debut during a 1–0 away friendly win against Serbia on the 6 September and becoming a regular starter for the team in November,^[28][29][30] before being promoted to the under-21 side,^[31] where he was however forced to withdraw due to injury.^[32][33]

A left-footed centre-back with a good physical presence, he is seen as a technically gifted defender, able to launch offensive movements from the back, who doesn't hesitate to take risks and dribble to move froward.^{[11][13][14][20]}

Proactive in putting pressure on the opponent, he has a good discipline—not having received a single card during his first six months in Serie A—but still does his far share of defensive tasks, as he was for example among the top 1% of centre-backs in the top 5 European leagues in therms of blocks, halfway through his first Serie A season.^[13]

Very soon compared to former Empoli star Daniele Rugani,^[3][4][6] his profile is often associated with the one of Alessandro Bastoni.^{[13] [14]} He cites Sergio Ramos and Paolo Maldini as his main inspirations as a player.^[3][6][5]

As of match played 26 May 2024^[34]

Empoli

• Serie B: 2020–21^[11]

• Mattia Viti at Soccerway
• Mattia Viti at FBref.com
• Mattia Viti – French league stats at Ligue 1 – also available in French