Nicolo Barella

Nicolò Barella is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Serie A club Inter Milan and the Italy National Team.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Nicolò Barella was born on February 7, 1997, in Cagliari, Italy. The Italian midfielder stands 175 cm tall. He married Federica Schievenin in 2018, and they have since become parents to three daughters and a son.

In recognition of his sporting achievements, he was appointed a Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Cavaliere OMRI) in 2021.

Career

Barella began his professional journey with Cagliari, his hometown club, following a youth career that spanned nearly a decade. During his early senior years, he spent a brief loan spell at Como in 2016. While rising through the ranks, he also achieved success with Italy's youth teams, finishing as a runner-up in the 2016 UEFA European Under-19 Championship and securing third place at the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

His growing influence in Serie A was recognized when he was named to the Serie A Team of the Year for the 2018–19 season.

In 2019, Barella moved to Inter Milan FC, initially on loan. He made an immediate impact, helping the team reach the UEFA Europa League final in the 2019–20 season, earning a spot in the competition's Squad of the Season. He also received the Premio Bulgarelli Number 8 and was named to the Serie A Team of the Year for the second consecutive time. His permanent transfer to Inter coincided with a historic 2020–21 campaign where he won his first Serie A title. That same year, he achieved international glory by winning the UEFA European Championship with Italy.

His stellar performances earned him the Serie A Best Midfielder award, the Gazzetta Sports Awards Exploit of the Year, and a 26th place finish in the Ballon d'Or rankings.

Barella continued to collect silverware over the following seasons, winning the Supercoppa Italiana in 2021, 2022, and 2023, as well as the Coppa Italia in the 2021–22 and 2022–23 campaigns. He remained a constant presence in the Serie A Team of the Year from 2021 through 2023 and was again named Serie A Best Midfielder for the 2022–23 season.

That year proved bittersweet on the European stage, as Inter finished as runners-up in the UEFA Champions League, while internationally, he helped Italy secure third place in the UEFA Nations League for the second time.

In the 2023–24 season, Barella lifted his second Serie A trophy with Inter Milan and retained his spot in the Serie A Team of the Year. His consistent form extended into the 2024–25 season, where he was named to both the Serie A Team of the Season and Team of the Year, and notably won the Serie A Goal of the Month in August 2024. Despite another heartbreak in the UEFA Champions League final that season, his status as an elite midfielder was reaffirmed by his inclusion in major individual award lists throughout this period.

Team Honors

• 2016 - UEFA European Under-19 Championship runner-up, Italy U19
• 2017 - FIFA U-20 World Cup third place, Italy U20
• 2019–2020 - UEFA Europa League runner-up, Inter Milan
• 2020 - UEFA European Championship, Italy
• 2020–2021 - Serie A, Inter Milan
• 2020–2021 - UEFA Nations League third place, Italy
• 2021 - Supercoppa Italiana, Inter Milan
• 2021–2022 - Coppa Italia, Inter Milan
• 2022 - CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions runner-up, Italy
• 2022 - Supercoppa Italiana, Inter Milan
• 2022–2023 - Coppa Italia, Inter Milan
• 2022–2023 - UEFA Champions League runner-up, Inter Milan
• 2022–2023 - UEFA Nations League third place, Italy
• 2023 - Supercoppa Italiana, Inter Milan
• 2023–2024 - Serie A, Inter Milan
• 2024 - Supercoppa Italiana runner-up, Inter Milan
• 2024–2025 - UEFA Champions League runner-up, Inter Milan

Individual Honors

• 2018–2019 - Serie A Team of the Year
• 2019–2020 - Premio Bulgarelli Number 8
• 2019–2020 - UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season
• 2019–2020 - Serie A Team of the Year
• 2020–2021 - Serie A Best Midfielder
• 2020–2021 - Serie A Team of the Year
• 2021 - Gazzetta Sports Awards Exploit of the Year
• 2021–2022 - Serie A Team of the Year
• 2022 - Giuseppe Prisco Award
• 2022–2023 - Serie A Best Midfielder
• 2022–2023 - Serie A Team of the Year
• 2022–2023 - Serie A Team of the Season
• 2023–2024 - Serie A Team of the Year
• 2024 - Serie A Goal of the Month (August)
• 2024–2025 - Serie A Team of the Year
• 2024–2025 - Serie A Team of the Season