1. Early life and Youth career
Andrea Petagna began his football journey at a young age, joining Itala San Marco from 2006 to 2008. He then moved to Donatello Calcio for a year, from 2008 to 2009, before entering the prestigious A.C. Milan youth system in 2009. During his time at AC Milan's youth academy, Petagna achieved significant success. He was a key member of the under-15 squad that won the Campionato Nazionale Giovanissimi title in 2010. The following year, he contributed to the under-17 squad's victory in the Campionato Nazionale Allievi in 2011, showcasing his early potential and talent. He remained with AC Milan's youth teams until 2013, steadily progressing through their ranks.
2. Club Career
Andrea Petagna's professional club career began at AC Milan and involved several loan spells before he found consistent success with Atalanta and SPAL. His journey continued with a move to Napoli, followed by a significant transfer to Monza and a subsequent loan to Cagliari.
2.1. AC Milan and early loans
Petagna made his professional debut with AC Milan on 4 December 2012, coming on as a substitute in the late stages of a UEFA Champions League group stage match against Zenit St. Petersburg, which Milan lost 0-1. At the start of the 2013-14 season, he was promoted to the first team. His Serie A debut occurred on 24 August 2013, as a late substitute in a 2-1 away loss against newly promoted Hellas Verona. Following the acquisition of Alessandro Matri, Petagna was loaned to Sampdoria on 29 August 2013, with an option for a co-ownership agreement at the end of the season. However, the loan was terminated early in January 2014, after he made five scoreless appearances. He returned to Milan and made three more senior appearances that season, primarily playing for the under-19 squad (Primavera) managed by Filippo Inzaghi. The Primavera team won the Viareggio Cup in February, defeating Anderlecht 3-1 in the final, with Petagna scoring the equalizer.
On 16 July 2014, Petagna was loaned to Serie B side Latina for the 2014-15 season, where he made 10 appearances. On 13 January 2015, he was loaned to Vicenza, also in Serie B. During his time at Vicenza, he scored his first professional goal against Bari on 14 February 2015. He made 14 appearances and scored 1 goal for Vicenza. On 30 August 2015, he was again loaned out, this time to Serie B newcomers Ascoli, where he performed well, scoring 7 goals in 32 appearances.
2.2. Atalanta
On 25 January 2016, Petagna signed with Atalanta on a permanent deal, though he remained on loan at Ascoli until 30 June 2016 to complete the season. Upon joining Atalanta for the 2016-17 season, he quickly established himself as a regular under manager Gian Piero Gasperini. In his first season with Atalanta, he made 34 league appearances and scored 5 goals. His strong performance at the club led to his selection for the Italian national team.
During the 2017-18 season, Petagna experienced fluctuations in his form, leading to a gradual decrease in his playing time. He eventually found his opportunities limited further with the arrival of Duván Zapata. In this season, he made 29 appearances and scored 4 goals in Serie A. Over his tenure at Atalanta, Petagna made a total of 63 league appearances and scored 9 goals before his departure.
2.3. SPAL
On 19 July 2018, Petagna joined SPAL on a season-long loan that included an obligation to buy, meaning the transfer would become permanent under specified conditions. He made an immediate impact, scoring his first goal for SPAL on his debut, 12 August, in the Coppa Italia third-round match against Spezia, which SPAL won 1-0. His first Serie A goals for the Emilian side came on 17 September, when he scored a brace against his former club, Atalanta, securing a 2-0 victory.
In the 2018-19 season, Petagna was a key player for SPAL, making 37 appearances across all competitions and scoring 17 goals, making him the team's top scorer in the league with 16 goals. As expected, on 1 July 2019, Petagna's move to SPAL was made permanent. He continued his strong form into the 2019-20 season, scoring 12 goals in 36 Serie A appearances before his subsequent transfer.
2.4. Napoli
On 30 January 2020, Andrea Petagna signed with Napoli. As part of the transfer agreement, he remained on loan at SPAL until the end of the 2019-20 season before officially joining Napoli. With Napoli, he continued his career in Serie A. In the 2020-21 season, he made 26 league appearances, scoring 4 goals, and also contributed in the Coppa Italia and UEFA Europa League. The following season, 2021-22, he played in 24 Serie A matches, scoring 3 goals, and also featured in the Coppa Italia and Europa League. Overall, he made 50 league appearances for Napoli, scoring 7 goals during his tenure.
2.5. Monza and Cagliari loans
On 12 August 2022, Petagna joined newly promoted Serie A side Monza on a loan deal with an obligation to purchase if certain conditions were met, primarily related to Monza's survival in Serie A. The reported total cost for the permanent acquisition was approximately 14.00 M EUR. He made his debut for Monza on 14 August, starting in a 2-1 Serie A defeat to Torino. Petagna scored his first goal for Monza on 19 October, sealing a 3-2 comeback win against Udinese in the Coppa Italia Round of 32. On 31 October, he scored his first Serie A goal for Monza from a penalty kick against Bologna, though the match ended in a 2-1 defeat.
When Monza secured their survival in Serie A, the obligation-to-buy clause was triggered, leading to Petagna's permanent acquisition by the club. On 14 May, he contributed to Monza's 2-0 victory over his former club, Napoli, who were the Serie A champions that year, by scoring a goal. Subsequently, on 30 August 2023, Petagna was loaned to Cagliari, a recently promoted Serie A side, for the season, with an option for the move to be made permanent.
3. International Career
Andrea Petagna has had an extensive international career representing Italy at various youth levels before making his senior team debut.
He earned five caps for the Italy under-16 squad between 2010 and 2011. In 2011, he also made one appearance for the Italy under-17 team. In 2013, he was capped for the Italy under-18 side, making eight appearances and scoring two goals. Later in the same year, he made his first appearance for the Italy under-19 team on 24 April, accumulating four appearances and scoring two goals for the squad. In 2015, he also played for the Italy under-20 team, earning five caps and scoring two goals.
Petagna made his debut with the Italy U21 team on 11 October 2016, during a 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against Lithuania in Kaunas. In June 2017, he was included in manager Luigi Di Biagio's Italy under-21 squad for the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. On 18 June, he scored his only goal for the Italy U21 side in the tournament's opening match, a 2-0 victory over Denmark. Italy's campaign ended in the semi-finals after a 3-1 defeat to Spain on 27 June. Petagna gained some notoriety at the tournament for celebrating after a significant win by taking off his shorts.
On 28 March 2017, Petagna made his senior international debut for the Italy national football team, coming on as a substitute in a 2-1 friendly away win against the Netherlands. This marked his first and only cap for the senior national team to date.
4. Personal life
Andrea Petagna is the grandson of Francesco Petagna (1923-2000), a former professional footballer and coach. Petagna also has a connection to a significant historical event, being partially of Jewish ancestry. His great-grandfather was a victim of the Holocaust in Italy, a somber aspect of his family history that highlights the widespread impact of historical injustices.
5. Career Statistics
5.1. Club
| Club | Season | League | Coppa Italia | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| AC Milan | 2012-13 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |
| 2013-14 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 4 | 0 | |||
| Total | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | |||
| Sampdoria (loan) | 2013-14 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 5 | 0 | ||
| Latina (loan) | 2014-15 | Serie B | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 11 | 0 | ||
| Vicenza (loan) | 2014-15 | Serie B | 14 | 1 | - | - | - | 14 | 1 | |||
| Ascoli (loan) | 2015-16 | Serie B | 32 | 7 | - | - | - | 32 | 7 | |||
| Atalanta | 2016-17 | Serie A | 34 | 5 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 36 | 5 | ||
| 2017-18 | Serie A | 29 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | - | 39 | 6 | ||
| Total | 63 | 9 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 2 | - | 75 | 11 | |||
| SPAL (loan) | 2018-19 | Serie A | 36 | 16 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 37 | 17 | ||
| SPAL | 2019-20 | Serie A | 36 | 12 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 37 | 12 | ||
| Napoli | 2020-21 | Serie A | 26 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 5 |
| 2021-22 | Serie A | 24 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | - | 32 | 4 | ||
| Total | 50 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 68 | 9 | ||
| Monza (loan) | 2022-23 | Serie A | 31 | 4 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 32 | 5 | ||
| Monza | 2023-24 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2024-25 | Serie A | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 9 | 0 | |||
| Total | 38 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 5 | ||
| Cagliari (loan) | 2023-24 | Serie A | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 20 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 303 | 57 | 19 | 4 | 22 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 352 | 63 | ||
Continental competitions include UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
Other tournaments include Supercoppa Italiana.
5.2. International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2017 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
6. External links
- [https://www.acmonza.com/it/player/162/ Profile] at AC Monza