1. Overview
Vincenzo Fiorillo is an Italian professional footballer born on January 13, 1990, in Genoa, Italy. He primarily plays as a goalkeeper and is currently with Salernitana, on loan to Carrarese. Throughout his career, Fiorillo has progressed through various Italian clubs, showcasing his skills from youth academies to senior professional leagues, including Serie A and Serie B. He has also been a prominent figure in Italy's youth national teams, earning recognition for his performances in international competitions.
2. Early Life and Youth Career
Vincenzo Fiorillo began his football journey in his hometown of Genoa. He started playing for Nuova Oregina Calcio, a local club from the Oregina neighborhood of Genoa, before moving to U.C. Sampdoria in 2004. He spent five years within Sampdoria's youth ranks, where he developed significantly as a goalkeeper. Standing at 75 in (191 cm) tall and weighing 163 lb (74 kg), Fiorillo quickly became a promising talent in the Sampdoria youth system, being compared by some to legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
2.1. Sampdoria Youth
During his time with the U.C. Sampdoria youth system, Fiorillo achieved notable success. In 2007, he was part of the team that finished as runner-up in the Campionato Nazionale Primavera. The following year, in the 2007-08 season, he played a crucial role in securing Sampdoria's first-ever victories in both the Coppa Italia Primavera and the Campionato Nazionale Primavera. In the Coppa Italia Primavera final against Atalanta, he notably saved two of four penalties in the shootout, sealing the victory for Sampdoria. He also contributed to Sampdoria's win in the Supercoppa Primavera in 2008. His impressive performances at the youth level garnered significant attention and established him as a prospective talent.
3. Club Career
Vincenzo Fiorillo's professional club career has seen him play for several clubs across Italy, moving through various loan spells before establishing himself.
3.1. Sampdoria
Fiorillo made his professional Serie A debut for U.C. Sampdoria on April 13, 2008, in a match against Reggina. He initially remained with Sampdoria for the start of the 2009-10 Serie A campaign, making a total of 4 appearances during this period. On January 13, 2010, he was loaned to Reggina in an exchange deal for goalkeeper Mario Cassano. During his time with Reggina, he made 5 appearances in Serie B before returning to Sampdoria on June 30, 2010, upon the expiration of his loan.
In January 2011, he was again loaned out for six months, this time to Spezia, another club in the Liguria region. He appeared in 8 league matches during the second half of the 2010-11 Lega Pro Prima Divisione season. Following his return to Sampdoria, he was loaned to Livorno in Serie B on August 4, 2011. With the Tuscan club, Fiorillo secured a consistent first-team spot, and his impressive performances were instrumental in Livorno's promotion to Serie A after their play-off victory. He made 28 league appearances for Livorno. After his loan spell ended, he returned to Sampdoria and remained as the second-choice goalkeeper behind Angelo da Costa Júnior. He made 5 additional appearances for Sampdoria in 2014 during a loan spell from Juventus.
3.2. Juventus
In January 2014, Fiorillo was part of a co-ownership player-exchange agreement. 50% of his contractual rights were sold to Juventus, the reigning Serie A champions, in exchange for 50% of the contractual rights of Juventus' player Stefano Beltrame. Both 50% rights were valued at 2.00 M EUR. As part of this deal, Fiorillo remained with Sampdoria on a six-month temporary loan. On June 19, 2014, Juventus and Sampdoria renewed the co-ownership agreement, with Juventus retaining the registration rights for Fiorillo. He officially moved to Juventus on June 30, 2014, after the loan agreement expired. In June 2015, Juventus fully acquired Fiorillo's rights from Sampdoria without a transfer fee, while Beltrame also returned to Juventus in January 2015 in a player swap. Despite being a Juventus player, Fiorillo did not make any appearances for the club's first team.
3.3. Pescara
On July 23, 2014, Fiorillo joined Pescara in Serie B on a season-long loan deal, alongside his Juventus teammate Gabriel Appelt. He was assigned the number 1 shirt for Pescara's first team. During this initial loan spell from 2014 to 2016, he made 68 appearances for the club.
On July 23, 2015, Fiorillo returned to Pescara on another temporary deal, which included an option to purchase. This option would become an obligation if Pescara achieved promotion to the 2016-17 Serie A. Pescara successfully gained promotion, and consequently, they activated the conditional obligation to buy Fiorillo outright in the summer of 2016 for 2.00 M EUR. He remained with Pescara for their 2016-17 Serie A campaign, though he primarily served as a backup to former Argentine international Albano Bizzarri. From 2016 to 2021, he made a total of 213 appearances for Pescara.
3.4. Later Career
After his tenure at Pescara, Vincenzo Fiorillo joined Salernitana in 2021. He has made 2 appearances for Salernitana. On January 31, 2025, Fiorillo moved on loan to Carrarese, his current club.
4. International Career
Vincenzo Fiorillo was a consistent member of Italy's national youth teams throughout his formative years, although his regular appearances decreased after his 20th birthday when he struggled to secure a permanent starting position at a professional club.
He made 4 appearances for the Italy U-17 squad, including two appearances in the 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship elite qualification, playing ahead of the regular starter Sergio Viotti.
Fiorillo was also a key player for the Italy U-19 squad, making 9 appearances. He was part of the team that competed in the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, where he was recognized as the best goalkeeper of the competition. He was one of the youngest members of the squad and was also eligible for the 2009 edition of the tournament. He played once in the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship qualification, against Malta, and was the starting keeper in the elite round, ahead of Carlo Pinsoglio. Despite Italy losing to Germany in the final, the team qualified for the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Fiorillo continued his international youth career with the Italy U-20 squad, where he made 11 appearances. He served as the captain of the Italian team at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in September 2009. Additionally, he was the captain of the team that finished as runner-up in the 2009 Mediterranean Games.
On March 25, 2009, he made his debut for the Italy U-21 squad in a friendly match against Austria. He made 3 appearances for the U-21 team. He was initially the first-choice goalkeeper in the first round of the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification, but coach Pierluigi Casiraghi later chose Andrea Seculin as the primary keeper. After November 2009, he did not receive further U-21 call-ups, nor did he receive U-20 call-ups until June 2011 for the final round of the 2010-11 Four Nations Tournament. In the 2011-12 season, he was capped twice for the Italy U-21 Serie B team, an additional feeder team for the U-21 squad.
5. Honours
Vincenzo Fiorillo has accumulated several significant titles and awards throughout his career:
- Coppa Italia Primavera: 2007-08 (with Sampdoria Youth)
- Campionato Nazionale Primavera: 2007-08 (with Sampdoria Youth)
- Supercoppa Primavera: 2008 (with Sampdoria Youth)
- UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship: Best Goalkeeper (2008)