Mattia Zaccagni was born in Cesena on June 16 1995.
He started his career in the youth team of Bellaria Igea Marina in the Second Division of Lega Pro and in 2012 made his debut in the A team. In 2013 he was loaned to Verona where he played in the youth team and a year later, having been bought by the Scaligeri, he was sent to Venezia in Lega Pro to gain experience. He played quite a number of games and did so well that Verona decided to use him in Serie A.
His debut in Serie A was on September 23 2015 against Inter. However he was not used much so in January 2016, Verona loaned him to Cittadella, again in Lega Pro, and there he contributed to their promotion to Serie B.
Back at Verona in Serie B for the 2016-17 season, he was one of the protagonists of their return to Serie A but his 2017-18 season in the first tier was cut short due to a serious injury. Following a full recovery, Verona got promoted again into Serie A in 2018-19 with Zaccagni contributing 31 games and scoring 3 goals. He became an important player in the team and even improved his scoring abilities. With Verona he played mainly at midfield.
After a couple of games in Serie A for Verona in the August of 2021, he was signed by Lazio on loan. His first year was marred by an injury which saw him out of the team for the beginning of the season. He also struggled a bit to find a decent level of form, but once he did he became a real asset for the Biancocelesti. Maurizio Sarri put him on the left wing to exploit his dribbling ability and also his speed.
A typical Zaccagni play is getting away from his opponents with a movement towards the centre. By doing this he is often fouled so he gains some useful free kicks.
In his first year at Lazio he played 36 games (29 in Serie A, 2 in Coppa Italia and 5 in Europa League) and scored 5 goals (4 in Serie A and one in Europa League). In his second, 45 games (35 in Serie A, 2 in Coppa Italia, 5 in Europa League and 3 in Conference League) with 10 goals, all in Campionato. The highlight was obviously his goal against Roma.
His third season was not so good as he was marred by injury and the fact that it was not a good year for Lazio did not help. He made 36 appearances and 7 goals.
In March 2022 he also earned his first cap for Italy in the friendly against Turkey. He played for Italy in Euro 2024 scoring a decisive last minute goal against Croatia which allowed the Azzurri to reach the Round of 16.
Interviewed by The Laziali Founder & TLN TV Serie A Host Steven Moore, Zaccagni spoke about the warmth of the Lazio fans. “When I score goals, especially at the Stadio Olimpico and on the side of the Curva Nord, I instinctively feel like going under the Curva and celebrate with the fans because they give you something that is difficult to fully take in, even during your everyday life. So it’s nice to receive this warmth, this affection from our fans. Even when we’re playing away from home, I try to head towards our supporters’ segment section every time, as it’s very nice to hear their support up close”.
Speaking about the current season he said “in today’s soccer let’s say that you work a lot on the mental aspects so the coach works a lot on this obviously with all the technical things on the field but the coach is excellent. He’s really good at this in working on our mentality. The goal is always to take the field and have fun because if you enjoy it, it means you are doing the right things and we always try to give 110% on the field which is what the coach asks of us. He says if we have that humility and eagerness required to win games everything becomes easier”.
Lazio Career (updated January 20, 2025)
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Europa League | Conference League |
2021-22 | 36 (5) | 29 (4) | 2 | - | 5 (1) | - |
2022-23 | 45 (10) | 35 (10) | 2 | - | 5 | 3 |
2023-24 | 36 (7) | 28 (6) | 2 (1) | 6 | - | - |
2024-25 | 24 (7) | 18 (6) | - | - | 6 (1) | - |
Total | 141 (29) | 110 (26) | 6 (1) | 6 | 16 (2) | 3 |
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