Matias Antonini
Personal information
Full name Matias Antonini Lui
Date of birth (1998-04-09) 9 April 1998
Place of birth Porto Alegre, Brazil
Height 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Team information
Current team
 Taranto
Number 5
Youth career
Grêmio
Meda
2015–2016 Inter Milan
2016–2018 Cagliari
2018–2020 Grêmio
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020 Arezzo 0 (0)
2020–2021 NibionnOggiono 29 (0)
2021–2022 Ravenna 36 (6)
2022– Taranto 54 (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 January 2024

Matias Antonini Lui (born 9 April 1998) is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a defender for Serie C Group C club Taranto.

Career

Antonini started his career as part of the youth system of Grêmio before moving to Italy to join amateur club Meda.[1] He was subsequently scouted by Inter Milan who signed him for their youth teams.[1] After a few appearances with friendly games for Inter, Antonini left the Nerazzurri for Cagliari, joining the Under-19 Primavera team;[2] he shortly thereafter made his professional first team debut in a 2016–17 Coppa Italia game against Sampdoria ended in a 0–3 away loss, on what turned to be his only senior appearance with the Sardinian club.[3] Despite having served as team captain for the Under-19 team of Cagliari, he was released in July 2018 and then left to move back to Brazil, re-joining Grêmio.[4]

In February 2020, Antonini returned to Italy, joining Serie C club Arezzo.[5] After failing to make any appearances for Arezzo, he left the Tuscan club to join Serie D club NibionnOggiono, with whom he finally managed to play as a regular. His impressive performances won him interest from ambitious Serie D club Ravenna, who signed him in July 2021.[6]

In July 2022, Antonini signed for Serie C club Taranto.[7] He quickly affirmed himself as a staple for the Apulians, playing as a regular and being praised for his performances, which gained him a contract extension until 30 June 2025.[8] In the 2023–24 Serie C season, Antonini established himself as one of the best defenders in the league, as well as a prolific goalscorer (with four goals in his first sixteen games),[9] and then being linked to higher division clubs and praised by his manager Ezio Capuano as player with Serie A potential.[10]

Personal life

Born and raised in Brazil, Antonini has Austrian ancestry from his father's side and Italian from his mother.[5]

He has Italian citizenship through ius sanguinis.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 "L'interesse di Guardiola e l'esordio a San Siro: la storia di Matias Antonini, pupillo di Figo che segna a Taranto" (in Italian). La Casa di C. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "Il giovane Antonini Lui in Primavera" (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. 31 August 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  3. ↑ "SAMPDORIA AGLI OTTAVI, 3-0 AL CAGLIARI" (in Italian). Eurosport. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  4. ↑ "Cagliari, Matias Antonini Lui al Gremio" (in Italian). Gianluca Di Marzio. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  5. 1 2 "Arezzo, c'è Antonini per la difesa. Gori a parte, Cutolo squalificato per due turni" (in Italian). ArezzoNotizie.it. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  6. ↑ "Benvenuto Matias Antonini Lui" (in Italian). Ravenna FC. 30 July 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  7. ↑ "Un difensore brasiliano ed un portiere per il Taranto" (in Italian). Corriere di Taranto. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  8. ↑ "Taranto: Antonini prolunga fino al 2025" (in Italian). Antenna Sud. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "Antonini, difensore goleador: sono quattro i gol in campionato" (in Italian). MondoRossoblu.it. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  10. ↑ "Taranto, Capuano: 'Antonini come Parisi, è da Serie A'" (in Italian). Blunote.it. 16 December 2023. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
  11. ↑ "Antonini, Cutolo e Dell'Agnello. Dalla sosta l'Arezzo prova a uscire con qualche pedina in più" (in Italian). ArezzoNotizie.it. 26 February 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.