Dragoni, born on November 7, 2006, got the chance from the start in Italy’s World Cup opener against Argentina (1–0), and at 16 years and 259 days she became the Italian women’s soccer’s youngest ever World Cup player.
She stood for a fine effort during her 83 minutes on the field, and may well get the chance again in Saturday’s group final against Sweden.
— She is a talented player with very great qualities and she has a bright future. But it’s also about how she performs. She has both the qualities and the talent, but it depends on what she does with them, says Italy’s national team captain Milena Bertolini at Friday’s press conference at the Wellington Regional Stadium.
“Little Messi” Giulia Dragoni during one of Italy’s World Cup training sessions in New Zealand’s capital, Auckland.
Bertolini points out that Dragoni, who made his first-team debut against Morocco on July 1, is just one of several talented young players in Italy’s World Cup team. But the fact that the 16-year-old is at all in New Zealand says a lot about her already high level on the soccer field.
— She did well in the premiere, she is a talented player. But if she wants to be really good, she has to be humble about this. The fact that she is part of the WC squad means that she has potential. We also have several other young players with talent. It will be up to them how they will shape their careers.
Guilia Dragoni was nicknamed “little Messi” while playing for Serie C club Pro Sesto. Four years ago, she moved to Inter, where she became part of the Milan club’s junior team. She climbed up to Inter’s senior team before being signed by Barcelona at the beginning of 2023.
Now she is part of the club’s B team and the same youth academy that nurtured the very Lionel Messi on whom her nickname is based.
Victory: Inside midfielder?
In the same club, Fridolina Rolfö is one of the stars in the A team. But the Swedish striker has a bad grasp of his club mate before Saturday’s match.
— I still haven’t trained with her. She is in the B team right now. I have heard many good things about her, that she is very talented. But the first time I saw her was here in the WC. But it’s good for Barcelona’s future and I look forward to seeing more of her in the rest of the tournament, says Rolfö.
The other Swedish players also do not seem to have scouted the 16-year-old midfield talent that closely.
— I haven’t seen her very much. She was at Inter and then disappeared down to Barcelona. But I have understood that she is incredibly talented, she is incredibly young but still plays masterfully. It’s not like you feel “oh how young she is”, but she did well in the first game, says Juventus defender Linda Sembrant.
Sweden’s team captain Caroline Seger is put to the test when she is asked to tell what she knows about Dragoni.
— Yes, now you put me in my place. It’s an inside midfielder huh? I can’t do that much. We’ve seen a little bit and she started last game, right? I’m not going to say that I’ve seen her a lot, because then I’d be lying, says Seger.
The 38-year-old midfield veteran is reminded of his own age when talents such as Giulia Dragoni emerge. When Seger made his championship debut in EC 2005, Dragoni was not even born.
— All these little ones who are coming now … it’s scary. No, I’m just kidding. It is absolutely fantastic that you play your first championship when you are 16 years old. I wish her the best of luck, says Seger before finishing:
— Except on Saturday.