Andrea Natali

Andrea Natali
Personal information
Date of birth (2008-01-28) 28 January 2008
Place of birth Milan, Italy
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position Defender
Team information
Current team
 AZ
Youth career
2013–2014 Bologna
2014–2016 Brera
2016–2017 Pont Marina - Almogàvers
2017–2018 Cañada Blanch
2018–2019 Udinese
2019–2020 AC Milan
2020–2021 Espanyol
2021–2024 Barcelona
2024–2026 Bayer Leverkusen
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2025–2026 Bayer Leverkusen 0 (0)
2025–2026 → Jong AZ (loan) 11 (0)
2025–2026 → AZ (loan) 0 (0)
2026– AZ 0 (0)
International career‡
2022–2023 Italy U15 13 (0)
2022–2023 Italy U16 4 (0)
2024 Italy U17 9 (0)
2024– Italy U19 11 (0)
2025– Italy U20 5 (1)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Italy
UEFA European Under-17 Championship
Winner2024 Cyprus
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 28 April 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 18 November 2025

Andrea Natali (born 28 January 2008) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for Eredivisie club AZ.

Early life

Natali was born in Milan, Italy and moved to Spain with his family as a child.[1]

Club career

He started playing football at the age of six when he joined the youth academy of Bologna, the club where his father played from 2012 to 2014.[2] In the summer of 2014, he joined Brera and after a few seasons with the Neroverdi, he moved abroad, first to Spain and then to England.[2]

Natali joined the youth academy of La Liga side Barcelona at the age of thirteen,[3] after playing in the youth academy of Udinese[4] and AC Milan's youth academy.[2] He has been described as "one of the most promising defenders in the Blaugrana youth team".[5]

On 26 June 2024, Natali joined Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.[6]

On 4 September 2025, he moved to the Netherlands and joined Eredivisie club AZ on a one-year loan, initially assigned to the under-21 team.[7] On 28 July 2026, he joined AZ on a permanent deal, signing a contract until 2031.[8]

International career

Natali is an Italy youth international, having represented the under-15, under-16, under-17, under-19 and under-20s. He captained the U15s.[9]

With the U17 side he won the 2024 UEFA European Under-17 Championship.[10]

Style of play

Natali mainly operates as a defender and has been described as "stood out for his driving and quality in passing".[11]

Personal life

Natali is the son of Italian former footballer Cesare Natali.[12] He has four siblings.[13]

Honours

Italy U17

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Andrea Natali: un centrale di grande fisico e tecnica per il Barça". tuttomercatoweb.com.
  2. 1 2 3 "Un Clásico all'italiana, Natali ed Emanuel oltre ogni rivalità: "Siamo diventati amici grazie alla Nazionale"" (in Italian). 29 May 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  3. ↑ "Andrea Natali - un italiano nella cantera blaugrana" (in Italian). 22 January 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  4. ↑ Monica Tosolini (5 June 2024). "Andrea Natali, dalle giovanili dell'Udinese al tetto d'Europa con l'Under17" (in Italian). Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  5. ↑ Jordi Carné (14 September 2022). "Andrea Natali, el joven central del Barça que ya lidera la selección italiana" (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  6. ↑ "Bayer 04 sign rising star Natali from Barcelona" (Press release). Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 26 June 2024. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  7. ↑ "Bayer verleiht Top-Talent Natali an AZ Alkmaar" (in German). 4 September 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
  8. ↑ "Natali definitief naar AZ" (in Dutch). AZ Alkmaar. 28 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Andrea Natali - Bergamo News article". 28 November 2022.
  10. ↑ "I 20 convocati di Favo per la fase finale. Il 21 maggio l'esordio con la Polonia". FIGC (in Italian). 16 May 2024.
  11. ↑ "Andrea Natali - Sport.es article". 12 December 2023.
  12. ↑ "Figlio d'arte coi piedi da Barça: Andrea Natali". gazzetta.it. 23 November 2022.
  13. ↑ "Natali: dal Milan al Barcellona, un italiano nella Masìa". calciomercato.com. 29 April 2023.
  14. ↑ "UEFA Under-17 EURO final report: Italy 3-0 Portugal". UEFA. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 5 June 2024.
  15. ↑ "2026 Under-19 EURO Team of the Tournament". uefa.com. 13 July 2026. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
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