Getting to know Davide Frattesi: ten facts

Davide Frattesi, Inter's new midfielder, was born in Rome on 22 September 1999. Davide grew up in the Fidene district and began playing football at a young age: he joined Lazio at just 6 years old and then moved to Roma.

After having won a Coppa Italia and Supercoppa at Primavera level with the Giallorossi, Frattesi moved to Sassuolo in 2017. His career took off within the next two years with stints on loan first at Ascoli and then at Empoli. After a season in Serie B with Monza, Sassuolo decided to bring him into the first team; Davide went on to make 75 appearances and score eleven goals for the Neroverdi. He also made his full international debut and won six caps for Italy, scoring once.

His Nerazzurri idol: Julio Cesar

Frattesi is a dynamic midfielder with a keen eye for goal, one very adept at making late runs into the box. As a kid he mostly played at right wing but was fascinated with the role of the goalkeeper: the Inter played he loved the most when he was younger could only ever be Julio Cesar.

Azzurri dream

Playing for Italy has always been the ultimate goal for Davide, who made his full international debut in Bologna against Germany on 4 June 2022. Frattesi didn't even know he had received a call-up; he only found out receiving a phone call from a friend, who wished to congratulate him. The dream is still going too, having scored his first Italy goal against the Netherlands in the most recent Nations League third-place playoffs. The goal will live long in the memory of Frattesi, for whom it was the biggest in his career to date.

Inter tractor

The Nerazzurri announced Frattesi's signing on social media with a tractor emoji; Davide often uses it as a metaphor on his own socials to perfectly describe his traits on the pitch.

His love for tennis

As a kid, Frattesi played both football and tennis and his passion for the latter has never diminished. His sporting idol outside of football was Roger Federer, an example of class and technical excellence. When he was a Lazio, he used to train three times a week with the ball at his feet and twice on the court; in an attempt to imitate the Swiss tennis legend, he may have broken a racket or two.

Frattesi against Inter

Davide scored for Sassuolo in both of the Neroverdi's matches against Inter last season, though the Nerazzurri won both of them. He's enjoyed his time at San Siro: last season, he also scored away at AC Milan.

High-speed duels

Frattesi doesn't appear in the Serie A rankings for the quickest players in the league but he loves a one-on-one; nothing excites him more than getting to the ball before a player who is quicker than him.

His favourite dish

Born and raised in Rome, Frattesi's favourite dish could only be one of the classics of Roman cuisine: cacio e pepe pasta.

Video games and matches against Scamacca

Frattesi is a big gamer, as is his former Sassuolo temmate Gianluca Scamacca. The pair grew up together in Fidene and have shared big moments together in their two careers. While at Sassuolo, the pair often went head-to-head on the console and their games often ended with a win for Frattesi.

Pre-match tunes

Davide doesn't have a favourite artist but mostly listens to Italian music and reggaeton. It's a different story before the match, however, when he prefers to listen to energetic songs that get him pumped up.

A special hobby

As well as football and sport, Frattesi has a particular favourite hobby; when he's not playing or training, Davide loves to go fishing.