If you’re a fan of Nicolo Zaniolo, you likely know him for his versatility on the field, which is marked by creativity, technique, work rate, energy, and physicality. But beyond these attributes lies a deeper story of his childhood, family background, and rise to fame.
Nicolo Zaniolo was born into a soccer family, thanks to his father, Igor, a former Italian centre forward. Despite his father’s football success, Nicolo’s family did not lead a luxurious lifestyle. As a child, Nicolo faced a significant challenge—growth problems. Although there was no clear diagnosis of a growth hormone disorder, his short stature due to stunted growth was a concern.
Despite these setbacks, Nicolo Zaniolo has persevered and made a remarkable comeback in his football career. Now, let’s delve into the heart of the Italian’s story.
The Making of Nicolo Zaniolo: His Journey from Childhood to Football Fame
Our Nicolo Zaniolo biography goes beyond just listing his assists and goals. It offers an in-depth look at his childhood, early life, and family background. We cover details about his parents, Igor Zaniolo (father) and Francesca Costa (mother), as well as his family life, relationships, and siblings.
We’ll provide a comprehensive account of notable events from Nicolo Zaniolo’s childhood and follow his journey to football fame. Few have explored the full story behind Nicolo Zaniolo’s rise, and it’s a fascinating one. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
Nicolo Zaniolo Childhood Story – Early Life:
To start with, Nicolo Zaniolo, often referred to as “Football’s Whiz Kid,” was born on July 2, 1999, in Massa, Tuscany, Italy, to his mother, Francesca Costa, and father, Igor Zaniolo. As their first child, he came into the world when his parents were likely in their 40s.
Meet Nicolo Zaniolo’s parents, starting with his beautiful mother, Francesca Costa, and his father, Igor Zaniolo.
Research indicates that Nicolo Zaniolo’s family hails from the Liguria region of Italy, which is situated along the coastal area of northwestern Italy, with its capital in Genoa.
Did you know?… Nicolo Zaniolo was born into a soccer family thanks to his dad, who was a former Italian centre forward.
Igor was playing for Spice Soccer in the year 1999 during his son’s birth. He was instrumental in promoting the team from the C2 Series to Serie C1.
Nicolo Zaniolo Family Background:
Early on, Nicolo Zaniolo’s family lived a middle-class lifestyle. His father, Igor, was careful with the money he earned from football. From photos of young Nicolo with his mother, it’s evident that they didn’t lead a life of luxury during his childhood.
Nicolo Zaniolo with his mum, Francesca Costa.
With a football-loving parent, it’s only natural that the game became a big part of young Nicolo’s life. His father, Igor, used his football experience and sociable nature to introduce and nurture his son’s passion for the sport.
Nicolo Zaniolo received a strong career from his dad.
Igor Zaniolo knew it would be hard to deal with retirement. This was why he prepared the ground so he could continue living his dreams through his son. The dividend finally paid off, thus leading to his son kick-starting a career.
Nicolo Zaniolo Story – Early Career Life:
Zaniolo’s love for football saw him enrol on the roster of Florentina Academy, like Michael Kayode, which gave him the stage to showcase his talent.
Zaniolo’s formative years: From passion-filled kickabouts to shining on the Fiorentina Academy stage.
Nicolo thrived in the Florentina academy as he outgrew all football ranks in the academy. He spent more than a decade of his youth career in Fiorentina, a club where he had his early success, his victory at the National Giovanissimi.
Road to Fame Story:
When the Going Gets Tough:
Despite being the best youth footballer for all age groups, one problem persisted; “Growth Problems“.
At that time, no clear evidence existed whether Nicolo was diagnosed with a growth hormone disorder. However, he was known to possess a short stature due to stunted growth issues.
Nicolo, as observed below, was termed shorter than average, and this affected his future at the academy.
Florentina Academy gave up on him after running out of patience with his growth issues. Painfully, the club decided to let him go in the year 2016.
“I was disappointed on how my career ended with Florentina. They treated me badly, given I’d been there for nine years,”
Nicolo later admitted.
Moving On:
After being released by Florentina, Nicolo subsequently joined Serie B side Virtus Entella, a club that helped see emptiness ending in him.
Because Nicolo Zaniolo was that good, Virtus Entella overlooked his height problems and gave him all the support.
Surprisingly, Nicolo overcame his growth problems and became an asset to his team thanks to his sublime goals.
When Nicolo Zaniolo began his journey of proving Florentina wrong.
Continuous good performance for the team saw him being granted a senior team spot less than a year after he joined them. This was a time he got scouted by other European clubs, notably Everton and Inter Milan.
The Inter Milan Story:
Inter became the favourite club to sign Nicolo during the 2017 summer transfer window. After being recruited by the club, he was sent to revitalize the club’s Youth Sector.
Nicolo again shined for the youth setup, where he finished their top-scorer as he helped his team to win the Campionato Nazionale Primavera.
Inter Milan’s Strategic Move: Welcoming Zaniolo in 2017, his brilliance illuminated the Youth Sector, leading as top-scorer and clinching the Campionato Nazionale Primavera title.
Facing Disappointment Again!
Nicolo did not play any competitive game for Inter’s senior team despite assurances given by the club.
At a time, Inter was faced with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. They only had one option. To offload one of their very own Nicolo Zaniolo.
In June 2018, Nicolo Zaniolo became the swap bait needed to bring Radja Nainggolan to Inter. Inter’s decision to include Zaniolo in a swap negotiation caused him lots of bitterness.
Nicolo Zaniolo Bio – Rise to Fame:
Nicolo Zaniolo was able to harness this bitterness in a positive fashion. He became driven by the determination to prove Fiorentina and Inter wrong for discarding him.
Most recently, as of the time of writing, the breakout star has been on his path toward superstardom. He has been labelled as the natural successor to club legend Francesco Totti.
This came as Zaniolo became the youngest player since Francesco Totti scored three goals in Serie A.
Zaniolo’s goals for Roma have sent shockwaves to Florentina and Inter, making a mockery of their decisions to release and sell him. In fact, Inter’s chief sports officer, Piero Ausilio, once confessed,
“Selling Philippe Coutinho was our biggest regret in over 20 years. That may no longer be the case, as Nicolo Zaniolo has now topped our list of regrets.”
The rest, as they say, is history for the former Roma superstar, who now has a new mission at Atalanta BC.
Personality:
Getting to know Nicolo Zaniolo’s Personal Life would help you get a complete picture of him. Away from the pitch, Nicolo is quiet, humble and has a jovial character. Strength of a character with origins from rejection.
Nicolo Zaniolo Family Life:
Nicolo Zaniolo Family Photo.
Handsome husband, a beautiful woman and a talented son. That’s what you’ll probably say on seeing Nicolo Zaniolo’s Family photo above.
About Nicolo Zaniolo’s Father:
The head of the family, Igor, has always been a wish for his son to be greater than him. While he thrived in Italian Serie B around the mid-2000s, he helped secure a bigger platform for his son.
Igor Zaniolo retired on the 27th of October 2013, which was four years before his son’s senior career kicked off. Today, he has gone to see his sons follow in his footsteps and become greater.
About Nicolo Zaniolo’s Mother:
As Nicolò Zaniolo continues to conquer Italian football, his mum, Francesca Costa, focuses on making football fans fall in love thanks to her ageless looks.
Francesca Costa, Zaniolo’s Mother, Captivating Football Fans with Her Timeless Beauty.
Francesca Costa, pictured above, looks more like she is in her late 20s. She is very fond of posting bikini shots to her more than 385,000 Instagram followers.
Unlike almost all mums of football stars, Francesca Costa has a colourful life on Instagram.
Did you know?… Nicolo Zaniolo surely has a great moment on the field, but his mother’s post does not allow him to be calm all of his fans love.
Once upon a time, the Italian whiz-kid Nicolo Zaniolo was forced to remind his mum of her age following a string of se*y selfies she posted, which got him worried. He once told her:…
“Stop Mom!… what are you doing with your mouth like that? …You are 41 years old!”
Said Nicolo Zaniolo, according to the newspaper Corriere Dello Sport. Aside from posting sexy photos, Zaniolo’s mum recently spoke of the time she embarrassed Zaniolo when their family met Totti.
She said, according to a media report: “I saw him the first time we were in Trigoria. He came to us, and I started crying.
He told me: ‘What are you crying for me?’. I could not speak. After leaving Totti, Nicolo told me: What are you doing to me? There was also my husband Igor, who laughed.”
LifeStyle:
Zaniolo, as of the time of writing, has a net worth of approximately 4.5 million euros. This, by implication, means he is capable of living big.
However, he isn’t the type of footballer who lives the Lavish Lifestyle, which is easily noticeable by a handful of pretty impressive cars, The booze, the swagger, the girls, and a great house.
Nicolo Zaniolo LifeStyle Facts.
Untold Facts:
Nicolo Zaniolo’s family and fans feel he is physically and positionally similar to James Rodriguez and stylistically similar to Javier Pastore. According to FamousBirthdays, Nicolo Zaniolo is the No:1 most popular person born in Messa, Italy and the 17th Most popular soccer player in the world.
Appreciation Note:
Thanks for reading our Nicolo Zaniolo Childhood Story plus Untold Biography Facts. We strive for accuracy and fairness in our delivery of football stories, as we have done for players like Takehiro Tomiyasu and Lorenzo Pellegrini. If you find something that doesn’t look right, please share it with us by commenting below. We’ll always value and respect your ideas.
