Rolando Mandragora
Country: Italy
Date of birth: 29/06/1997 (17 years old)
Place of birth: Napoli (Italy)
Height: 183cm
Youth career: Mariano Keller, Genoa CFC (since 2011)
Current club: Genoa CFC
Squad number: 38
Current national team: Italy U-19
Position: defensive midfielder, centre midfielder, attacking midfielder
Preferred foot: left
Market value (by transfermarkt.de): 800,000 €
Tournaments participated in: Viareggio Cup 2013 (2/0), 2014 UEFA European Under-17 Championship elite round (3/0)
Contract until: unknown
Player’s agent: unknown
Similar type of player: Nuri Sahin
Strengths:
– passing 
– technique
– vision
– ball control
– elegance 
– tactical intelligence 
– through balls
– teamwork
– creativity 
Style of play:
– regista/deep-lying playmaker
– likes to hold up the ball
– dictates tempo
– likes to play through balls
– plays well under pressure
– exceptional precision when passing and shooting
– improves the team’s off the ball movement when in possession
– very good in combination play
He is best suited to playing as:
Centre midfielder in 4-2-3-1.
Video:
Achievements:
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League summary:
Serie A 2014/2015 (ongoing): 1 match/0 goals (Genoa CFC)
Description:
Ronaldo Mandragora played for Scuola Calcio Mariano Keller as a 13 year old. After many trials at different clubs, he finally got to Genoa, where he became known as one of the biggest talents in Italian football. He made his Serie A debut on 29 October 2014 against Juventus in a 1-0 home win. He played the first 69 minutes of the game, before being substituted by Juraj Kucka. As a 17 year old, he was thrown in at the deep end, but he did not budge. After this first game he received a lot of praise. He wasn’t overwhelmed by the likes of Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal or Carlos Tevez and it is almost certain that Gian Piero Gasperini will give him a few more chances this season.
Quotes:
“He is only 17, but already has an important professional mentality. I needed a player with these characteristics and he handled such a big game with aplomb.”
(Gian Piero Gasperini – Genoa manager after Mandragora’s debut against Juventus)
Football Talent Scout potential rating:
8/10 
First team material in a top European club.
Links: