Born in Cagliari, Barella is a youth exponent from Cagliari Calcio.[9][10] He made his first appearance on 15 January 2015, playing against Parma at the Tardini in the Coppa Italia, which resulted in a 2–1 loss.[10] His debut in Serie A came on 4 May 2015 again against Parma, replacing Diego Farias after 68 minutes in a 4–0 home win.[11][10]
In January 2016, he was sent on loan to Como in Serie B, where he played as a first-choice for the second part of the season.[12][13]
On 17 September 2017, after having returned to Cagliari, he scored his first professional and Serie A goal against SPAL in a 2–0 home win.[14] Three months later, he became the youngest captain ever in the history of Cagliari, at the age of 20 years, 10 months, and 9 days.[10][15]
On 24 February 2019, in the match against Sampdoria, which was lost 1–0, he reached 100 appearances with the Cagliari jersey at the age of 22.[16] At the end of the season, Barella is the player with the highest number of balls recovered (253) in the 2018–19 Serie A,[9] also winning the Premio Bulgarelli Number 8 for the best midfielder of the season and being included for the first time in the Serie A Team of the Year.[17][18]
On 12 July 2019, Barella joined Inter Milan on a year-long loan deal with an obligation to buy with four-year contract to take effect after the loan period.[19] He made his club debut on 26 August against Lecce; he came off the bench in the second half for Matías Vecino, and later helped set-up Antonio Candreva's goal in an eventual 4–0 home win in Inter's opening match of the 2019–20 Serie A season.[20] He made his Champions League debut on 17 September against Slavia Prague; after coming off the bench for Marcelo Brozović in the second half, he scored an injury-time equalising goal to help Inter to a 1–1 home draw, which was his first goal both in the competition and for Inter.[21] On 9 November, he scored his first league goal for the club as Inter came from behind to achieve a 2–1 home win over Verona.[22] He scored his first goal in the Coppa Italia on 29 January 2020, in 2–1 home win over Fiorentina, in the quarter-finals of the tournament.[23] With the team, he reached the 2020 UEFA Europa League final, where they lost to Sevilla.[4] At the end of the season, he was included in the Serie A Team of the Year and the UEFA Europa League Squad of the season.[24][25]
On 5 November 2021, Barella signed a contract extension with Inter, keeping him at the club until 2026.[29] At the end of the 2021–22 season, after having won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa Italiana,[30][31] Barella (and his teammate Hakan Çalhanoğlu) totalled 12 assists, which is the highest number for an Inter player since Opta Sports started collecting such data in 2004–05.[32] At the end of the season, he was included in the 2021–22 Serie A Team of the Year for the fourth year in a row.[33]
During the Inter-Roma match on 29 October 2023, he made his 200th appearance for Inter.[40] On 22 April 2024, he won the Serie A title for the second time in his career.[41] Later that year, on 11 June, he extended his contract with the club until 2029.[42]
In June 2021, he was included in Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2020.[49] In Italy's second group match on 16 June, he set up Manuel Locatelli second goal in an eventual 3–0 win over Switzerland, which allowed Italy to advance to the round of 16.[50] On 2 July, he scored Italy's opening goal of the match, and later assisted Lorenzo Insigne's goal, in a 2–1 win over Belgium in the quarter-finals of the competition.[51] On 11 July, Barella won the European Championship with Italy following a 3–2 penalty shoot-out victory over England at Wembley Stadium in the final, after a 1–1 draw in extra-time; Barella started the match, but was substituted by Bryan Cristante in the second half of regulation time.[52]
On 10 October 2021, Barella scored the opening goal in a 2–1 home win over Belgium in the bronze medal match of the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League.[53]
On 24 March 2024, Barella was given the captain’s armband for the first time in a 2–0 win friendly against Ecuador, in which he also scored the second goal.[6][8]
In June 2024, he was included in Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2024.[54] In the Azzurri's first match of the competition, he scored the winning goal in a 2–1 win against Albania with a half-volley from the edge of the box;[55] however, Italy was eliminated by Switzerland in the round of 16 following a 2–0 defeat.[56]
Barella is considered a talented midfielder in the European sports media.[57] He was named the best young Italian player born in 1997 for two consecutive years between 2012 and 2013.[58][59] Italian football journalist Mina Rzouki described him as an intelligent, promising, and composed midfielder, despite his young age, with a wide range of skills. She also commented that Barella "...can dribble through a defence, score volleys and start counter-attacks. He knows how to find the right passes and is box-to-box. Most importantly he can win back possession quickly and recover the ball." Barella's performances have also been praised by Italian former footballers Andrea Pirlo and Alessandro Del Piero.[57] The Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport has compared him to Steven Gerrard, describing him as a dynamic player with good technique, vision, stamina, and physical strength, despite his relatively short stature, as well as an ability to win balls, which enables him to break down possession and subsequently start quick attacking plays. A versatile player, he is capable of playing anywhere in midfield, and has even been used as an attacking midfielder or as a defensive midfielder, but his favoured role is as a right-sided, offensive-minded central midfielder, known as a "mezzala" in Italy. Known for his eye for goal, he possesses a good shot from outside the area, and is known for his ability to make late attacking runs from behind into the penalty area. He is also an accurate set piece and penalty taker. He is known for his strong character, leadership qualities, competitive spirit, and winning mentality, but has also drawn criticism at times in the press for protesting or arguing excessively with officials during matches.[60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67] He has also been praised for his work-rate and creativity.[68] His Italy teammate Jorginho has likened him to N'Golo Kanté.[69] In 2021, former manager Fabio Capello described him as one of the three best midfielders in European football,[8] while in 2023, ESPN included him in their list of 100 best men's soccer attacking midfielders.[6]
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Finland
Greece
Armenia
Netherlands
Czech Republic
Belgium
Hungary
Ecuador
Albania
