Mateo Retegui: Style of play, stats, international caps, previous clubs & more

Introducing one of Europe's most prolific centre forwards, Atalanta's Mateo Retegui.

An anterior cruciate ligament injury to Gianluca Scamacca left Atalanta short in the forward department, forcing them to act in the 2024 summer window. Genoa's Retegui was the chosen one, making the move from Genoa for a a reported €28m fee.

While the Italy international had scored just seven league goals in the 2023/24 campaign for Genoa, his inventiveness in front of goal highlighted a promising striker, who, in the right system, could thrive.

It is fair to say that Gian Piero Gasperini's system has suited Atalanta's number 32, as Retegui has been at the forefront of Atalanta's domestic and European success this season, currently placed third in Serie A and through to the Round of 32 in the UEFA Champions League.

Netting 20 times in the Serie A for the Italian outfit, he leads the way as the league's top goalscorer, whilst also registering three assists.

A physical centre forward with elite technical attributes, we assess Retegui's background and development in our Scouting Europe series.

Mateo Retegui age, nationality and background

Mateo Retegui is 25 years old and was born on 29th April 1999 in San Fernando, Argentina.

Despite being born in Argentina and representing the country at youth level, he is of Italian heritage, and chose to play for the Italy national team at senior level.

Attributes

Height and build

Mateo Retegui is 6ft 1ins and has a lean and athletic build.

Preferred foot

Retegui is predominantly right-footed, though he's demonstrated that he is comfortable on his left foot.

Style of play

Retegui shares many traits comparable to a 'traditional' centre forward, possessing an acute ability to time his runs to perfection so that he's often in a position to have a shot at goal.

Able to drop deeper and initiate an attack, he has more to his games than simply scoring goals. At 6ft 1ins, he is a physical threat, expertly using his body when holding up the ball to allow other attacking-minded players to get into play.

His impressive range of finishing allows him to turn half-chances into goals, with his IQ in and around the box evident through his near-perfect shot selection.

He is exceptional at creating his own angles inside the box, not always needing a killer pass, but instead creating his own chances by anticipating his next action before receiving the ball.

A centre forward who is capable of playing in most systems, Retegui is especially suited to Gian Piero Gasperini's setup, a free-flowing structure that allows fluid movement from his attacking players. This allows Retegui to arrive in areas where he sees space opening, rather than being limited to central areas of the pitch.

Mateo Retegui statistics

Metric	Total (Per 90)	Rank
Non-Penalty Goals	0.71	Top 4%
Goals	0.81	Top 7%
Touches in Attacking Penalty Area	5.98	Top 14%
Goals & Assists	0.91	Top 11%

*Statistics obtained from fbref.com. Player compared to positional peers in Men's Big 5 Leagues over the last 365 days.

Career so far

Previous clubs

Retegui spent his youth career in Argentina, playing for River Plate and Boca Juniors. He spent five years in the Boca Juniors senior setup but made just one appearance for the first team.

He would, however, enjoy loan spells at Estudiantes, Talleres and Tigre between 2018 and 2023, getting a taste for senior football in Argentina.

In 2023, he made the move to Italy, signing for Genoa. After just a season at the club, the reigning UEFA Europa League champions made their interest in the striker known, before signing him for €28m.

International caps

Retegui played five times for Argentina's U19s setup, but made the decision to represent Italy at a senior level.

He made his debut on 23rd March 2023 in a 2-1 loss against England, finding the net in the 56th minute.

Retegui has made 18 senior caps for Italy, scoring six times in this period.