Updated 24 September 2026, after five matchdays of the 2026/27 season.
The best young players in Serie A right now, all aged 23 or under on 1 September 2026, are Francesco Pio Esposito of Inter, Nico Paz of Como, Giorgio Scalvini of Atalanta, Alessandro Romano of Cagliari, Franco Mastantuono of Fiorentina, Antonio Vergara of Napoli, Daniele Ghilardi of Roma, Eddy Kouadio of Monza, Kenan Yildiz of Juventus, Massimo Pessina of Bologna and Francesco Camarda of Milan. For me, Pio Esposito is the best of them, and Romano is the breakout of the season. Seven of the eleven are in Roberto Mancini’s first Italy squad, and five of those seven are first-time call-ups.
This page replaces the December 2025 edition, and two names from that list now play in England. Chelsea signed Marco Palestra from Atalanta on 1 July 2026, and Honest Ahanor joined Crystal Palace on loan from Atalanta on 1 September 2026. I said last season that Palestra could make the jump to one of Europe’s top clubs, and he has. Sebastiano Esposito, now at Sassuolo, is 24 and ages out of this list.
Why is Inter’s Pio Esposito the best young player in Serie A?
Francesco Pio Esposito is a 21-year-old Italian striker, born on 28 June 2005. He opened the season with a back-heel goal in Inter’s 4-1 win over Monza on 23 August 2026. By the international break he had played all five league games, four as a starter, with two goals and an assist. He already looks complete, holding the ball up and attacking the box like a senior striker. He is in Mancini’s squad, and I expect him to be Italy’s first-choice striker within a year.
Why is Nico Paz still the heart of Como?
Nico Paz is a 22-year-old Argentine attacking midfielder, born on 8 September 2004. On 29 June 2026, Real Madrid confirmed he would stay at Como for 2026/27 at his own request, with Madrid keeping an option to bring him back in 2027/28. He has started every league game this season and scored in the 4-1 win at Genoa on 4 September. Almost everything Como create in the final third goes through his left foot.
Why does Atalanta’s defence run through Giorgio Scalvini?
Giorgio Scalvini is a 22-year-old Italian centre-back, born on 11 December 2003. He has started all five of Atalanta’s league games in 2026/27 and is back in the Italy squad. At 1.94 metres he wins his duels, but his real value is on the ball. He steps into midfield and breaks lines with his passing, which few defenders his age can do. Injuries have slowed him in past seasons. If he stays fit, I see him as Italy’s best young defender.
How did Alessandro Romano become Cagliari’s breakout star?
Alessandro Romano is a 20-year-old midfielder, born on 17 June 2006 in Winterthur, Switzerland. He came through Roma’s academy and joined Cagliari on loan this summer. On 22 August 2026, on his first Serie A start, he scored the only goal at Parma with a left-footed shot from outside the box. He has been a regular starter since. Romano played for Switzerland at youth level, FIFA cleared his switch to Italy in September, and Mancini called him up on 18 September. For me, he is the breakout player of the season so far.
What has Franco Mastantuono brought to Fiorentina?
Franco Mastantuono is a 19-year-old Argentine attacking midfielder, born on 14 August 2007, on loan from Real Madrid for the season. On 11 September 2026 he scored a hat-trick in a 4-2 win at Venezia, Fiorentina’s first league win of the campaign and his first goals in Serie A. He struggled for minutes in Madrid. In Florence he plays behind the striker with freedom. A full season of starts in Serie A could be the making of him.
Why is Antonio Vergara Napoli’s impact player?
Antonio Vergara is a 23-year-old Italian attacking midfielder from Frattaminore, near Naples, born on 16 January 2003. He came through Napoli’s academy, came back from a cruciate ligament injury on loan at Reggiana, and scored his first Napoli goal against Chelsea in the Champions League on 28 January 2026. This season he came off the bench to score the second goal in a 2-0 win at Genoa on 22 August. He earned his first Italy call-up this month, and for me he is the best impact substitute in the league.
Can Daniele Ghilardi hold his place in Roma’s defence?
Daniele Ghilardi is a 23-year-old Italian centre-back, born on 6 January 2003 in Lucca. He joined Roma from Hellas Verona in the summer of 2025 and sat on the bench without playing for his first 12 league games. From the 2-0 win at Lecce on 6 January 2026 he became a starter in Gian Piero Gasperini’s back three, and Roma made the deal permanent. He has shared minutes in the opening weeks of 2026/27, and Mancini still gave him a first Italy call-up. That patience is paying off.
How did Eddy Kouadio earn an Italy call-up at Monza?
Eddy Kouadio is a 20-year-old Italian centre-back, born on 7 May 2006 in Prato. He came through Fiorentina’s academy and is on loan at newly promoted Monza, who fielded the youngest starting line-up in their Serie A history on the opening day. He has started all five league games. Mancini picked him for his first senior squad, and a season of starts in a survival fight is the best education a young defender can get.
When will Kenan Yildiz be back for Juventus?
Kenan Yildiz is a 21-year-old Turkish forward, born on 4 May 2005. He broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot in Juventus’s opening game against Frosinone and had surgery at the end of August 2026. Juventus expect him back after the November international break. Yildiz is the Juventus player who makes something from nothing. Three months out does not change what he is, so he stays on this list.
Why did Mancini call up Bologna’s Massimo Pessina?
Massimo Pessina is an 18-year-old Italian goalkeeper, born on 25 December 2007, and the youngest of Mancini’s new call-ups. He made his Serie A debut against Napoli on 9 November 2025, coming on early in the first half and keeping a clean sheet in a 2-0 win. He is not yet Bologna’s first choice and has started one league game this season. The call-up is a bet on his future more than a reward for this season. I think it is a smart bet.
What comes next for Francesco Camarda at Milan?
Francesco Camarda is an 18-year-old Italian striker, born on 10 March 2008. He spent 2025/26 on loan at Lecce, with one league goal in 23 appearances across Serie A and the Coppa Italia, and Milan brought him back on 18 June 2026. So far this season he has played five minutes, in the 2-2 draw with Lazio on 12 September. What he needs is minutes, and at Milan they are hard to find. If they do not come by January, a loan inside Serie A makes sense.
What does the 2026/27 list say about Serie A?
It says the young players who start are the ones who rise. Romano, Kouadio and Vergara were not big names a year ago. They played, and Mancini noticed, as the club-by-club breakdown of Mancini’s first squad shows. On 17 September 2026 Lega Serie A called this the youngest championship ever. Last season’s list still lost Palestra and Ahanor to England, and our ranking of the most valuable Italian players is where you can follow the ones who leave. The way to keep the next wave in the Italian league system is simple. Give them the ball, and keep giving it to them.
