Giovanni Simeone

Giovanni Simeone
Giovanni Pablo Simeone Baldini (born 5 July 1995) also known as Gio Simeone, or “El Cholito”, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Napoli and the Argentina national team.
Early life
The son of former Argentine international footballer Diego Simeone and Carolina Baldini, Giovanni Simeone was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, while his father was playing for Atlético Madrid.
His family moved to Italy in 1997, but later returned to Spain in 2003 following his father's career club changes. Two years later he moved to Argentina, and joined River Plate's youth setup in 2008 when his father was appointed coach of the first team. He has two younger brothers, Gianluca and Giuliano, both footballers.
Club career
River Plate
After progressing through the youth ranks, Simeone signed a three-year professional deal with the club in November 2011. In July 2013, he was called up by the main squad for the pre-season; Simeone made his league debut on 4 August 2013, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in a 1–0 away defeat against Gimnasia La Plata. Later that month he renewed his contract, signing until 2016. Simeone scored his first professional goal on 8 September, netting the second of a 3–0 home win against Tigre.
Loan to Banfield
On 6 July 2015, Simeone joined fellow Argentine Primera División side Banfield on a season-long loan deal. On 12 July 2015, he scored the match-winning goal on his debut in a 1–0 victory against Quilmes.
Genoa
On 18 August 2016, Simeone signed for Italian club Genoa for €3 million. He scored his first goal, on his first start for the club, in a 1–1 draw with Pescara on 25 September 2016. On 27 November, Simeone netted a brace in Genoa 3–1 win over Serie A leaders Juventus.
Fiorentina
Among speculation of Atlético Madrid's interest in signing the young player to be coached by his father Diego Simeone, Giovanni signed with Serie A club Fiorentina on 16 August 2017, for an undisclosed fee. On 29 April 2018, Simeone scored his first hat-trick in Fiorentina's 3–0 league win against Napoli, effectively ending his future club's title hopes.
Cagliari
On 30 August 2019, Simeone joined Cagliari on a year-long loan deal from Fiorentina, including an obligatory purchase clause at the end of the period. On 1 September, he made his debut in a 2–1 defeat against Inter Milan. Simeone's first goal came on 15 September, in a 3–1 win against Parma. After an inconsistent first part of the season, he scored in four consecutive games upon returning from the COVID-19 lockdown; he finished the seasons with 12 goals overall.
In the following season, Simeone scored a brace in a 3–2 win against Torino; he ended the 2020–21 season with six goals scored.
Hellas Verona
On 26 August 2021, Simeone joined Serie A side Hellas Verona on a season-long loan deal with an option to make the deal permanent. On 24 October, he scored all four goals in a 4–1 win over Lazio. It was his second hat-trick in Serie A, and both came against sides managed by Maurizio Sarri. On 30 October, Simeone netted two goals against Juventus, for the second time in his career, as Verona won 2–1.
On 17 June 2022, he joined Hellas Verona on a permanent deal with a contract lasting until 2026.
Napoli
On August 18, 2022, his signing with Napoli was officially announced on a loan with an option to buy, which became obligatory upon meeting certain sporting conditions. He made his debut for the Azzurri on August 28 against Fiorentina, his former team, replacing Victor Osimhen in the final 15 minutes of the match, which ended in a 0–0 draw. On September 7, he also made his Champions League debut, once again replacing Osimhen, and scored his first goal in the tournament and with the Azzurri shirt, contributing to Napoli's 4–1 win over Liverpool. On September 18, he scored the winning goal in a match against AC Milan at San Siro, making the final score 1–2, his first in the 2022-23 Serie A with Napoli. On October 26, he scored his first double with Napoli, as well as his first in the Champions League, in a 3–0 home win against Rangers, thereby becoming the second Argentine player, after his father, to score four goals in his first four matches in Europe's top competition. On January 17, 2023, in his Coppa Italia debut with the Azzurri, he scored the temporary lead in the home match against Cremonese, which ended in his team's elimination in penalties after both regular time and extra time finished 2-2. On January 29, he scored the decisive goal in a home win against Roma (2-1), valid for the 20th matchday of the championship. On May 4, 2023, Napoli secured their first Scudetto of his career, and the third in the club's history, following a 1–1 draw with Udinese.
On June 15, 2023, Simeone signed a contract with Napoli, valid until 2026, with an option to extend until 2027.
International career
Argentine U-20 Team
U-20 South American Championship
Giovanni Simeone was initially a part of the Argentine Under-18 team. His outstanding performances earned him a call up in the U-20 team when he was just 17 years old. In March 2014, Simeone was called up by manager Alejandro Sabella to train with the senior Argentina national football team as a 'sparring' partner.
On January 6, 2015, the technical director of the Argentine U-20 football team, Humberto Grondona, released a list of 32 players for pre-tournament training. Giovanni "Gio" Simeone was among those called up for the upcoming U-20 South American Championship, which was scheduled to be held in Uruguay. On January 10, just days before the championship was set to begin, Grondona finalized the list of 23 players, which included Simeone. Out of the seven River Plate players initially listed, six made it to the final squad traveling to Uruguay.
On January 14, the Argentine U-20 national team made their debut in the U-20 South American Championship against the Ecuador U-20 team. It was a resounding 5–2 victory, with Gio Simeone emerging as the top scorer of the match. He scored his first goal early in the game following a play by Ángel Correa. His second goal came after another assist from Correa, and Simeone simply had to tap it in.
On January 16, in the second match of the tournament, the Argentine U-20 team suffered a setback with a 0–1 loss to the Paraguay U-20 team, who temporarily took the lead in the group.
On January 18, following the previous defeat, the Argentine U-20 team bounced back with a convincing 6–2 win against the Peru U-20 team. Simeone was again the standout player, scoring twice. His first goal came from an assist by Sebastián Driussi, while his second came from a header after a cross by Leonardo Suárez.
On January 22, in the last match of the Group A stage of the U-20 South American Championship, the Argentine U-20 team played against the Bolivia U-20 team, securing a 3–0 victory. Once again, Gio Simeone was the top scorer, netting two goals, both of which came from assists by Leonardo Suárez.
On February 7, 2015, the Argentine U-20 team won the U-20 South American Championship. Gio Simeone played a pivotal role in the team's success and finished as the tournament's top scorer with 9 goals.
U-20 World Cup
On March 6, 2015, the coach of the U-20 national team, Humberto Grondona, included him in the preliminary squad for the U-20 World Cup to be held in New Zealand. Training and friendly matches would start at the end of March and continue throughout April until the final list of players traveling to the World Cup was announced in early May. On May 13, 2015, Humberto Grondona confirmed the list of 21 players who would represent the Argentine U-20 team in the World Cup in New Zealand, which included Giovanni Simeone. The team would travel on Monday, May 18, to Tahiti, where they would play two friendly matches against the local team. They would arrive in Wellington on May 25 to make their debut on May 30 against Panama. On May 21, in the first friendly match played before the New Zealand World Cup, the Argentine U-20 team lost in Tahiti 3–1 to the country's senior team in a match played at the Pater Te Hono Nui Stadium. On May 24, the team played their second friendly, and final one before traveling to New Zealand for the World Cup, against Tahiti. This time, the 'Albiceleste' won 4–1, with goals from Ángel Correa, Monteseirín, Simeone, and Emiliano Buendía, showing good ball control and attacking potency.
Senior Team
Simeone was called up to the senior national team for the first time for the FIFA double date in September 2018. On September 8, 2018, Simeone made his debut as a starter against Guatemala, where he also scored his first goal for the 'Albiceleste,' sealing a 3–0 win for the national team against the Central Americans. Against the second opponent, Colombia, Simeone was a substitute but came on in the 88th minute to replace Nicolás Tagliafico, where he had a tough clash with Colombian goalkeeper David Ospina. As part of a generational change, Simeone continued to be called up by interim coach Lionel Scaloni, becoming a regular player in the 'Albiceleste's' subsequent matches. The following month, Simeone was again included in the squad to play the October friendlies against Iraq and Brazil, coming on as a substitute in both matches, replacing Lautaro Martínez against Iraq and Mauro Icardi against Brazil. In November, Simeone was called up to play in the national team's final matches of 2018, facing Mexico in a friendly tournament held locally. Simeone provided an assist to Paulo Dybala in the second match against the 'Tricolor,' which allowed his team to seal a 2–0 victory for the 'Albiceleste.'
In September 2020, he was once again called up by Lionel Scaloni for the World Cup qualifying double date against Ecuador and Bolivia.
Style of play
Simeone is an elegant yet powerful and opportunistic forward with an eye for goal, who is capable of playing anywhere along the front line; although he has been deployed as a second striker, he has also been used in a central role as a main striker, and is a competent and efficient finisher with both feet, despite being naturally right footed.
A tenacious and energetic player, he is known for his work-rate and defensive contribution off the ball, and often drops into midfield in order to help his team win back possession. He is also known for his speed and intelligent attacking movement, which enables him to create space and provide depth for his team.
Regarded as a promising young player, he also possesses good technical skills, as well as flair and finesse on the ball, and is capable of linking-up with his teammates and bringing other forwards into play.
Personal life
On 1 January 2014, aged 18, Simeone obtained Spanish citizenship. On May 25, 2022, he married the Italian model Giulia Coppini in the church of San Salvatore al Monte (Florence).
Career statistics
Club
International
Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Simeone goal.
Honours
River Plate
Argentine Primera División: 2014 Final
Copa Campeonato: 2014
Copa Sudamericana: 2014
Napoli
Serie A: 2022–23
Argentina U20
South American Youth Football Championship: 2015
Individual
South American Youth Football Championship Top Goalscorer: 2015
Serie A Player of the Month: October 2021
References
External links
ESPN Deportes profile
Giovanni Simeone at Topforward
1995 births
Living people
Footballers from Madrid
Argentine men's footballers
Argentine people of Italian descent
Naturalised citizens of Spain
Men's association football forwards
CF Rayo Majadahonda players
Club Atlético River Plate footballers
Club Atlético Banfield footballers
Genoa CFC players
ACF Fiorentina players
Cagliari Calcio players
Hellas Verona FC players
SSC Napoli players
Argentine Primera División players
Serie A players
Argentina men's under-20 international footballers
Olympic footballers for Argentina
Argentina men's international footballers
Footballers at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Argentine expatriate men's footballers
Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Italy
Expatriate men's footballers in Italy
Simeone family