Passion for Sneijder, a tattoo dedicated to his father and the number 59: some fun facts about Nicola Zalewski | OneFootball

Born in Tivoli on 23 January 2002, Nicola Zalewski developed as a footballer at Roma, where he made his Serie A debut in the 2020/21 campaign and won the Conference League the season after that. With the Giallorossi, he scored two goals in 123 appearances. He's already made an impact at Inter, providing the assist for De Vrij's 93rd-minute equaliser in the derby against AC Milan.

FAMILY PASSION

Zalewski fell in love with football thanks to his father. Passion for the game was passed down to him by his dad, with whom he began watching matches on TV from a young age.

THE SPRINGBOARD

It was during his time in Roma's youth setup that Zalewski realised he could make the leap into professional football.

ADMIRATION FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO

Cristiano Ronaldo has been Nicola's idol ever since he was a child and started kicking a ball.

PASSION FOR SNEIJDER

When it comes to the legends who have worn the Nerazzurri shirt, for Nicola, Wesley Sneijder is the man who stands out. The new Inter winger fell in love with the Dutch playmaker's technical ability and physical strength.

WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

Nicola's football journey started when he was five years old. He first started to kick a ball around in Poli, a small town of about 2000 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital and where he grew up. Even today, whenever he can, he returns to say hello to his friends who still play there.

A TATTOO DEDICATED TO HIS DAD

He has so many tattoos that he doesn't remember the exact number. But certainly the most important one is the portrait of his father on his thigh. Another one he’s very proud of is the tattoo that represents his bond with his entire family.

MOST IMPORTANT MATCH

Over the course of his career, there's one match that he considers to be particularly memorable: Leicester vs. Roma in the Conference League semi-finals in 2022, with the Giallorossi then going on to win the competition by beating Feyenoord in the final. In that match in England, Zalewski provided the assist for Lorenzo Pellegrini's goal.

POLAND

Despite being born in Italy, Nicola plays for Poland at international level. His decision to play for Poland is a tribute he wanted to make to his father.

NUMBER 59

Since his Serie A debut with Roma, he's worn the number 59 on his back. For him, it is now his lucky number.

DERBY DEBUT

Having arrived at Inter late on Saturday evening (1 February), announced before midnight, Nicola Zalewski had his first training session with the Nerazzurri on Sunday morning, in preparation for the evening's derby clash. Inzaghi sent him out at the end, in place of Dimarco: a lightning debut, with a cross for Dumfries' header that ended up on the post and a decisive assist with his chest in the middle of the second half for De Vrij's goal. A dream debut.