Wikipedia

Wilfried Gnonto

Degnand Wilfried Gnonto (Italian pronunciation: [ˈvilfrid ˈɲonto]; born 5 November 2003) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL Championship club Leeds United and the Italy national team.

Wilfried Gnonto
Gnonto with Leeds United in 2023
Personal information
Full name Degnand Wilfried Gnonto
Date of birth (2003-11-05) 5 November 2003 (age 21)
Place of birth Verbania, Italy
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Position(s) Forward, Winger
Team information
Current team
 Leeds United
Number 29
Youth career
2008–2010 Baveno
2010–2012 Suno
2012–2020 Inter Milan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020–2021 Zürich II 3 (2)
2020–2022 Zürich 65 (9)
2022– Leeds United 77 (13)
International career‡
2018–2019 Italy U16 10 (1)
2019–2020 Italy U17 10 (5)
2021 Italy U18 1 (0)
2021–2022 Italy U19 10 (5)
2023– Italy U21 12 (5)
2022– Italy 13 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:20, 27 November 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 19 November 2024

Early life

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Gnonto was born in Verbania, Italy, in 2003 to Ivorian parents and he grew up in Baveno, where he attended a liceo classico before switching to pursue secondary education at a liceo scientifico.[1][2]

Club career

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FC Zürich

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A youth product of Inter Milan since the age of nine, Gnonto joined Swiss club Zürich on 23 April 2020.[3] Gnonto made his professional debut with Zürich as a substitute in a 4–1 away Swiss Super League win over FC Vaduz on 24 October 2020, and assisted his team's final goal.[4] He scored his first professional goal on 21 May 2021, once again in a 4–1 league home win over FC Vaduz, after replacing Antonio Marchesano in the second half.[5]

In his second season, he won the 2021–22 Swiss Super League title with the club, with four games remaining.[6]

Leeds United

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On 2 September 2022, Gnonto joined Leeds United on a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee.[7] He made his Premier League debut on 29 October, in Leeds’ 2–1 win against Liverpool at Anfield, coming on as a 72nd-minute substitute for Jack Harrison and opening the action that led to the winning goal by Crysencio Summerville.[8] On 5 November, he again replaced Harrison in the second half of the league match against Bournemouth, eventually assisting Summerville for his second consecutive winning goal.[9]

On 4 January 2023, Gnonto scored his first Premier League goal for Leeds, a 28th minute opener in a 2–2 home draw against West Ham United.[10] Two weeks later he scored a brace for Leeds in an FA Cup third round replay against Cardiff City at Elland Road, a volley within the first minute and a goal scored in the 36th minute in a 5–2 win.[11]

On 8 February 2023, he scored less than a minute into Leeds' 2–2 draw with Manchester United, following a pass from Patrick Bamford.[12] In doing so, he became the youngest overseas player to score at Old Trafford in a Premier League fixture.[13]

In August 2023, Gnonto refused to play for Leeds in an attempt to force a transfer away from the club, following Leeds' relegation to the EFL Championship at the end of the 2022–23 season:[14] he then returned to training and officially apologized to manager Daniel Farke at the end of the month.[15] On 26 August, in his first game since his return, Gnonto scored a goal in a 4–3 away league win over Ipswich Town.[16]

In the 2023–24 season, Gnonto, an almost-constant regular on the right wing in Farke’s starting XI, had a run of form that saw him net seven goals from February to mid-March 2024.[17][18] On 16 May, he set up a goal in Leeds's 4–0 win over Norwich City in the EFL Championship play-off semi-final, which allowed them to advance to the final against Southampton at Wembley Stadium.[19][20]

International career

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Gnonto represented Italy at under-17 level in the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup; he was one of the team's key players, scoring three goals en-route to the quarter-finals, where Italy lost out 2–0 to eventual champions Brazil.[21][22] His opening individual goal in Italy's 2–1 win over Mexico in their second group match – which allowed them to advanced to the round of 16 – was later named the "Goal of the Tournament."[23][24] His other two goals came in Italy's opening group match, a 5–0 win over Solomon Islands.[25]

In May 2022, after being called by Roberto Mancini to join a training camp for the Italy national team, Gnonto was included in the final 30-player Azzurri squad for the 2022 Finalissima.[26][27] On 4 June 2022, Gnonto made his senior debut for Italy in a UEFA Nations League game against Germany, coming on as a substitute and providing an assist in a 1–1 home draw.[28] On 14 June, in Italy's fourth group match, he scored his first international goal in a 5–2 away loss to Germany, to become the youngest goalscorer for Italy, aged 18 years and 222 days, breaking the previous record held by Bruno Nicolè since 1958.[29]

In June 2023, Gnonto was included in Italy's squad for the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Finals.[30] On 18 June, Gnonto started in Italy's 3–2 win over Netherlands in the third-place match of the tournament, contributing to Davide Frattesi's goal, who scored after the former's shot was blocked.[31]

Style of play

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Gnonto is a quick, agile, and technically gifted forward, with a low centre of gravity, who is known for his dribbling ability and close control at speed.[32][33][34][35] He has also stood out for his work-rate on the pitch.[36] Although he is a right-footed player, who is often used as a left winger, a position which allows him to drift out wide, take on opponents, and strike at goal,[32][37][38] he is able to play anywhere across the front line, courtesy of his ability to use either foot, and has also been used as a second striker, or even as a right winger, or striker on occasion.[34][39][40][41] Despite his diminutive stature (standing at 1.72m/5 ft 7 in), he possesses significant elevation and physical strength, which allows him to retain the ball under pressure.[32][33][38] His qualities and playing style have led him to be compared to English winger Raheem Sterling in the media; Gnonto has also cited his idol, Argentine footballer Lionel Messi, as a major influence.[40][42] Martin Hardy of The Times also likened Gnonto to compatriot Paolo Di Canio in 2024.[39]

Considered to be a promising young player in the media, in 2020, he was named one of the "Next Generation 2020: 60 of the best young talents in world football" by The Guardian.[32][43]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 27 November 2024[44]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Europe Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Zürich II 2020–21 Swiss Promotion League 3 2 — — — 2[c] 1 5 3
Zürich 2020–21 Swiss Super League 26 1 0 0 — — — 26 1
2021–22 Swiss Super League 33 8 3 2 — — — 36 10
2022–23 Swiss Super League 6 0 1 0 — 5[d] 1 — 12 1
Total 65 9 4 2 — 5 1 — 74 12
Leeds United U21 2022–23 — — — — 2[e] 0 2 0
Leeds United 2022–23 Premier League 24 2 3 2 1 0 — — 28 4
2023–24 Championship 36 8 4 1 1 0 — 3[f] 0 44 9
2024–25 Championship 17 3 0 0 1 0 — — 18 3
Total 77 13 7 3 3 0 — 3 0 90 16
Career total 145 24 11 5 3 0 5 1 7 1 171 31
  1. ^ Includes Swiss Cup, FA Cup
  2. ^ Includes EFL Cup
  3. ^ Appearances in Swiss Promotion League relegation play-offs
  4. ^ Two appearances in UEFA Champions League, three appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
  5. ^ Appearances in EFL Trophy
  6. ^ Appearances in Championship play-offs

International

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As of match played 12 September 2023[45]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Italy 2022 8 1
2023 5 0
Total 13 1
Italy score listed first, score column indicates score after each Gnonto goal.[45]
List of international goals scored by Wilfried Gnonto
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 14 June 2022 Borussia-Park, Mönchengladbach, Germany 4   Germany 1–5 2–5 2022–23 UEFA Nations League A

Honours

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Zürich[44]

References

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  1. ^ Russo, Gabriele (5 June 2022). "L'Italia si innamora di Gnonto. E' di Baveno la nuova promessa azzurra". RaiNews (in Italian). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  2. ^ Tomaselli, Paolo (6 June 2022). "Il papà di Gnonto: "Libri e oratorio, non ha né fidanzata né patente: vi racconto Willy"". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  3. ^ "Der Stadtclub verpflichtet Nachwuchs-Stürmer Wilfried Gnonto". FC Zürich. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Vaduz vs. Zürich - 24 October 2020 - Soccerway". uk.soccerway.com.
  5. ^ "Der FCZ gewinnt gegen den FC Vaduz mit 4:1" (in German). FC Zürich. 21 May 2021. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  6. ^ "FC Zurich beats FC Basel 2-0 and is crowned Swiss champion". FC Zürich. 1 May 2022. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Leeds United complete deadline day deal for Wilfried Gnonto". Leeds United. 2 September 2022.
  8. ^ Rose, Gary (29 October 2022). "Liverpool 1–2 Leeds United". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  9. ^ Johnston, Neil (5 November 2022). "Leeds United 4–3 Bournemouth". BBC Sport. Retrieved 6 November 2022.
  10. ^ Stone, Simon (4 January 2023). "Leeds 2-2 West Ham: Hammers remain in relegation trouble after Elland Road draw". BBC Sport. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  11. ^ Taylor, Louise (18 January 2023). "Gnonto and Bamford double up as Leeds overwhelm Cardiff in FA Cup". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Sancho earns Man Utd point in thrilling Leeds draw". BBC Sport. 8 February 2023. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  13. ^ "'Superb' Leeds ace Gnonto broke a Premier League record vs Manchester United". HITC. 9 February 2023.
  14. ^ Hafez, Shamoon (18 August 2023). "Leeds forward Gnonto submits transfer request". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  15. ^ "Farke gives apologetic Gnonto second chance at Leeds". BBC Sport. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  16. ^ "Leeds end Ipswich's perfect start with first win". BBC Sport. 26 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  17. ^ Freeman, Jay (17 March 2024). "Leeds 2-0 Millwall: Wilfried Gnonto and Dan James goals put Leeds top". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  18. ^ Lloyd, Matt (13 February 2024). "Swansea 0-4 Leeds: Visitors stroll to seventh successive win". BBC Sport. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Video: Gnonto provides stunning assist for Leeds' second in play-off semi". Football Italia. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Gnonto and Leeds United qualify for Championship play-off final". Football Italia. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  21. ^ "The class of the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup: Where are they now?". FIFA.com. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  22. ^ "How Inter and Conte let Gnonto leave". Football Italia. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  23. ^ "Gnonto v Mexico [GOAL OF THE TOURNAMENT] - FIFA U17 World Cup 2019 ™". YouTube.com. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Udogie segna al 94', l'Italia U17 vola agli ottavi". Sky Sport Italia (in Italian). 11 November 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  25. ^ "The Azzurrini pick up the pace: five goals against the Solomon Islands. A brace on his debut for Gnonto". Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  26. ^ "Diramata dal Ct Mancini la lista dei calciatori per la 'Finalissima'" (in Italian). FIGC.it. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  27. ^ "Wilfried Gnonto, chi è la nuova scommessa di Roberto Mancini" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
  28. ^ "Italia-Germania 1-1: Kimmich risponde a Pellegrini, esordio con assist per Gnonto" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  29. ^ "Five-star Germany crush Italy to snap winless run". Reuters. 14 June 2022.
  30. ^ "Convocati per la Nations League, Mancini punta sul blocco Inter". RaiNews (in Italian). 7 June 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  31. ^ "Nations League, finale terzo posto: l'Italia batte 3-2 l'Olanda" (in Italian). TG24 Sky Italia. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  32. ^ a b c d Christenson, Marcus; Powell, Jim; Blight, Garry; Bandini, Nicky (8 October 2020). "Next Generation 2020: 60 of the best young talents in world football". the Guardian. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  33. ^ a b "Gnonto, Wilfried - Treccani" (in Italian). Treccani. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  34. ^ a b "Willy Gnonto realizza il suo sogno azzurro". Sky Sport Italia (in Italian). 4 June 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  35. ^ "Mancini: Don't put too much pressure on 18-year-old hotshot Gnonto". theScore.com. 6 June 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  36. ^ "Gnonto's Premier League emergence highlights Serie A's youngsters issue". Football Italia. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  37. ^ "L'apprendistato di Willy Gnonto" (in Italian). L'Ultimo Uomo. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  38. ^ a b "'Willy' Gnonto: Italy's sharp-shooting 15-year-old". FIFA.com. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  39. ^ a b Hardy, Martin (21 May 2024). "Wilfried Gnonto stirs memories of Paolo Di Canio – and disbelief over £4m fee". The Times. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  40. ^ a b "La Svizzera, l'Inter e la maturità: chi è Willy Gnonto". Sky Sport Italia (in Italian). 7 June 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  41. ^ "Aston Villa Set To Rival Everton For This Leeds United Winger: What Will He Add To Emery's Side?". OneFootball. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  42. ^ "L'IDOLO MESSI, I PARAGONI CON STERLING, I NUMERI DA PREDESTINATO: L'ITALIA SCOPRE WILLY GNONTO" (in Italian). Alfredo Pedullà. 30 October 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  43. ^ Dawes, Olly (4 September 2022). "Victor Orta has signed exciting player for Leeds - for £13m less than first demanded". HITC. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  44. ^ a b Wilfried Gnonto at Soccerway. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  45. ^ a b "Gnonto, Wilfried" (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
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