Mauro Icardi Biography

Mauro Icardi was born on February 19, 1993, in Rosario, Argentina. He began his football career at F.C. Sarretta in his hometown. In 2002, he moved to the Canary Islands, where he continued his development in Spain, playing for U.D. Vecindario for six years before joining the Barcelona Academy. After playing in Barcelona’s youth categories, Icardi moved to the Italian club Sampdoria following a short loan spell. He joined Sampdoria during the summer transfer window of 2011-2012, scoring 19 goals in the youth team and becoming the top scorer before getting promoted to the first team. He went on to score 11 goals in 33 matches for the Genoa-based club.

Two-time Serie A Top Scorer

After two and a half seasons at Sampdoria, Icardi transferred to Inter Milan for a fee of €13 million, where he would deliver some of the best performances of his career.

Inter Milan

In late April, it was announced that Icardi would join Inter Milan ahead of the 2013-14 season. The Sampdoria board later confirmed the deal, which involved a fee of €6.5 million for 50% of his transfer rights. On July 16, Icardi was officially unveiled as an Inter player, alongside Algerian striker Ishak Belfodil, receiving the number 9 shirt. He described the move to Inter as “a dream come true,” adding that although he received many offers, he only wanted to join Inter.

Icardi played his first unofficial match for Inter just a day after his transfer, featuring in the first half of a 3-0 win against Trentino Select XI. He scored his first goal for Inter during a preseason friendly against Bundesliga club Hamburg, finding the net shortly after entering the game.

2013-2015: Debut Season and Capocannoniere

Icardi made his official Inter debut on August 25, 2013, in a 2-0 home victory against Genoa CFC. He scored his first league goal for Inter against Juventus on September 14. Despite missing a significant portion of the season due to injury, Icardi returned on February 4, 2014, to score a winning goal against Fiorentina. His standout performance came when he scored twice against Bologna and netted a brace against his former club Sampdoria.

He ended his first season with Inter with 23 appearances across all competitions, scoring nine goals with an average of one goal every 145 minutes. On June 10, 2014, Inter acquired the remaining 50% of his transfer rights from Sampdoria for €6.5 million.

2015-2017: Inter Captaincy

Ahead of the 2015-16 season, Icardi was named Inter’s new captain, replacing Andrea Ranocchia. Icardi reached several milestones during this period, including scoring his 50th Serie A goal and becoming the first Inter player since Christian Vieri and Zlatan Ibrahimović to score at least 15 goals in three consecutive seasons. He finished the 2016-17 season with a personal best of 24 league goals in 34 matches.

2017-2019: Second Capocannoniere and Departure

During the 2017-18 season, Icardi scored a memorable hat-trick in the Derby della Madonnina against AC Milan and became the youngest player in over 50 years to score 100 Serie A goals. He finished the season as the joint top scorer with 29 goals, earning the Capocannoniere title alongside Lazio’s Ciro Immobile.

In the 2018-19 season, Icardi made his UEFA Champions League debut, scoring against Tottenham Hotspur and PSV Eindhoven. However, following a dispute with the club, he was stripped of his captaincy in February 2019 and eventually left the club after scoring 124 goals in 219 appearances.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)

Icardi joined PSG on loan for the 2019-2020 season before making the move permanent for €50 million. During his time in Paris, he scored 38 goals and provided 10 assists in 92 appearances. He won two Ligue 1 titles, two Coupe de France trophies, and two Trophée des Champions titles.

Galatasaray

After his stint in PSG, Icardi joined Galatasaray and immediately made an impact in the Turkish Süper Lig. He became the first player in Galatasaray history to score in seven consecutive matches and was crucial in the team’s championship-winning campaign. Icardi’s contributions in his debut season included 22 goals and 7 assists in 24 matches. Following his loan spell, he returned to PSG but later decided to continue his journey with Galatasaray, where he played a significant role in helping the team win back-to-back championships.

International Career

Icardi has also represented Argentina at the international level, earning eight caps and scoring one goal.

Legacy

Icardi is the second-highest active scorer in Serie A with 121 goals. He left an indelible mark at Inter Milan, where he won the Capocannoniere award twice and was named Serie A Player of the Year in 2018. His journey continues at Galatasaray, where he remains a key player in their pursuit of further success.