Francesco Acerbi

Until the age of 22, Acerbi played only in the lower tiers of Italian football, before being purchased by the Serie B club Reggina, where he established himself as a starting lineup defender.

During his debut season for the club he was diagnosed with testicular cancer[3] and successfully cured by the end of campaign, which paved the way for his return to the pitch in September 2014.

Born in Vizzolo Predabissi, Lombardy, Acerbi started his career at Lombard team Pavia, making his league debut on 23 April 2006.

[17] On 31 January 2011, Pavia sold the remain 50 percent registration rights to Reggina for an undisclosed fee, whereupon the Calabrian side formed another co-ownership deal with Serie A team Genoa for €1 million.

[23] On 24 June 2011, Genoa purchased the remaining 50 percent of Acerbi's registration rights from Reggina for €2.2 million[18] and sent Antonino Ragusa the other direction.

On 20 June 2012, Milan bought Chievo's 50 percent share of Acerbi, with Genoa retaining the remaining half of his registration rights.

Acerbi debuted for Milan in its 3–1 win over Bologna, though he failed to gain a stable place in starting line-up and left the club during the winter transfer window.

In 2019, Acerbi revealed that during his time in Milan he suffered from depression, grieving the death of his father, and often relied on alcohol to quell his emotional pain.

Acerbi had taken part in 13 games of the 2013–14 Serie A season before he failed a doping test in December 2013; he denied using any banned performance-enhancing drugs, and that it was due to irregular hormone levels caused by the return of the cancer.

[42] Acerbi was a starter in the 2023 UEFA Champions League final where he was praised for shutting down Manchester City's Erling Haaland from scoring, although Inter ultimately lost 1–0.

[44] On 22 April 2024, he scored a header in a 2–1 win over his former club AC Milan, securing his first Serie A title with Inter in the 2023–24 season with five matches remaining.

[47] He made his senior debut for Italy under Antonio Conte, on 18 November 2014, in a 1–0 friendly win over Albania in Genoa, playing the full 90 minutes.

[51] In Italy's second group match against Switzerland in Rome on 16 June, Acerbi made his first appearance of the tournament, coming on for the injured Giorgio Chiellini in the first half of an eventual 3–0 victory, which allowed his side to advance to the knock-out stages.

[53] On 11 July, Acerbi won the European Championship with Italy following a 3–2 penalty shoot-out victory over England at Wembley Stadium in the final, after a 1–1 draw in extra-time.

Acerbi next to Real Madrid's Pepe during Milan's match against Real Madrid
Acerbi training with Milan in 2012
Lazio defender Francesco Acerbi in 2019
Acerbi (right) during a Champions League match against Red Bull Salzburg in 2023
Acerbi (second from left) with Italy in 2021