Mateo Retegui (born 29 April 1999) is an Argentinian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Genoa and the Italy national team. He is nicknamed "il Re tigre" ("the tiger king").
Early life
Retegui was born in Argentina. His maternal grandfather Angelo Dimarco emigrated to Argentina from Canicattì (Sicily). His father's grandparents on one side of the family were also Italian, specifically from Genoa (the other were Basque, hence his surname).
He is the son of former field hockey player Carlos Retegui, who represented Argentina as a player and coach at various Pan American Games and Olympic Games. His sister Micaela is also an Olympian in the sport.
Club career
Retegui began his senior career with Boca Juniors, who signed him years prior from River Plate. He was first promoted into the club's first-team by manager Guillermo Barros Schelotto during the 2017–18 Argentine Primera División season, appearing as an unused substitute on occasions against Arsenal de Sarandí and Estudiantes in December 2017. His professional debut arrived on 17 November 2018, with the forward being substituted on for the final moments of a 1–0 home win over Patronato.
January 2019 saw Retegui loaned to Estudiantes for eighteen months. He appeared eight times in 2018–19, before scoring five goals in twenty-one appearances in 2019–20.
In February 2022, Retegui joined Tigre on a loan deal until the end of 2023.
On 26 July 2023, Retegui joined Serie A club Genoa on a five-year deal, for a reported fee of €15 million. On 11 August 2023, he scored his first two goals for the club in a Coppa Italia match against Serie B side Modena.
International career
Retegui represented Argentina at U19 and U20 level, including for the latter at the 2018 South American Games.
Being eligible to play for Italy through descent, in February 2023 it was reported Retegui was pre-selected by Roberto Mancini to join the Azzurri team for the first UEFA Euro 2024 qualification games. Retegui received his first official call up to the Italy national team on 17 March 2023, and proceeded to score in his international debut on 23 March against England in a Euro 2024 qualifying match lost 2–1 in Naples. He would tally again in his subsequent appearance on 26 March, netting the winner in a 2–0 win over Malta in a Euro 2024 qualifier in Ta' Qali, to become the first player to score in his first two competitive matches for the national side since Pierino Prati accomplished the feat in 1968.
Career statistics
Club
International
Italy score listed first, score column indicates score after each Retegui goal.
Honours
Individual
Top scorer: 2022 Argentine Primera División (19 goals)