Retegui out of Mancini's plans

Matteo Retegui has fallen out of the reckoning for Italy's national team recently, having been one of the standout forwards that coach Roberto Mancini had bet on. Mancini gave him his first international opportunity around three and a half years ago when he called him up from Club Atlético Tigre, amid some controversy at the time regarding his selection.

The Argentine-Italian forward has maintained his place in the national team during the tenures of Luciano Spalletti and Gennaro Gattuso, but he has notably fallen out of favor following Roberto Mancini's return to lead the team, despite the latter being the one who gave him his international opportunity. This is partly due to a change in attacking options, with Piero Espósito shining as the main striker, alongside Moise Kean, Gianluca Scamacca, and several emerging talents.

Ritigi's transfer to Al-Qadsiah, after one season with Atalanta where he was the Serie A top scorer with 25 goals, has distanced him from the spotlight, especially after suffering a serious injury in April. Nevertheless, the striker returned to the pitch and regained his scoring touch, having netted 10 goals in 15 matches this season across various competitions with Al-Qadsiah.

Retegui's international tally stands at 11 goals in 28 matches for Italy, with his last international goals coming on October 14, 2025, when he scored twice against Israel. His last participation dates back to the painful encounter in Zenica, which saw the Italian national team fail to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the third consecutive time.

In another context, Ritiji's name has returned to be linked with a possible return to Serie A, as he has entered the list of strikers that Juventus are monitoring to bolster their front line. However, the deal seems complicated at the moment, as the player is not the club's first choice, in addition to his high salary in Saudi Arabia and his market value estimated at around €35 million, an amount that makes completing the transfer during the winter transfer window difficult.