Nicolò Zaniolo
Fiorentina · Forward · Italy · 595 min
Ballity Verdict
What makes this player special?
Nicolò Zaniolo is at his best when the game opens into one-versus-one battles out wide. For Fiorentina, that means stretch, isolation, and the ability to beat a full-back before the box gets crowded — not a pure chance-creation spreadsheet profile. The headline trait is playmaking winger.
Beyond the headline job, Zaniolo remains plausible as duelist winger and raumdeuter. The secondary roles matter for how a coach can reorganise without changing the XI entirely.
On the pitch he has actually been used as LW / CF (#9). That matters: skill-set breadth is one thing; demonstrated deployment is another. Zaniolo's authenticity claim starts from those minutes, not from a role board alone.
Sample size still limits how hard you can push the conclusions. The football idea is clear; the confidence should stay honest until a fuller season of minutes confirms it.
Why Ballity says this
- Midfield / role totality: playmaking winger, duelist winger, raumdeuter
- Shown minutes: LW / CF (#9)
- No major weakness flags in the current profile
Receipts
- · Player Profile
- · Role Breadth
- · Deployment authenticity
- · Sample · limited
Position
Wide Forward
Appearances
3
Great+ roles
0
Age
27
Preferred foot
Left
Height
189 cm
Ballity insights
Peer context vs forwards — how often they get the ball and what they do with it. Separate from role tiers above. Attackers also split separation into on-ball (dribble-created) and off-ball (movement). Catalogue profile — usage ranked on touches/90, not team touch share.
Usage rate
Share of team touches (non-GK) among forwards with match data.
12.2% team touches
Peer band · High
Pool percentile
80.4%
Also 49.1 touches/90 (season aggregate).
Efficiency
Output quality per action for forwards.
51 score
Peer band · Average
Pool percentile
62.0%
On-ball separation
Dribble-created space and self-made shot quality.
32 score
Peer band · High
Pool percentile
74.0%
Off-ball separation
Movement-created space on assisted attempts.
60 score
Peer band · Low
Pool percentile
34.0%
Balance & structural weaknesses
How complete this player is on the position's job board — strengths and holes.
How we define this
Two-way = Great+ on ≥2 complementary axes. One-way = every other route Limited/closed. Weak routes = Average holes on complementary axes.
No Elite/Great axis on this position's job board, so no weakness flag.
Defensive contribution
Proxy only · confidence: proxy — not a role tier
Proxy p16 · Actions p22 within winger peers
Stat profile
Within Winger peers — percentile shape (not role scores).
Versatility Index
Precise 0–100 score — cross-group breadth (67%) plus within-group depth (33%), quality-scaled by tier. Distinct from the shape card below.
Index
47.7
Breadth 30.2 · Depth 17.5
- ·Midfielders: Creator (Elite), Box Crasher (Elite)
- ·Wingers: Playmaking Winger (Great), Duelist Winger (Good), Raumdeuter (Good)
- ·Forwards: Poacher (Good)
Versatility shape
Coarse directional pattern (Specialist / Dual-threat / Generalist) — not the 0–100 Index above.
Specialist
Good SpecialistDistinct Great+
0 Great+ roles total
Where he plays
Positions with deployment evidence — not statistical guesses.
Natural
Role translations
Where the profile could fit. Tap a position — then see which role style suits it.
Select a position on the pitch to see the best role, alternatives, and evidence.
Role-by-role detail
How each role is scored. Expand a row for a radar of role-shaped stats.
Similar players
Shape match across forward roles — cosine similarity of role scores (domestic leagues only). Slot 1 is the best same-league match; the rest are the next closest from the full pool.
Daniel Mosquera
Hellas Verona · Serie A 24/25
Closest roles
Target ManΔ32
PoacherΔ29
Shadow StrikerΔ42
Rafa Mir
Valencia · La Liga 24/25
Closest roles
- Target ManΔ9
- PoacherΔ8
- Shadow StrikerΔ2
Abdoulie Ceesay
FC St. Pauli · Bundesliga
Closest roles
- Target ManΔ9
- PoacherΔ8
- Shadow StrikerΔ9