Giulia Galli: An 18-year-old she-wolf who demands to be heard

In the capital of Italy, a potential new leader for both Le Azzurre and Le Giallorose is coming to the fore. Eighteen-year-old Giulia Galli recently won the Italian league title with AS Roma and is eagerly looking forward to the new season, in which she could take on a bigger role on the team.

Vinícius Junior’s admirer, who celebrated her 18th birthday two months ago, first got a taste of football in one of Italy’s parks, where she used to go with her brother and parents as a little girl. As she admits, the boys weren’t always thrilled that a girl wanted to play football with them, so she sometimes came home in tears. 

All roads lead to Rome

Once her parents realized that her interest in football was serious, they decided to officially register her in one of the local football clubs. Giulia stayed there for three years, but eventually, as a native Roman and devoted AS Roma fan, she joined the club’s academy.

She made her first-team debut in May 2024 in a match against Sassuolo at the age of 16, becoming the youngest debutant in Serie A in the history of this Italian giant. However, she didn’t become a permanent member of Coach Luca Rossettini’s squad until this season. Although her playing time isn’t as extensive as she might have hoped, the professional environment and the opportunity to learn from her teammates are helping her move forward:

„I really feel everyone at the club’s behind me and supporting me every single day and in every training session. Training alongside top players and professionals helps build the mentality you need to push yourself to help your teammates in every situation,“ stated the young forward in an interview with fifa.com.

Giulia has all the prerequisites to become a world-class star within a few years. She possesses outstanding technical skills, thanks primarily to her background in athletics, and also excels in terms of speed. She displays tremendous energy on the field, and her height (177 cm) makes her a natural at scoring headers.

An unstoppable goal-scoring machine?

Giulia has also made a name for herself on the international stage. She debuted for the Italian national U16 team in February 2023 and went on to play for the U17 and U19 teams. She enjoyed her greatest success with the U17 team, which she represented in two major tournaments.

At the 2025 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship in the Faroe Islands, she scored a total of three goals in the group stage: one against Poland (4:3) and two against Spain (2:1). Her goals secured Italy’s victories in those matches and advanced them to the knockout stage, where the Italians unfortunately lost to Norway in the semifinals.

She caused an even bigger stir a few months later at the 2025 FIFA U17 Women's World Cup in Morocco, where she managed to score in every group stage match! She netted two goals against Costa Rica (3:0) and Morocco (3:1) and scored once in the match against Brazil (4:3).

Unfortunately, the Italian team was eliminated in the quarterfinals after a penalty shootout against Mexico. Despite this, Giulia was awarded the FIFA Bronze Boot for the third-best scorer. Ahead of her were only the North Korean gold medalists, who are traditionally very dominant in this age category.

Giulia’s appearance in the NXGN ranking, which presents an overview of the world’s most promising young football talents, comes as no surprise to anyone. As the only Italian on the list, she ranked 22nd overall, a fact that did not escape the attention of U17 national team coach Viviana Schiavi:

“(Giulia’s appearance in the NXGN ranking) doesn’t surprise me, because I know her and I know her potential. I think AS Roma is doing a really great job with Giulia. Not only can training alongside top players every day be very beneficial for her, but she’s also managed to earn some playing time both in Italy and in European competitions. The club definitely has a specific plan for her,” said the former Italian national team player to Calcio Femminile Italiano. It’s only a matter of time before she breaks into the starting lineup in AS Roma or catches the eye of another major European club.