Emma Girotto

Emma chose number 58 at Sassuolo because it represents the average of the birth years of her parents and grandparents, allowing her to carry the people who shaped her journey onto the pitch.

Football runs through three generations of Emma’s family: her grandmother founded CF Musano in 1997, her mother played as high as Serie B and her father reached Italy’s Promozione division.

With football already deeply rooted in her family, Emma briefly chose athletics in an attempt to break with tradition — but she soon realised that the pull of the pitch was too strong.

As the only girl in her childhood team, Emma sometimes heard sexist comments during away matches. Her male teammates stood up for her, while she used the remarks as motivation to play harder and score.

Training alongside experienced forwards Daniela Sabatino and Lana Clelland, Emma says she tries to “steal something with her eyes” from them during every session.

Emma’s first Serie A goal was an improvised airborne backheel from Lana Clelland’s cross — and she initially did not even realise that the ball had crossed the line.

As a 13-year-old, Emma Girotto finished runner-up at Italy’s 2019 Under-15 national finals, with her team losing the final narrowly to Juventus.