Roberto Mancini's Azzurri Call-Up for Mohamed Ali Zoma

Roberto Mancini is back in charge of Italy, and he may be about to hand a first cap to one of the most intriguing late bloomers in European football: Mohamed Ali Zoma.

The 22-year-old 1. FC Nürnberg winger, born and raised in Merate but also eligible for Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, is being strongly tipped in Italy and Germany to make the next Azzurri squad for the upcoming Nations League block in September and October.

Mancini’s second act – and a very long audition

Italy’s first international break of the 2026-27 season will be anything but routine. The Azzurri face Belgium, Turkiye, France and Turkiye again in an extended two-week window, a demanding run that doubles as Mancini’s second debut on the bench after he was recalled to replace Gennaro Gattuso earlier this summer.

It comes at a volatile moment for the national team. Italy are still digesting the fallout from a disastrous calendar year that ended with them missing out on the 2026 World Cup. Reputations have been damaged, places are no longer guaranteed, and this next squad is widely expected to reflect that.

Mancini has licence to rip things up. He can go younger, braver, more experimental. He can also move quickly to secure dual-nationality talents before other federations make their move.

That is where Zoma comes in.

From AlbinoLeffe to a €20m problem

Zoma’s path has not followed the glossy academy-to-superclub script. He grew through the ranks at AlbinoLeffe, cutting his teeth in Serie C and the club’s youth sides, learning the hard way in the lower tiers of Italian football before a switch that barely registered outside scouting departments.

Last summer he crossed the Alps to join Nürnberg in the 2. Bundesliga for €1.5m. A solid punt, nothing more on paper.

On the pitch, it has looked like daylight robbery.

Zoma delivered 19 goal involvements in the league last season – 14 goals and five assists from just 29 appearances. He has carried that form straight into the new campaign, starting 2026-27 with five goals in his first five league outings.

Those numbers have changed everything. They have shifted how he is viewed in Germany, in Italy, and in the offices of clubs with far deeper pockets than Nürnberg.

Sky Sport DE’s Florian Plettenberg reported concrete interest in the winger late in the summer transfer window, but Nürnberg dug in. The German club, now fully aware of what they have on their hands, are said to value him at around €20m and had no intention of cashing out early.

A phone call from Mancini

The rise has not gone unnoticed in Coverciano.

Zoma himself confirmed to Sky that he has already spoken directly with Mancini about a potential call-up. “It’s true, Roberto Mancini and I have spoken. He said that he is keeping an eye on me and that I should keep going like this, and then we’ll see,” the winger revealed.

For a player whose international future is still open, that kind of contact matters. Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast both have every reason to keep tabs on him. Italy, scarred by recent failure and hunting for fresh energy in wide areas, cannot afford to be slow.

Reports in Italy suggest the decision is close to being made. Tuttosport describes an Azzurri call-up for the 22-year-old as “increasingly close”, while TMW goes further and predicts that Zoma will be named in Mancini’s next squad.

Locking down the new Italy

This is about more than one winger. Mancini’s return is expected to usher in a wave of new faces, particularly among players with dual nationality. The aim is clear: refresh the core, sharpen the competitive edge, and prevent talent from slipping away to other national teams.

Zoma ticks every box. Young. In form. Technically Italian but globally courted. A product of the domestic system who chose to test himself abroad and is now thriving.

If Mancini does pull the trigger and bring him in for this unusually long Nations League window, Italy will not just gain a wide forward in form. They will send a message to every undecided Italo-foreign prospect watching from Germany, France, England and beyond.

The next Italy might not be built in Serie A alone. And if Zoma pulls on the Azzurri shirt next month, Nürnberg’s €1.5m gamble will suddenly look like one of the smartest bets in Europe.