Luiz Felipe (footballer, born March 1997)

Luiz Felipe Ramos Marchi (born 22 March 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad. Born in Brazil and having previously represented his birth nation at youth levels, he plays for the Italy national team.

Luiz Felipe
Luiz Felipe playing for Lazio in 2018
Personal information
Full name Luiz Felipe Ramos Marchi[1]
Date of birth (1997-03-22) 22 March 1997 (age 27)[1]
Place of birth Colina, São Paulo, Brazil
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[1]
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Al-Ittihad
Number 5
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2016 Ituano 17 (0)
2016–2022 Lazio 106 (2)
2016–2017Salernitana (loan) 7 (1)
2022–2023 Betis 27 (0)
2023– Al-Ittihad 19 (0)
International career
2017 Brazil U20 2 (0)
2019 Brazil U23 2 (0)
2022 Italy 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24 August 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14 June 2022

Club career

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Early Years

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Luiz Felipe began his football journey in the youth ranks of Colina Atlético, a team from his hometown, Colina, in the interior of the state of São Paulo. At the age of 13, during a trial, he played for 15 minutes in a friendly match against older players from the Ituano U20 team. Juninho Paulista, who was then the coordinator of the Ituano youth academy, was impressed by Luiz's performance and integrated him into Ituano’s youth setup.[2][3]

Ituano

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After impressing in the youth ranks and being regarded as a prospect for the first team, Luiz Felipe made his senior debut for Ituano in a 0–0 draw against Primavera in Indaiatuba,[4] during the 6th round of the 2015 Copa Paulista.[5]

Lazio

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On August 26, 2016, Luiz Felipe traveled to Rome to undergo medical tests and sign a five-year contract with Lazio.[6] Lazio paid a fee of €500,000 for the transfer.[7]

Salernitana

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After being signed by Lazio, Luiz Felipe was loaned to Salernitana, a club in Italy’s second division, Serie B, to gain experience. He made his debut for Salernitana on September 10, 2016, in a 2–1 win over Benevento, scoring the winning goal.[8]

Return to Lazio

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Following a strong stint with Salernitana, Luiz Felipe was recalled by Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi and gradually became a key player for the team.[9] He scored his first goal for Lazio on December 26, 2018, in a 2–0 victory against Bologna in the 18th round of the 2018-19 Serie A.[10] His second goal came in a 3–1 win against Juventus on December 7, 2019, ending Lazio’s 16-year winless streak against Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.[11][12] On January 15, 2021, Luiz Felipe reached the milestone of 100 appearances for Lazio during the 18th round of the 2020-21 Serie A against AS Roma, a match that Lazio won 3–0.[13] In March 2022, he announced he would not renew his contract with Lazio, seeking a new challenge in his career.[14] In total, he played 144 matches and scored three goals during his five seasons at Lazio.[15]

Real Betis

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On July 5, 2022, Luiz Felipe signed a five-year contract with Real Betis, joining the La Liga side on a free transfer after leaving Lazio.[16]

International career

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On 16 March 2019, Luiz Felipe was called up by the head coach of the Italy national under-21 football team, Luigi Di Biagio. Felipe would reject the call as a sign of his loyalty for his native Brazil; Luis Felipe would debut with Brazil national under-23 football team in 2019.

On 24 January 2022, Luiz Felipe accepted a call-up by Italy national football team manager Roberto Mancini to join the Azzurri for a three-day training camp in Coverciano.[17]

On 18 March 2022, Luiz Felipe was selected by Roberto Mancini to join the Italy national football team for a World Cup Qualifier match against North Macedonia national football team on 24 March 2022, making this his first call up to the Italian senior level for a match.[18]

Personal life

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Luiz Felipe was born and raised in Colina, São Paulo, his given name being a homage to Brazilian football manager Luiz Felipe Scolari.[19]

He possesses Italian citizenship through jus sanguinis, through an Italian great-grandfather of his, originally from Vicenza but who subsequently settled in Brazil.[19]

Career statistics

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Club

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As of match played 24 August 2024[20]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League State league National cup[a] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Ituano 2015 Paulista 0 0 3[b] 0 3 0
2016 Série D 9 0 8 0 1[b] 0 18 0
Total 9 0 8 0 0 0 4 0 21 0
Salernitana (loan) 2016–17 Serie B 7 1 7 1
Lazio 2017–18 Serie A 18 0 3 0 10[c] 0 0 0 31 0
2018–19 17 1 3 0 5[c] 0 25 1
2019–20 26 1 1 0 2[c] 0 1[d] 0 30 1
2020–21 14 0 0 0 4[e] 0 18 0
2021–22 31 0 2 0 7[c] 0 40 0
Total 106 3 9 0 28 0 1 0 144 3
Real Betis 2022–23 La Liga 23 0 1 0 5[c] 0 1[f] 0 30 0
2023–24 4 0 4 0
Total 27 0 1 0 5 0 1 0 34 0
Al-Ittihad 2023–24 Saudi Pro League 18 0 2 0 5[g] 0 2[h] 0 27 0
2024–25 1 0 0 0 1 0
Total 19 0 2 0 5 0 2 0 28 0
Career total 168 3 8 0 12 0 38 0 8 0 234 3
  1. ^ Includes Copa do Brasil, Coppa Italia, Copa del Rey, King Cup
  2. ^ a b Appearances in Copa Paulista
  3. ^ a b c d e Appearances in UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
  5. ^ Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  6. ^ Appearance in Supercopa de España
  7. ^ Appearances in AFC Champions League
  8. ^ Appearances in Saudi Super Cup

Honours

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Lazio

References

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  1. ^ a b c "FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023™: List of Players: Al Ittihad FC" (PDF). FIFA. 6 December 2023. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Quem é Luiz Felipe, o zagueiro que recusou a seleção da Itália para defender o Brasil | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Falta de chuteira, incentivo do avô e orgulho da mãe: a história de Luiz Felipe até chegar à Azzurra". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  4. ^ Comunicação, Drive. "Oriundo da base, zagueiro Luiz Felipe comemora sequência no Ituano". Federação Paulista Futebol (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Primavera-SP x Ituano - Copa Paulista 2015". globoesporte.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  6. ^ GloboEsporte.comItu, Por; SP*. "Luiz Felipe, zagueiro do Ituano, faz exames e deve assinar com o Lazio". globoesporte.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  7. ^ Periscópio, Jornal (1 August 2018). "Ex-Ituano poderá ser novidade na Seleção Brasileira" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  8. ^ Nápoli, Daniel (11 October 2016). "Zagueiro Luiz Felipe estreia na Itália, marcando gol" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Destaque da Lazio nas últimas temporadas, Luiz Felipe completará 100 jogos pelo clube: "Privilégio"". esportes.yahoo.com (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Brasileiro Luiz Felipe Ramos celebra primeiro gol com a camisa da Lazio". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Conheça Luiz Felipe, zagueiro brasileiro da Lazio que marcou gol na poderosa Juventus". OneFootball (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Luiz Felipe vibra com gol marcado contra Juventus, no italiano". Lance! (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Luiz Felipe completa 100 jogos pela Lazio em clássico contra a Roma nesta sexta: "Privilégio"". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 15 June 2021.
  14. ^ "Convocado para a Itália, Luiz Felipe não renovará com a Lazio e negocia com o Bétis, da Espanha". ge (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Luiz Felipe despediu-se da Lazio depois de 5 anos para se juntar ao Betis". pt.besoccer.com (in Portuguese). Retrieved 23 September 2022.
  16. ^ Bulla, Víctor (5 July 2022). "OFICIAL: El Betis ficha a Luiz Felipe Ramos, el primer fichaje bético 2022/23". 90min.com/es. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Nazionale, convocati per lo stage Balotelli, Joao Pedro, Luiz Felipe e Frattesi" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 24 January 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Luiz Felipe, Joao Pedro Called up for Italy Against North Macedonia". News 18. 18 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Lazio, Luiz Felipe tra sogni e realtà. La madre: "Lui un predestinato"" (in Italian). La Lazio siamo noi. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  20. ^ Luiz Felipe at Soccerway. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
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