Roberto Mancini's New Era: Mohamed Ali Zoma's Rising Star
Roberto Mancini is preparing for his second act with Italy, and one name keeps getting louder with every passing week in Germany: Mohamed Ali Zoma.
The 22-year-old 1. FC Nürnberg winger is rapidly emerging as one of the most intriguing calls the Italy coach could make for the upcoming Nations League window, a two-week marathon of fixtures in September and October against Belgium, Turkiye, France and Turkiye again.
Mancini’s reset – and a race against time
These will be Mancini’s first games back in charge after he was brought in this summer to replace Gennaro Gattuso as CT. The context is brutal: Italy are coming off a disastrous calendar year that ended with the Azzurri missing out on the 2026 World Cup. A reset is not a luxury. It’s an obligation.
That is why this squad is expected to look different. Not just a tweak here and there, but a genuine shake-up. Older certainties are under scrutiny, and younger, dual-nationality talents are suddenly a priority as Italy look to “lock down” players before other national teams move in.
Zoma sits right at the heart of that strategy.
Born and raised in Merate, the Nürnberg winger is eligible for Italy, but he can also choose Burkina Faso or Ivory Coast through his parents. Every goal he scores in Germany doesn’t just add to his reputation; it increases the urgency around his international future.
From AlbinoLeffe to a €20m man
Zoma’s path has not been the standard golden-boy route. He came through at AlbinoLeffe, playing for both the youth and senior sides of the Serie C club before taking a bold step last summer: a move abroad, to 2. Bundesliga side Nürnberg, in a €1.5m deal.
It already looks like a bargain.
Last season he exploded in Germany’s second tier, racking up 19 goal involvements – 14 goals and five assists – in just 29 league appearances. This year, he has started even faster: five goals in his first five league games of the 2026-27 campaign.
Those numbers travel quickly. According to Sky Sport DE journalist Florian Plettenberg, several clubs showed interest late in the summer transfer window. Nürnberg’s response was firm. They refused to sell and now reportedly value him at around €20m. From €1.5m to €20m in a year tells its own story.
Mancini calls – and Zoma answers
The interest from Italy is no longer a rumour floating in the background. Zoma himself confirmed to Sky that he has 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.”
No promises. But no ambiguity either. Mancini is watching, and Zoma knows it.
Reports in Italy suggest the wait may not be long. Tuttosport describes an Italy call-up as “increasingly close” for the 22-year-old, while TMW goes a step further, predicting that he will be included in the next Azzurri squad.
If that happens, Italy won’t just be adding a winger in form. They’ll be making a statement about what this new Mancini era is supposed to look like: younger, braver, and quick enough to make sure that a player lighting up the 2. Bundesliga in Nürnberg does not end up singing a different anthem.
