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

Roberto Mancini is on the verge of handing a first Italy call-up to one of the most intriguing wide players in Germany: 1. FC Nürnberg’s Mohamed Ali Zoma.

With the first international break of the 2026-27 season looming and an unusually long Nations League window ahead, the 22-year-old winger is suddenly at the heart of the Azzurri’s rebuild.

Mancini’s second act, Italy’s reset

Italy face a demanding run in September and October: Belgium, Turkiye, France, then Turkiye again in an extended two-week block that will double as Mancini’s second debut in the dugout.

He returns to the role after replacing Gennaro Gattuso earlier in the summer, inheriting a squad still reeling from a disastrous calendar year that ended with Italy missing out on the 2026 World Cup. Something has to change. And quickly.

This next squad is expected to carry that message. Established names are under pressure. Younger, hungrier profiles are pushing from below. Dual-national talents, in particular, are now a priority as Italy move to avoid losing them to other federations.

That is where Zoma comes in.

Zoma’s rise from Merate to Nürnberg

Born and raised in Merate, Zoma is eligible for Italy, but he can also represent Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast through his parents. For the FIGC, that makes him not just exciting, but urgent.

His path has been anything but glamorous. Zoma came through at AlbinoLeffe, playing for both the youth setup and the senior side in Serie C, quietly building a reputation before Nürnberg moved in last summer. The 2. Bundesliga club paid around €1.5 million for him – a modest fee that now looks like a bargain.

Once in Germany, he exploded.

Last season, Zoma racked up 19 goal involvements in the league – 14 goals and five assists in just 29 appearances. Direct, sharp, and relentless in the final third, he became one of the division’s standout attackers.

He has not slowed down. Five games into the 2026-27 campaign, he already has five goals. Same league. Same club. Completely different status.

From €1.5m gamble to €20m asset

His form has inevitably attracted attention. According to Sky Sport DE’s Florian Plettenberg, clubs came knocking towards the end of the summer transfer window. Nürnberg’s response was firm: not for sale.

The German side reportedly value him at around €20 million now, a figure that reflects both his production and his potential. For a player who was operating in Serie C not long ago, the rise has been dramatic.

And Mancini has noticed.

“He is keeping an eye on me”

Zoma himself has confirmed that the Italy coach has already made contact. Speaking to Sky, the winger revealed: “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.”

That “we’ll see” may not last much longer.

Tuttosport reports that a call-up is “increasingly close” for the Nürnberg forward, while TMW goes a step further, predicting that Zoma will be included in the next Italy squad.

For Mancini, it would be a statement: a nod to form over reputation, and a clear attempt to secure a versatile, in-form attacker before Burkina Faso or Ivory Coast make their move.

For Zoma, it could be the moment everything changes – from Merate to AlbinoLeffe, from the 2. Bundesliga to the Azzurri, and perhaps soon, from promising winger to a key piece in Italy’s attempt to rebuild their footballing identity.