Zaniolo withdraws from Italy squad for personal reasons

PARMA, ITALY - NOVEMBER 29: Nicolò Zaniolo of Udinese Calcio looks on during the Serie A match between Parma Calcio 1913 and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Ennio Tardini on November 29, 2025 in Parma, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Nicolò Zaniolo has withdrawn from the Italy squad for personal reasons, putting a temporary end to hopes of returning to the national team following a two-year absence.

Football Italia can confirm, the Udinese forward has left Roberto Mancini’s camp ahead of this week’s Nations League games against France and Belgium.

It’s a big blow for the 27-year-old, whose return to the national team was one of the main talking points of Mancini’s squad announcement. Zaniolo hasn’t played for Italy since the friendly win over Ecuador in March 2024, when he was at Aston Villa.

He has rebuilt his career at Udinese. He scored six goals and provided five assists last season and was rewarded with a contract extension until 2029. He returned from injury on 25 October and scored in his first three games back.

Mancini was the coach who first called Zaniolo up in 2019, before he had even made his Serie A debut.

It’s not yet clear whether Mancini will call up a replacement. Italy face France at San Siro on Thursday at 20:45 CET [19:45 GMT], then travel to Brussels to play Belgium on Sunday.