Alessandro Romano has spoken at length about his decision to represent the Italy national team at senior level, rather than Switzerland, whom he represented in the youth categories, and has explained the role that both Claudio Ranieri and CT Roberto Mancini played in his decision.

Romano was handed his first call-up to the Italy national team for Mancini’s first camp back in charge of the Azzurri ahead of a series of Nations League fixtures against Belgium, Turkiye, France and Turkiye again coming up over the next few weeks.

The 20-year-old was born and raised in Switzerland to Italian parents, who originated from Naples and Apulia, and moved back to Italy at the age of 16 when he joined the Roma academy from his boyhood side FC Winterthur.

Since then, he has made two league appearances for the Giallorossi, spent the first half of 2026 on loan in Serie B with Spezia, but has since enjoyed a rapid rise to the top after joining Cagliari for the 2026-27 campaign.

He went on to score in his first Serie A appearance of the 2026-27 season and has since formally switched international allegiances from Italy to Switzerland, before being named in Mancini’s squad of 34 players for the extra-long September-October international break.

“The possibility of this happening is what drove me every day,” Romano told Swiss outlet Blick about his rapid ascent to the Italy national team squad.

“Before pre-season training started with Cagliari, I worked hard over the summer, I prepared in the best possible way. The fact that things are going so well now confirms the hard work that I put in.”

Romano says that the hard work he has put in over the last few months should not be underestimated.