The season that made Matteo Ruggeri before Atlético Madrid

Matteo Ruggeri’s rise has taken him from Atalanta’s academy to Atlético de Madrid, where the 24-year-old Italy international is now listed as a left-back. His move to the Spanish club came in the 2025/26 season for €17 million.

That transfer marked the latest step in a career that began with Atalanta Under-20. Ruggeri moved into Atalanta’s senior structure in 2020/21, before his career included movements between Atalanta and Salernitana during 2021/22.

The available career record lists a move from Atalanta to Salernitana and a return from Salernitana to Atalanta in the same 2021/22 season. Those changes preceded his eventual switch to Atlético, giving his early senior career a route through both Italian clubs before his move abroad.

Ruggeri is currently valued at €28 million at Atlético de Madrid. That figure places his present market assessment above the €17 million paid for him in the move from Atalanta, although the two amounts describe different points in his career rather than the same transaction.

His profile remains defined by the left-back position and his Italian nationality. At 24, he is at Atlético after developing through Atalanta’s system and gaining experience across the two Italian clubs named in his transfer history.

The player’s recorded medical history includes flu and a foot bruise. No further detail is provided on the timing or effect of either issue. Ruggeri’s career record therefore points to a young Italian defender whose route from Atalanta’s academy, through Salernitana and back to Atalanta, led to a €17 million move to Atlético Madrid in 2025/26.