Mistaken for Andrea Pirlo, inspired by Gennaro Gattuso, banned for betting and also a brilliant footballer to boot: there’s a lot to explore when it comes to Sandro Tonali.Once upon a time, Sandro Tonali was included in UEFA’s 50 most promising young players and he’s delivered on that promise. Here’s everything you need to know about Tottenham’s Italian midfield maestro, and his journey to becoming Spurs’ most expensive signing.Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty ImagesFrom living a childhood dream to being banned for betting: Sandro Tonali’s playing career explainedSandro Tonali was six years old when he started playing football.He represented Lombardia Uno, a football school affiliated with AC Milan. Here, he played with the Pulcini category for the 2008-09 season, meaning he was playing with players aged between 9-11. After a year, he moved to Piacenza. Three years there then led to a move to Brescia aged 12. This is where he was able to put down some roots. Moving through the youth ranks, Tonali made his first-team debut aged just 17 in Serie B.Come January, he became a first-team regular. After 19 appearances and two goals, he was awarded best young player in Serie B. That was a title he regained the season after, as Brescia won promotion to Serie A.Tonali was a first-team regular under Eugenio Corini, scoring three goals in 34 games. They were unable to survive in Serie A, however, but Tonali certainly made his mark throughout the season. It was enough to encourage AC Milan to move for him in September 2020. He joined his childhood team on a season-long loan, with an option to buy.At Milan, he didn’t have to bide his time either. Aged 20, he played 37 times throughout his first season. That included a taste of European football too. Milan made the move permanent the following season, with Tonali even taking a pay-cut to make it happen. That earned widespread adoration from the fanbase.Then, handed greater freedom under Stefan Pioli, Tonali went from strength to strength. Scoring five goals across 36 games, Tonali was a key man as Milan won the Scudetto. He earned praise from across Italian football. In a sign of his growing reputation, Fabio Capello claimed Tonali would have found a place in even the greatest of Milan’s generation in the past.After a 4th-placed finish the following campaign, Tonali’s time in Italy came to an end as Newcastle came calling. He became the most expensive Italian player at the time with the Toon spending €64 million on him.But quickly, their new midfielder was out of action in dramatic fashion, when he was banned for 10 months for betting on matches.Why was Sandro Tonali banned from playing football?It was announced in October 2023 that the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and Italian football federation were investigating Tonali. He was under the microscope for alleged illegal betting activity. A week later, it was confirmed Tonali had been banned from playing football for 10 months. This was down to him breaking Italy’s gambling regulations. As well as being kept off the pitch, he was ordered to spend the next eight months in a rehabilitation programme for gambling. This included having to make at least 16 trips back to Italy, talking to players at different levels of football about the dangers of betting. He also had to visit addiction clinics. Missing any of these would mean an 18-month ban.At the time, Tonali’s agent confirmed he had a gambling addiction and had cooperated fully with the investigation. As well as missing the rest of the 2023-24 season, he also missed Euro 2024. They ended up finishing runners-up to Spain in Group B, before exiting in the Round of 16 versus Switzerland.Tonali reported himself to the Football Association as well, wanting a clean slate when returning from the ban. He was suspected of making at least 50 bets on football matches between 12 August to 12 October 2023. This saw him handed an additional two-month suspended ban by the FA. Tonali’s return and Newcastle’s charge to a first trophy in 70 yearsTonali came back for Newcastle in August 2024 and quickly became a fixture in Eddie Howe’s Newcastle side.That included a run to winning their first major trophy in 70 years, with Tonali playing all 90 minutes in the EFL Cup final victory over Liverpool.His first full season on Tyneside finished with six goals in 45 games across all competitions. As well as the league cup silverware, Newcastle finished fifth and qualified for the Champions League.The following season was not quite as successful for the Toon. They finished midtable, in 12th, failing to defend their EFL Cup title, and went out in the round of 16 of the Champions League. Tonali played 53 times in all competitions, scoring three goals in the process.In the mix with the Azzurri: Sandro Tonali’s international career explainedTonali has been a regular across the age groups in Italy. He went to the 2018 European Championships with the U19 team, going all the way to the final only to lose 4-3 to Portugal.Later that year, he was called up to the U21s for the first time. His first appearance came in March 2019, when he replaced Roberto De Zerbi favourite, Manuel Locatelli in a friendly against Austria. He was part of the Italy U21 side at their home European Championship, but they missed out on the semi-finals when finishing second in their group. Another step up followed soon after. His debut for the Azzurri came in October 2019. He had already been called up to the senior national team by Roberto Mancini the previous November, but this time he got out on the pitch. Aged just 19, he was part of a team that won 5-0 to Liechtenstein and then started in a 3-0 win over Bosnia. Back with the U21s, he was sent off in the first group game at the 2021 iteration of the European Championships. Italy lost 5-3 to Portugal in the knockout round. He was still made captain for the next cycle, kicking off in the following September, but soon had bigger fish to fry.With Italy pushing for qualification to the 2022 World Cup, Tonali was part of the team taking on North Macedonia in the play-offs. They lost, missing out on another major tournament. Fast forward a few years and, with his suspension over, Tonali returned to the Italy national team for the Nations League. They won 3-1 in France and Tonali quickly established himself as a regular starter under Luciano Spalletti. This continued under Gennaro Gattuso, with Tonali part of the Italy squad plotting a path to the 2026 World Cup.Again, though, they fell short.Tonali scored in a 2-0 win against Northern Ireland in the play-offs, but pain was looming large. A 4-1 penalty defeat against Bosnia meant that, once again, they were missing from a World Cup.Tonali was, however, the only one to score his penalty.Why did Tottenham break their transfer record for Sandro Tonali?Tottenham made Sandro Tonali the most expensive signing in the club’s history in the summer of 2026.After signing, Tonali said following a two-hour conversation with Head Coach, Roberto De Zerbi, he knew there was only one place for him to play his football.“It was like magic,” said the Italian. “I knew immediately that I had to sign for Tottenham.”For De Zerbi, the signing of Tonali – a “special player” – was one long in the making. “I have followed him for a long time, as he came through the youth system at my hometown club, Brescia, and I’m so happy to be working with him now.”Elaborating further, Sporting Director, Johan Lange, called him “one of the best midfielders in Europe”. Lange continued, “He has outstanding technical quality to go with real football intelligence, and has the character to thrive in a demanding, high-pressure environment.”The Sporting Director further pointed to his “valuable experience at the highest level”, while adding his “energy and commitment” are things Tottenham fans will love.A Lake Como wedding: Tonali’s personal life explainedSandro Tonali was born on May 8th 2000. He’s dad to Leonardo and husband to Giulia, who he married on Lake Como in the summer of 2025. That was after six years of engagement.The post Who is Sandro Tonali? Tottenham Hotspur’s club record transfer signing appeared first on Spurs Web.