Who is Sandro Tonali? Say salve to Newcastle United’s Italian midfield maestro

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Sandro Tonali is a professional footballer who plays for Newcastle United.

Eddie Howe probably hasn’t had the chance to spend the money he’d have imagined when being hired by the newly PIF-owned Newcastle United in 2021.

However, one massive expenditure that was added to his squad was Sandro Tonali.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Tonali since moving to England but he’s now finding his groove and proving himself to be one of the Premier League’s best midfielders.

Here’s everything you need to know about him.

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Who is Sandro Tonali?

Sandro Tonali is a midfielder who plays his football for Newcastle United.

Tonali’s talent was obvious when he was still very young, as he burst onto the scene at Brescia and made his senior debut when he was just 17.

With his flowing hair and classy composure in the middle of the park, Tonali was immediately compared to fellow Brescia prodigy Andrea Pirlo. High praise that he is living up to.

Despite his tender years, Tonali soon became a regular in the Brescia midfield, helping them win the Serie B title and earn promotion to Serie A. All while still a teenager.

Such talent doesn’t go unnoticed and Italian giants AC Milan soon swooped in, initially signing him on loan in 2020 before making the deal permanent the following year.

Tonali’s rise continued at the San Siro and he played a crucial role in Milan’s first Serie A title triumph for 11 years.

He always dreamed of playing for Milan and took a pay cut to make the deal happen but joined Newcastle in 2023.

After his first campaign was severely disrupted by a betting ban, he is now delivering on his massive price tag.

How old is Sandro Tonali?

Tonali was born on May 8, 2000, in Lodi, Italy. As of October 2025, he is 25 years old.

The midfield maestro is not even in the prime years of his career yet and could go on to reach even greater heights.

How tall is Sandro Tonali?

Tonali stands at 5’11” tall, about average height.

Though not the biggest, Tonali is a broad, strong and physical presence in the middle of the park, capable of battling anyone for a ball.

What number does Tonali wear at Newcastle?

Tonali has worn the No.8 shirt since signing for Newcastle.

It’s the number he also wore for AC Milan and currently wears for Italy, though he sported No.4 during his senior playing days at Brescia.

How much does Sandro Tonali get paid?

Tonali reportedly gets paid a massive £120,000 a week at Newcastle, which works out at £6.24m a year and makes him one of the club’s highest earners.

He is contracted to the club until 2029, with the club holding an option for a further year.

How much did Newcastle pay on Tonali transfer?

Newcastle paid £55m to sign Tonali from AC Milan in the summer transfer window of 2023.

The Italian is the club’s joint-third-most-expensive signing ever, sitting behind Nick Woltemade and Alexander Isak and level with Anthony Elanga.

Sandro Tonali stats

Tonali’s career stats for club and country so far.

What trophies has Tonali won?

Tonali has already won a few trophies in his career and will be hoping to bring more to St. James’ Park. They are:

• x1 Italienischer Zweitligameister – 2018-19, with Brescia
• x1 Serie A title – 2021-22, with AC Milan
• x1 Carabao Cup – 2024-25, with Newcastle

Sandro Tonali betting ban

Tonali was just 12 games into his Newcastle career when his 2023-24 campaign was ended due to a betting ban.

The Magpies announced on October 18 2023, that he was being investigated by the Italian Prosecutor’s Office and the Italian FA for alleged illegal betting activity.

A few days later, on October 26, Tonali was banned from football for 10 months for breaching Italian betting regulations. In March the following year, Tonali was then charged by the FA for breaching their betting rules for bets placed on matches between August 12 and October 12.

He was handed an additional two-month ban, but it was suspended under the condition that no further breaches would be made.

After missing the rest of the season and Euro 2024, Tonali returned to action on August 28, 2024.

Sandro Tonali girlfriend

Tonali is in a relationship with Juliette Pastore, with the pair getting engaged early in 2025.

Sandro Tonali Instagram and X/Twitter

Tonali has an official Instagram account with over 1.5 million followers @sandrotonali.

He does not appear to have an official X, formerly Twitter, account.