Elena Linari (Italian: [ˈɛ.le.na liˈnaːri]; born 15 April 1994) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Women's Super League (WSL) club London City Lionesses and the Italy women's national team. She has also played for Girondins de Bordeaux, Atlético Madrid, Fiorentina, Brescia and Roma,[1] and she has won four league titles, four cups and two supercups.[2][3] She has represented Italy internationally since 2013.[4]
Linari started her youth career with Atletica Castello and played in inter-gender training matches until she moved to Claudio Desolati's football academy in Florence when Linari was fourteen years old. She then played for her region's football club Firenze for five seasons, beginning in the 2008-2009 season and making her Serie A debut at sixteen years of age with the club. Linari would also win a Primavera title with Firenze in the 2012-2013 season.
The Italian defender would make a total 107 appearances for Firenze until Linari moved to Brescia in the summer of 2013. She won more team titles with Brescia, including winning the Serie A league title in her first season with the club. Linari also made her UEFA Champions League debut with Brescia on 9 October 2014. She would later with the Coppa Italia in 2014-15, and win two Supercoppa trophies in 2014 and 2015. In the summer of 2016, Linari decided to return to her home region and play for Fiorentina, which is the club she has supported since she was a child.[5]
Linari would go on to win a league title and two Coppa Italia trophies during her two seasons playing for Fiorentina, before she chose to become the first female Italian football player to sign a professional contract when she signed with Atlético Madrid in the summer of 2018.
During her two-year stay in Spain, Linari won a Liga title and made the cup final with Atletico before moving to France to sign with Bordeaux in 2020. Her brief stay with Bordeaux was not successful, and Linari the offer to return to her native Italy and play with Roma from January 2021 onwards.[6]
On 14 January 2021, she joined AS Roma on a free transfer and signed a contract until June 2021.[7] During Linari's first six months of playing for Roma, the team's goal-concession rate dropped from 1.21 goals conceded per game to 0.88 goals conceded per game.[8] Linari's arrival is widely credited with re-installing Roma's belief in their long-term goals as well as helping lead Roma to the club's first major trophy in the women's side of the game.
On 30 May 2021, the Italian defender racked up 16 ball recoveries, completed 111 passes and won 5 aerial duels for Roma in their 2021 Coppa Italia final victory over AC Milan.[9] That victory resulted in the fourth Coppa Italia winner's medal won by Linari in her playing career.
Linari signed for London City Lionesses in the English Women's Super League on 1 August 2025. [10]
Linari was called up to the Italy squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2017.[11]
Linari was called up to the Italy squad for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup.[12]
On 26 June 2022, Linari was announced in the Italy squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2022.[13]
On 2 July 2023, Linari was called up to the 23-player Italy squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup.[14]
On 25 June 2025, Linari was called up to the Italy squad for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025.[15]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup[a] | Continental[b] | Other[c] | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Firenze | 2008–09 | Serie A2 | 19 | 2 | ? | ? | — | — | 19 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Serie A2 | 19 | 1 | ? | ? | — | — | 19 | 1 | |||
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 17 | 1 | ? | ? | — | — | 17 | 1 | |||
| 2011–12 | Serie A | 24 | 2 | ? | ? | — | — | 24 | 2 | |||
| 2012–13 | Serie A | 28 | 2 | ? | ? | — | — | 28 | 2 | |||
| Total | 107 | 8 | ? | ? | — | — | 107 | 8 | ||||
| Brescia | 2013–14 | Serie A | 29 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 2 | ||
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 19 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 2 | |
| Total | 70 | 3 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 90 | 4 | ||
| Fiorentina | 2016–17 | Serie A | 22 | 5 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 26 | 6 | ||
| 2017–18 | Serie A | 22 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 7 | |
| Total | 44 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 56 | 13 | ||
| Atlético Madrid | 2018–19 | Primera División | 16 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 22 | 1 | |
| 2019–20 | Primera División | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| Total | 33 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 43 | 1 | |||
| Bordeaux | 2020–21 | D1 Féminine | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Roma | 2020–21 | Serie A | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Serie A | 19 | 1 | 7 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | Serie A | 20 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 3 | |
| 2023–24 | Serie A | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 51 | 5 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 77 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 308 | 30 | 38 | 3 | 28 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 379 | 35 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2013 | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2015 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 12 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 17 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 9 | 1 | |
| 2022 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 15 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | |
| Total | 115 | 6 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 8 November 2019 | Stadio Ciro Vigorito, Benevento, Italy |  Georgia
|
1–0 | 6–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifying |
| 2. | 4 March 2020 | Estádio Algarve, Faro, Portugal |  Portugal
|
1–1 | 2–1 | 2020 Algarve Cup |
| 3. | 22 September 2020 | Bosnia and Herzegovina FA Training Centre, Zenica, Bosnia & Herzegovina |  Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
5–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifying |
| 4. | 14 June 2021 | Stadion Wiener Neustadt, Vienna, Austria |  Austria
|
3–2 | 3–2 | Friendly |
| 5. | 1 December 2023 | Estadio Municipal de Pasarón, Pontevedra, Spain |  Spain |
3–1 | 3–2 | 2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League |
| 6. | 3 June 2025 | Swansea Stadium, Swansea, Wales |  Wales |
1–0 | 4–1 | 2025 UEFA Women's Nations League |
Roma
Individual
Italy squads | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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