Giulia Galli has been a key figure in Italy’s impressive showing at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025™ so far. The young Italian has bagged five goals and one assist along the way, thrusting Viviana Schiavi’s side into the quarter-finals.
Galli bagged a brace and set one up against Costa Rica in Italy’s opener, was at the double again against hosts Morocco, and netted once against Brazil in their final group game. With five goals to her name, the 5ft 10ins forward has already matched Pau Comendador’s adidas Golden Boot-winning tally from Dominican Republic 2024.
Eight goals is the current record in a single FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, and given the way she is performing, Galli could quite easily match that record or even smash it out of the park. To do so, she will need to continue her rich vein of form for Italy in their quarter-finals clash against Mexico on Sunday.
In the meantime, the young Roma striker sat down with FIFA to discuss her passion for the beautiful game, her idols, and her ambitions.
Giulia Galli: I feel like this whole experience has been a real eye-opener. We’re a group of girls who all share the same goal. We want to win as many matches as possible and show the world that we mean business.
Donning the Azzurri shirt is a huge honour, as it reminds me of all the sacrifices I’ve made to get here. This is for my family, who’ve always supported me in pursuing my passion to the fullest. I’m thrilled to be representing Italy at this tournament.
I think it’s our passion that makes us so strong. It all begins with the national anthem. We’re such a tight-knit group.
Our main focus is on recovering as much as possible from our last match so we go into the game in the best possible shape to give it our all. We can’t allow complacency to creep in against any team, because every side has fully earned their place and didn’t get this far by chance.
I was born and bred in Rome, so having the chance to play for Roma and breaking into the first team fills me with pride. It means the world to me to be part of this team, and I always give it my absolute all in training to keep improving. I’m over the moon.
I really feel everyone at the club’s behind me and supporting me every single day and in every training session. Training alongside top players and professionals helps build the mentality you need to push yourself to help your team-mates in every situation.
I started playing football at the park. I used to go there with my parents and my brother. I used to play with boys, although at first they were reluctant to let me join in because I was a girl. Sometimes it’d really get me down and I’d go home in tears. When my parents saw how much I loved playing football, they signed me up for a football school. I played with boys for three years before moving to Roma.
In the women’s game, I’m in awe of my club team-mate Emilie Haavi. I try to mimic her and learn from her every day in training, and she’s always there for me on a personal level as well. I’m really happy to play alongside her. As for the men’s game, I’m a huge fan of Vinicius Jr. I love his style of play; he’s rapid and technically gifted.
Every day, I strive to push myself and keep improving. I always try to give it my all. I think my pace and shooting ability are my two biggest strengths. Basically, what you’d come to expect from a striker.
In my free time here in Morocco, I’ve been hanging out a lot with my team-mates, spending time together and bonding as a group. On our days off, we’ve also sampled some of the local cuisine and had a wander around the city. We’ve had a great time together. I love travelling and visiting new places, so I’m thrilled to be here.
