Youth career Born in
Urbino in the
Marche, Sensi started to play football with the local team Urbania at the age of six. During this time at the club, he played with his older brother. While at Urbania, he was spotted by a
Rimini scout, joining the youth team in 2007. He spent three years in Rimini, until the end of the 2009–10 season when the club bankrupted, releasing all the players. Sensi was taken by the youth academy of the local rivals
Cesena.
Cesena Sensi began his senior career with
Cesena. He was first included in a matchday squad for their
Coppa Italia fourth-round game on 28 November 2012, remaining unused in a 3–1 loss to
Atalanta at the
Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia. On 23 July 2013, he was one of a quintet of Cesena players who moved to
San Marino, in his case a loan with the option of co-ownership. He made his professional debut on 8 September, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–0
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione loss away to
Reggiana. A week later he scored his first goal, finishing from the edge of the penalty area to conclude a 2–0 win over
Como at the
Stadio Olimpico. On 16 March 2014, he was one of three
Titani players sent off in a 2–0 defeat at
Cremonese. He played 26 games in his first professional season, scoring another goal in the last game, a 2–2 home draw with Vicenza on 4 May. San Marino did not take up the option to sign Sensi permanently, but on 7 July 2014, he went to the club for a second loan. In his second match of the season, on 8 September, he was sent off in added time at the end of a 2–1 loss at
Pontedera. He played 33 games in a season which ended with relegation to
Serie D, scoring eight goals, including two in a 3–2 home win over
L'Aquila on 14 February 2015, in which he was again sent off at the end. Sensi made his Cesena debut on 20 August 2015, playing the entirety of their 4–1 win at
Catania in the third round of the Coppa Italia. On 5 September, he made his league debut, as the team won 2–0 against
Brescia at the
Stadio Dino Manuzzi in the first game of the
season. On 3 October he scored from a penalty as Cesena defeated
Livorno 1–0.
Sassuolo On 13 January 2016, Sensi was signed by Serie A club
Sassuolo. He would spend the first 6 months of the contract on loan with Cesena. He returned in Sassuolo in July 2016 ahead of
2016–17 season, making his
Serie A debut by playing full 90 minutes in the opening championship match against
Palermo, which ended in a 1–0 away win. His first top flight goal came later in October 2016 in a 2–1 home win over newly promoted side
Crotone. Sensi concluded his first season at the
Mapei Stadium by playing 19 matches in all competitions, scoring only once. In the
2017–18 season, he scored two goals in 17 league appearances. Sensi was a key player in the
2018–19 season under manager
Roberto De Zerbi, making 30 appearances between league and cup, netting twice in the process.
Inter Milan On 2 July 2019,
Inter Milan officially announced that Stefano Sensi had been signed from Sassuolo on an initial paid loan deal, with an option to buy at the end of the season. The total cost of the operation is expected to reach €25 million. Sensi made his club debut on 26 August in a 4–0 home win against
Lecce, in Inter's opening match of the
2019–20 Serie A season; he marked the occasion by scoring a goal, but later came off in the second half for
Roberto Gagliardini. Sensi made his
Champions League debut on 17 September in a 1–1 home draw against
Slavia Prague; he contributed to Inter's injury-time equaliser, as his free kick struck the cross-bar, and was subsequently turned in by
Nicolò Barella to tie the game. Starting from January, he picked a series of injuries that effectively ruled him out of the latter half of the
2019–20 season. On 31 August 2020, Inter exercised the buyout clause in his contract and Sensi signed a four-year deal with the club.
Loan to Sampdoria On 29 January 2022, Sensi moved on loan to
Sampdoria.
Loan to Monza On 2 July 2022, Sensi joined newly-promoted Serie A side
Monza on a one-year loan. He made his debut on 8 August, as a substitute in a 3–2
Coppa Italia win against
Frosinone. Sensi's first goal for the
biancorossi came on 11 September, scoring from a direct
free kick against Lecce. The match eventually finished in a 1–1 draw, which gave Monza their first-ever Serie A point.
Monza After one season at Inter, where he won the 2023–24 Serie A title, Sensi returned to Monza on a permanent transfer on 8 August 2024, signing a one-year contract until 30 June 2025. ==International career==