Luca Toni, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[3] (born 26 May 1977 in Pavullo nel Frignano, Modena) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Italian Serie A club Roma. Club career Early career Toni started his professional career at Modena. This was followed by a number of seasons spent around Serie B and Serie C1 with teams such as Empoli, Fiorenzuola and Lodigiani. After a Serie B season with Treviso in 1999, he moved to Vicenza Calcio, playing in Serie A for the first time. He then moved to Brescia Calcio, playing for two seasons alongside Roberto Baggio. Palermo In 2003 he agreed to join ambitious Serie B club Palermo, being one of the main factors behind the winning team campaign that brought the Rosanero back to Serie A after over 30 years, thanks to a record 30 goals scored during the season. He consequently gained his first cap for the Italian national team in a friendly match 18 August 2004 lost 2–0 to Iceland in Reykjavík which also marked Marcello Lippi's debut at the helm of the azzurri.[4] In the following season, Toni confirmed his prolificity by scoring an impressive 20 goals in Palermo's first Serie A campaign, leading the Sicilian club to a historical first qualification to the UEFA Cup. Fiorentina Toni's move to Fiorentina was marked by controversy as the fans dubbed him a traitor for his departure.[citation needed] During his first season in Florence he scored an incredible 31 goals, making him one of the most prolific Serie A strikers of all time (the most goals ever scored in a season being 35). His goal scoring ability brought Fiorentina to heights never seen since the late 1990s when Gabriel Batistuta was playing for them. They clinched 4th spot and qualified for the Champions League. However, this league position was revoked in the courts during the Calciopoli scandal. Italian courts recognized Fiorentina as culpable of shady dealings and convicted them to start the 2006-07 season with a 19 point deduction. Toni expressed his desire to leave the team several times during the summer to the press, but was eventually convinced by club president Andrea Della Valle to stay and help the club overcome its unfavourable position. The following season was plagued by injury, limiting Toni's goals to a less considerable, albeit impressive 16 goals. This was Luca Toni's final season at the Florence club, as they agreed to sell him to Bundesliga giants, Bayern Munich. Before he left, Toni promised Della Valle not to sign for any big Italian clubs, which is believed to be the the main reason he went to Germany. Bayern Munich On 30 May 2007, Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed that Toni had signed a four year contract with the club after agreeing to a deal worth €11 million with Fiorentina. On 7 June Toni was presented at a Bayern Munich press conference along with fellow new signing Franck Ribéry.[5] Toni was given the jersey number nine. Toni and Klose against Hertha Berlin 2009. Toni scored four goals in a 19 December 6–0 home win against Aris Thessaloniki to help Bayern win their UEFA Cup group. On 17 February 2008, he scored his first Bundesliga hat-trick (a "perfect hat-trick", with a goal with each foot and a header) against Hannover 96. Bayern won the away fixture 3-0. Toni with Bayern. In a quarter-final second leg match in the UEFA Cup, Toni scored two dramatic goals on 115th and 120th minutes of extra time, in a game which finished 3-3 and lifted Bayern Munich past Getafe CF on away goals. Eventually Bayern lost to Zenit St. Petersburg in the semi final. At the UEFA Cup 2007-08, he shared the first place with Pavel Pogrebnyak from Zenit at the top scorers list with 10 goals. He scored two goals in the German Cup final against Borussia Dortmund in a 2-1 win; his second goal was the winner in extra time to give Bayern Munich another cup. Toni finished as top scorer in the 2007–08 Bundesliga season with 24 goals. Overall, Toni finished the season with 39 goals and 12 assists in 46 matches. In the 2008–09 season, Toni has maintained his high-standard of form for Bayern. In the Bundesliga, he has started 13 games as of January, in which he has scored nine goals, a notable one being a late stoppage-time winner he scored against fellow TSG Hoffenheim.[6] Toni battled an achilles tendon injury for most of the second half of the 2008–09 season, but still finished as Bayern's leading scorer in league play, tallying 14 goals in 25 Bundesliga appearances. Recovering from his injury he appeared in two matches of the second team FC Bayern Munich II in the 3rd Liga in September 2009.[7] On 7 November 2009, he was fined for leaving the stadium during the match after being substituted at half-time.[8] Following his fall out with Bayern manager Louis Van Gaal, Bayern's president Uli Hoeness stated on DSF Doppelpass that the player will be allowed to leave the club on a free.[9] Roma On 31 December 2009 FC Bayern Munich confirmed the transfer of the Italian striker for a six month loan to A.S. Roma.[2] [10] He debuted for Roma against Cagliari on 6 January 2010. International career Toni made his debut for the Italian national team as a substitute on 18 August 2004 in a friendly match against Iceland. He scored his first international goal in a World Cup Qualifying match against Norway on 4 September 2004. On 17 November, Toni made his international start in a friendly match against Finland. On 11 June 2005, he captained the Italian squad for the first time in his career in a friendly match against Ecuador because of the absence of current captain Fabio Cannavaro and other experienced players. On 7 September, Toni scored his first international hat-trick in a 4–1 victory against Belarus in a 2006 World Cup qualifying match. Toni was selected to Italy's 2006 World Cup squad, and scored two goals in the quarter-finals against Ukraine on 30 June, his only goals of the tournament. In the final against France, he hit the crossbar with a powerful header and later netted another header although the goal was disallowed as the attempt was ruled offside. Toni scored two goals in Italy's 2–0 win over Scotland in a Euro 2008 qualifier. Due to the aforementioned foot surgery, he missed Italy's next two qualifiers against the Faroe Islands and Lithuania. He returned to the qualification games against Georgia, and assisted Fabio Grosso, who scored the final result (2–0). On 17 November 2007, Toni struck in the first minute of a 2–1 qualifier win over Scotland at Hampden Park, which secured Italy's place at the final stages. Four days later, he scored the second goal against the Faroe Islands, as Italy closed with a 3–1 win. He was called up to the Italian Squad for Euro 2008, but his form in the tournament was disappointing, with his only goal against Romania being disallowed for offside. Toni's main contribution for the team was winning a penalty kick against France, which ended 2-0. Italy then bowed out of the tournament on penalty kicks to Spain in the quarter-final. Despite the Euro 2008 disappointment, Toni has been called up by coach Marcello Lippi for Italy's first two 2010 World Cup qualifers. Toni also scored an equaliser against Greece in an international friendly, where the match ended 1-1.

Sebastian Giovinco (born January 26, 1987 in Turin) is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus. Giovinco is an attacking midfielder with noted dribbling and play-making skills.[1] Due to his short stature and his technical skills Giovinco acquired the nickname formica atomica (atom ant, after the eponymous Hanna-Barbera character) and although only being in the early stages of his footballing career, he is today considered one of the most promising Italian footballers.[2] Biography Early life Giovinco was born in Turin to Southern-Italian immigrant parents; his mother is from Catanzaro, Calabria and his father is from Palermo, Sicily.[3] He grew up highly interested in football and impressed Juventus who brought him into their youth system in 2001, at the age of 14. He then rose through the youth system ranks of the club, impressing by winning the Campionato Primavera with the bianconeri in their 2005–06 campaign. First team debut with Juventus Giovinco was successively integrated into the Juventus first team and made his debut on May 12, 2007 in a Serie B league match against Bologna, entering in as a substitute in place of Raffaele Palladino, and promptly marking his debut with a splendid assist for David Trezeguet's tap-in. Loan at Empoli On July 4, 2007 he was loaned out to Empoli, a Tuscan Serie A team that also took part in the UEFA Cup 2007–08. Giovinco scored his first Serie A goal on September 30, 2007 when Empoli beat Palermo 3–1. His goal became the game winner. Giovinco caused large media interest when he scored his second goal a few weeks later, on November 4. The goal was an equalizer in the last minute against Roma, it was a long distance curling free kick from the right wing, a goal which was compared by some pundits to Ronaldinho's against England in the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Back to Juventus On June 26, 2008 it was confirmed that Giovinco would return to Juventus for the 2008–2009 campaign, giving him the chance to play at the UEFA Champions League level as well. Giovinco played his first match for Juventus against Catania on September 24, 2008. Giovinco substituted team mate Pavel Nedved late in second half, and played a great game assisting Amauri on Juventus' 1-0 goal. He scored his first goal with Juventus' jersey vs rivals Lecce on December 7, 2008 from a freekick. Giovinco has also scored goals against Catania in the Coppa Italia and another against Bologna in a man of the match display. International career Giovinco has represented Italy at every youth level from under-16s upwards. He was called up to Italy U-21 by head coach Pierluigi Casiraghi, on June 1, 2007 to make his first appearance at that level in a qualification match against Albania.[4] He gave the assist for Acquafresca who scored. Italy U-21 won the match 0–1. He also starred at the 2008 Toulon Tournament, where he was voted most valuable player, scoring two goals in the opening game against the Ivory Coast,[5] and netting the winning penalty in the semifinal match against Japan.[6] Italy ultimately won the competition, defeating Chile 1–0 in the final. Giovinco then appeared in the 2008 Olympic Games for the Italian team. He scored the first goal in a 3–0 win against Honduras in the first match of the competition where he struck the ball from outside of the box with his left foot. He also had an impressive second match against South Korea. His Olympic adventure ended after Italy lost 3–2 to Belgium in the quarter-finals.

Mauro Germán Camoranesi Serra, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[1][2], (born 4 October 1976 in Tandil, Buenos Aires Province) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who currently plays for Italian Serie A club Juventus as a midfielder, usually on the right wing. He has also been used as a central midfielder. Camoranesi is a member of the Italian national team and was part of the winning squad at the 2006 World Cup. Club career Camoranesi had always been a big fan of the Argentinian club River Plate growing up, but as a youngster, he played in the squad of Club Atlético Aldosivi. Aldosivi is situated in Mar del Plata just 160 km (99 mi) away from Mauro's birthplace of Tandil. However, he moved to Mexico to begin his professional playing career at Santos Laguna. The club won the Primera División de México during the Invierno 1996 season. Camoranesi scored one goal in 13 games for the team; this was the clubs first ever championship success. Santos Laguna fans nicknamed him "El Cholo." More travels came for the young Argentine the following year, as he moved to Uruguayan club Montevideo Wanderers briefly, before returning back to his homeland to play for Banfield, solidifying himself as an impressive attacking right midfielder, while playing 38 games with 16 goals. The following season Camoranesi moved once again, this time back to Mexico and club Cruz Azul, where he played from 1998 to 2000. He caught the attention of Italian Serie A side Verona by scoring 21 goals in 79 games with Cruz Azul, an impressive achievement for a midfield player. He moved to Italy in 2000, signing with Verona where he played two years. In 2002, Camoranesi was signed on a co-ownership deal; initially Juventus paid Verona €4.8 million (reportedly £3 million) and gave them co-ownership of Max Vieri. On 26 June 2003, he was signed outright by the Bianconeri on a permanent basis for an additional fee of €5 million; this was the same day Juventus signed Marco Di Vaio and Enzo Maresca in similar deals.[3] Juventus With Juventus, Camoranesi won Serie A in 2002-03, and Italian Super Cups in 2002 and 2003. Camoranesi was also a Serie A champion with the Old Lady in 2004-05 and 2005-06, but Juventus were stripped of both of those titles as another result of the "Calciopoli" scandal. Despite his agent Sergio Fortunato linking the player to clubs such as Olympique Lyonnais, Valencia CF, and Liverpool over the summer of 2006, following Juve's relegation, Camoranesi made an announcement himself in September, pledging loyalty to Juventus: "In January, I will not ask to be sold; I'm happy to stay here."[4], he stated. Camoranesi contributed to a number of notable goals when Juventus played in Serie B after the relegation. Against Lecce in April 2007, he performed an impressive piece of skill similar to a Cruijff Turn, turning the ball through a defender's legs on the wing, before retrieving it to help set up Juve's first goal of the match. Later in the match, he scored his side's third; Camoranesi took the ball past three Lecce defenders, before hitting the ball from the edge of the box, with his left foot into the top corner.[5] Just days before he had scored a header in the 2-0 victory against close title contenders Napoli. His original shirt number was 16, but was changed to 8 for the 2007-08 season. He changed back to number 16 from 8 after just one season. Despite suffering several injuries during the 2007-08 season, he was a very important and influential player in Juventus' return season. Camoranesi had an impressive pre-season before the up and coming 2008-09 Serie A season. After struggling in the first few games in the start of Serie A season 2009-10, Camoranesi came back strongly & proved to be one of Juventus' most important players. He managed to get his name on ths scoresheet too, scoring the solitary goal against Maccabi Haifa in Champions' League, as well as a brace in a 5-2 win over Atalanta. International career Camoranesi is an Italian Argentine[6]; his dual citizenship made him eligible to play for either Argentina or Italy, but the Azzurri showed interest in him first and, on 12 February 2003, he made his international debut in a friendly match against Portugal, which Italy won 1-0, under former coach Giovanni Trapattoni. Camoranesi played for Italy at UEFA Euro 2004 and was also part of Marcello Lippi's Italy team which won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He has been capped 51 times by Italy and has scored five goals, the first of which came in Italy's 2006 World Cup qualifier away to Belarus on 7 September 2005, which the Italians won 4-1. He also chooses not to sing Italy's national anthem before their matches because he doesn't know the words[citation needed], although he can be seen singing (at least a part of) the anthem during the World Cup celebrations in Circus Maximus on 10 July 2006. Camoranesi was not the first Juventus player born in Argentina to play for Italy; Omar Sivori before him did also. At the end of the final match in Germany's World Cup, in which Italy defeated France on penalties, Camoranesi had teammate Massimo Oddo chop off a large chunk of his long hair as the rest of the squad danced around them in a circle. Camoranesi then went up to the camera and dedicated the triumph by saying in Spanish: "Para los pibes del barrio..." (For the guys from the neighbourhood...).[citation needed] Mauro commented in an interview in regards to the World Cup victory: "I feel Argentine but I have defended the colors of Italy with dignity. That is something nobody can take away."[7][dead link] He was successively called up to Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2008, which ended in the quarter finals with a penalty shootout loss to eventual tournament winners Spain. Camoranesi scored a headed goal during World Cup 2010 qualifying on 10 October against Ireland.

Amauri Carvalho de Oliveira (born 3 June 1980), better known as Amauri, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Juventus. Club career Amauri was trialed at Palmeiras,[2] the club of his place of birth, São Paulo, but failed to impress. At the age of 19, he went to Santa Catarina to work[3] and played for a local club at Santa Catarina State League 2nd Division. Santa Catarina Clube was invited to 2000 Torneo di Viareggio in Italy,[1][4][3][2] at which he showed his talent to scouts; he was signed by a club from the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland, AC Bellinzona.[4][3] He scored once in 5 appearances .[3][5] After two half-seasons in the Swiss Nationalliga B, he played for Napoli in 2001, making his Italian Serie A debut on April 14, 2001 in a league match against Bari. He then played for Piacenza in Serie A for the 2001-02 season (on loan from Parma along with Matuzalém),[6] and for Messina in Serie B during the 2002-03 season[7]; he was also loaned from Parma to Empoli of Serie A in June 2002[7], but left the club, after the start of Coppa Italia 2002–03 in August, for Messina, before the start of Serie B. Chievo In mid-2003, Amauri joined Chievo in co-ownership deal. With Sergio Pellissier and Federico Cossato, he first played as a backup then a second-striker. During his time for Chievo, and especially in the 2005–06 season, ended with a qualification to the preliminary phase of UEFA Champions League (also favoured by the 2006 Serie A scandal), Amauri showed most of his potential, becoming one of the key players of the team. Palermo On August 31, 2006, the last day of the 2006 summer transfer period, Amauri was sold to Palermo for a reported €8 million plus Denis Godeas,[8] after having scored two goals in the return match of the third qualifying round against PFC Levski Sofia. Palermo did not have a good center-forward since the departure of Luca Toni in 2005 and needed to find a good partner for David Di Michele, as Andrea Caracciolo and Stephen Makinwa were not making a significant impact. Immediately from his debut with Palermo, Amauri became a fan favourite and a key player for the Rosanero, scoring eight goals in 18 league matches until December 2006. A serious knee injury in a league match against Siena prevented him from playing for seven months;[9] however Amauri recovered in time for the start of the 2007-08 season, being immediately featured in the regular lineup for Palermo's first match against Roma. He scored his first goal in the new season in the next match, a 4-2 away win to Livorno. Juventus On May 30, 2008 Amauri completed a €22.8 million move to the Italian giants, Juve.[10] in which part of the fee was paid via player transfer (Antonio Nocerino, tagged for €7M[10] and the half of registration rights of Davide Lanzafame, tagged for €2.5M).[11] Since his arrival Amauri has impressed greatly in training and put on superb performances during Juventus' pre-season campaign. Against Serie C2 side AC Mezzocorona, he scored five goals in a 7-1 victory. He also has impressed and also hit the back of the net versus Brondby and versus Borussia Dortmund. He also impressed during Juventus' TIM Trophy against Milan and Internazionale, and Juventus' English Tour, in the Emirates Cup and against Manchester United in a shocking match at Old Trafford. He will fight for a first team position along with Alessandro Del Piero, David Trezeguet, and Vincenzo Iaquinta. Towards the end of 2008, Amauri began to play more regularly under Claudio Ranieri and ended the year with 11 Serie A goals, the second highest goals for Juve. He is set to take Nedved's number 11 for the 09/10 season. International career Amauri, who has not appeared at international level for the Brazilian team, will be eligible in the future to play for the Italian national team[12] because he has lived and played in Italy for over five years, and is eligible to acquire Italian nationality by marriage. Following his impressive performances when at Palermo, he was suggested to be a potential call-up of the then Azzurri coach Roberto Donadoni, who stated he might be interested in calling him to the Italian squad.[13] On 31 January 2009, Brazilian coach Dunga selected Amauri as a replacement for the injured Luís Fabiano in an international friendly against Italy.[14] However, a few hours later, in the aftermath of a Juventus league game on the same day, Juventus chairman Giovanni Cobolli Gigli stated the club's intention not to allow the player to respond to the call-up.[15] On November 2009, Amauri himself confirmed his decision to play for Italy instead of Brazil, following remarks by Italian striker Giampaolo Pazzini who was critical about the possibility of having a non-Italian born player within the azzurri squad.[16] It was however revealed later that Amauri's citizenship procedure is not expected to be approved before March 2010, thus making him unable to be featured in any of the friendly games scheduled before the selection of the Italian squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[17]

Vincenzo Iaquinta, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[2][3], (born November 21, 1979 in Cutro, Crotone) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus. He is a tall, strong striker who possesses a good and powerful shot and is great in the air. He can also play on the wing. Club career Iaquinta was born in in Cutro, in the province of Crotone. Like many Calabrians in the 1980s, his parents immigrated to Emilia-Romagna, in Northern Italy, because of better job opportunities. Prior to joining Udinese in 2000, Iaquinta played with his brother in the lower divisions for Reggiolo (1996-97), Padova (1998), and Castel di Sangro (1998-2000). Iaquinta scored a hat-trick on his first UEFA Champions League group stage match at 2005–06 season. After refusing to sign a contract extension at the start of season,[4], he added 3 more years to his contract to last until 2010 on 30 September 2005.[5] Juventus Juventus F.C. signed Iaquinta on a five-year contract in June 2007 for a fee €11.3 million.[6], to become the Turin giant's first signing after they returned from Serie B. During the 2007–08 season, Iaquinta made only a handful appearances for Juventus, mostly being used as backup to experienced strikers and long-term bianconeri Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet. It appeared as if he may have been surplus to requirements after the signing of Brazilian striker Amauri Carvalho de Oliveira, this leading to rumours about a possible move out of Juventus for the player. However these rumours did not actually bring to a move in the summer window, and Iaquinta was therefore confirmed also for the 2008–09 season. Iaquinta started the season as fourth-choice striker, but enjoyed a particularly impressive string of performances when both Amauri and Trezeguet were injured, thus giving Iaquinta a chance to play more regularly with Juventus. Most notably, he scored the first goal against Chelsea F.C. in the second leg of the first knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League. Despite this, Juve went to draw the match 2–2, which meant the bianconeri were out of European football. Since then, he also started playing regularly also in Serie A games, also taking implicitly advantage of a falling-out between Trezeguet and head coach Claudio Ranieri. International career He was a member of the Italian squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He scored Italy's second goal in their opening match against Ghana. He played in 5 out of 7 of Italy's matches including the semi-final and final. Iaquinta missed out on Euro 2008, due to an injury suffered over a month before.

Giorgio Chiellini (born 14 August 1984 in Pisa) is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus. He is a centre back who started his career playing as a left-back. Club career Early years Giorgio is the son of Fabio and Lucia Chiellini. He is one of four siblings; he has a twin brother Claudio, and another brother & a sister, Giulio and Silvia, respectively. He started playing football at 6 years of age for Livorno and at first was used as a central midfielder. As he matured, he switched to playing as a winger and finally he found his position as a left back. Currently, he is most commonly deployed as a central defender. Juventus He was signed by Juventus in summer 2004, for €6.5 million, but immediately sold on co-ownership deal to Fiorentina for €3.5 million, where he played for 2004–05 season. After an excellent first season in Serie A, Chiellini was recalled by Juventus for the 2005–06 season, where Juventus paid €4.3 million for full-ownership. He won the 29th League with Juventus that year. He has been a regular fixture in the Bianconeri backline in their return to Serie A and was named "Man of the Match" in a game against Internazionale when he won a physical and heated duel with ex-Juve teammate Zlatan Ibrahimović, allowing the in-form hitman no goals. Chiellini extended his original contract from until 2009 to 2011 on October 12, 2006.[1] After the Calciopoli scandal, Chiellini was a starter for Juventus in Serie B. After their triumphant return to Serie A, Giorgio Chiellini was converted by coach Claudio Ranieri into a center-back, having played left back in his career until this point. Chiellini had a tremendous season, named by many as the best centre-back in all of Serie A. Alongside his reborn center-defense partner Nicola Legrottaglie, the duo led Juventus to the 2nd-least conceded goals for the season, despite many penalties awarded against Juventus controversially. The surprising aspect of this is that neither were considered remotely close to pinning down a center-back position in the summer before the season, with Domenico Criscito and Jorge Andrade preferred as the starting duo. On 27 April 2008, Chiellini scored twice for Juventus in 5-2 win over Lazio that confirms Bianconeri's place in Serie A top four.[2] On 26 June 2008, Chiellini extended his contract with Juventus to the year 2013.[3] On 13 August 2008, Chiellini scored his first European goal of his career as Juve beat Artmedia Petržalka 4-0 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round tie.[4] On 17 August 2008, Giorgio injured his left knee again during the Trofeo Luigi Berlusconi against Milan and missed the start of the Serie A season. The extent of the damage is yet to be determined, but he will be unable to play for at least six weeks, possibly even six months. However, he returned marvelously fast to duty, after only a month out.[5] In September, Chiellini made a quick recovery from his injury to start each of Juve's first three UEFA Champions League group games. Despite this, many Juventus supporters believe he is not fully healed as he has made two uncharacteristic mistakes that led to goals in recent weeks. After a few shaky games, Chiellini has regained the form that has seen him nominated by the Oscar del Calcio as the Best Defender in Serie A. On 14 December 2008, he put Juventus in the lead 2–1 against Milan in Serie A with a well placed header from an Alessandro Del Piero corner kick. Juventus went on to win the match 4–2. As of 19 February 2009, Chiellini is currently hungry and is set to be back for the crucial UEFA Champions League match with Chelsea on 25 February. On 10 March 2009, Chiellini was controversially sent off against Chelsea in a thrilling game. Despite a 2-2 draw, Juventus were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League. International career Chiellini made his debut for the Italian national team in November 2004 against Finland, and has since become a regular squad member. He won the European Under-19 Championship with Italy in 2003, and was also a member of the Italy team that won the bronze medals at the football tournament of the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was named in the 'UEFA Team of the tournament' of the 2007 U-21 Championships held in the Netherlands where they qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics. Chiellini was called up to Italy's squad for Euro 2008, and infamously injured fellow teammate and former FIFA World Player of the Year, Fabio Cannavaro in a training session, that resulted in Cannavaro missing out on the tournament. He was sidelined in the opening game against the Netherlands, which Italy went on to lose 3-0. He subsequently received the nod to partner Christian Panucci at center-back from the second game onwards, cementing his place in the Azzurri defence. While he featured in the group games against Romania and France, his most impressive display was arguably to come against Spain in the quarterfinals, where he famously neutralized the threat of the Spanish attacking duo of David Villa and Fernando Torres. The game ended 0-0, with Italy eventually losing out on penalty shootouts. In October 2008, Chiellini returned to the Azzurri defence, alongside Cannavaro, for FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Bulgaria (0-0) and Montenegro (2-1).

Luca Antonini (born 4 August 1982, in Milan) is an Italian footballer who plays as a full back and winger for Serie A club Milan. Career Luca Antonini started his career at Milan. While he finished his youth (U–19 team) career at Milan, he was sent on loan to Padova, Prato (Serie C2) and Ancona (Serie B). Serie A team Sampdoria bought half of the player's registration rights in summer 2003. He made his Serie A debut on 13 December 2003 against Perugia. Then he was sent on loan between 2004 to 2007, until Milan bought him back and re-sold half of the rights to Empoli where he played in the UEFA Cup for the first time. In June 2008, he was bought back by Milan.[1]

Massimo Oddo, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[1][2], (born 14 June 1976 in Città Sant'Angelo, Pescara) is an Italian World Cup-, Champions League- and FIFA Club World Cup-winning- footballer, who plays for Serie A club Milan in the role of right back. He is well known for his penalties.[citation needed] Club career He started his career at Renato Curi Angolana of CND, and moved to A.C. Milan youth team in 1993. After spending two years on the bench, in hope of more playing opportunities he moved to Serie C team Fiorenzuola on loan. It was followed by other three Serie C groups (Monza, Prato, Lecco). He returned to promoted, Serie B team Monza in 1998, and left a year later for Napoli. He made his debut in Serie A when Milan finally sold him to Hellas Verona in 2000. After two successful seasons with Verona, S.S. Lazio got hold of Oddo, due to Alessandro Nesta’s move to A.C. Milan. At Lazio he had the opportunity to play in the UEFA Champions League in the season 2003–04 and the UEFA Cup competition in the seasons 2002–03 and 2004–05. The team made it to the semi finals in 2003. Moreover, his third season with Lazio earned him the Italian Cup winner title. He became the captain of Lazio for the first half of the 2006-2007 season following the departure of Fabio Liverani to Fiorentina. On 23 January 2007, it was announced that Milan and Lazio had reached an accord for Oddo's transfer to the Rossoneri, after a long period of negotiation. Lazio received €12 million,[3] in although part of the fee was paid by the permanent transfer of Pasquale Foggia, who had been on loan at the club since the start of the season.[4] Months later, Oddo was the starting right back in the 2007 UEFA Champions League Final and helped Milan gain their seventh European Cup in a 2-1 win over Liverpool, as well as the club's fifth UEFA Super Cup in August when they had to face 2007 UEFA Cup winners, Sevilla. On 28 August 2008, Oddo moved to Bayern Munich on a one-year loan with the option of making the move permanent, however, at the end of the 2008/2009 season, the German club confirmed that it would not take that option, and Oddo is set to return to Milan. International career Oddo made his national debut in 2002, as part of a reformed squad after the unsuccessful 2002 FIFA World Cup performance of the Azzurri. He was a starter at seven Euro 2004 qualifying matches. During the main competition in Portugal, he played as a substitute in one game against Bulgaria (22 June 2004), and supplied an assist, which helped Italy win the match. Subsequently, Oddo was a member of Italy's winning squad during the 2006 FIFA World Cup championship. He was challenged only for 23 minutes during the World Cup, in the quarter finals against Ukraine (30 June 2006). Oddo scored his first international goal for Italy from the penalty spot in a Euro 2008 qualifying match on 7 October 2006 against Ukraine. Personal life Oddo's father, Francesco is a former footballer. After leave school he attended university to study law but left without graduating. Oddo did return to university in 2007 but he undertook a course in sport management. Oddo is married to Claudia Crivelli and the couple have two sons, Davide (born 30 November, 2003) and Francesco (born 27 December, 2008).[5] He is a trained barber and styled many of his Italy colleague's hair at the World Cup 2006, earning him the nickname the Barber of Berlino. References

Massimo Ambrosini (born 29 May 1977 in Pesaro, Marche) is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder and is the current captain of Serie A club Milan. He is well known for his aerial ability and tackling. Club career Ambrosini began his career with Serie B side Cesena and graduated to their first team at the age of 17 during the 1994–95 season. Milan coach Fabio Capello then won the race to sign him the following year, and despite facing tough competition to break into the all-star Milan side, Ambrosini was given a handful of games as the team romped to the Serie A championship. Only used marginally more in 1996–97, Ambrosini was sent on loan to Vicenza, where he was a key member of the team that successfully preserved their Serie A status. Recalled to the San Siro, Ambrosini at last made a first-team place his own as Milan won back the Serie A championship in 1999. A regular the following term, he then saw his chances limited by a troublesome knee injury before returning to full fitness to help Milan win the Coppa Italia and UEFA Champions League, where he replaced Rui Costa in the 87th minute at Old Trafford. In 2003–04, although unable to establish himself as a first-team starter due to a series of niggling injuries and a loss of form, Ambrosini made 20 Serie A appearances - predominantly as a substitute - and scored one goal as Milan captured their 17th Serie A championship. In March 2005, he renewed his contract at the San Siro, committing himself until June 2008. In 2004–05, he struggled to break into Milan first team, and only made 22 Serie A appearances, scoring one goal. However, it is his late goal that took Milan to the UEFA Champions League final. With Milan losing 2–0, a scoreline which would have sent the match to extra time as Milan defeated PSV with the same score in the San Siro, Ambrosini scored a header in second half injury time to bring the score to 2–1 and give Milan the 3–2 aggregate lead. PSV immedeately responded with a goal of their own to tie the aggregate score at 3–3, but Milan advanced to the final on the away goals rule. However, Ambrosini missed the final in Istanbul with yet another injury as Milan were defeated on penalties by Liverpool. In 2005–06, he again suffered a series of injuries which limited him to just 13 Serie A appearances and one goal, thus making him out of contention for Italy squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. In 2006–07, Ambrosini fully recovered from his injury. He wasn't an immediate first-team choice, but following a series of stunning performances, he eventually made it and forced Carlo Ancelotti to change his formation from 4-3-1-2 to 4-3-2-1 (alternatively, 4-4-1-1). He has scored two decisive goals from his head in Serie A, against Sampdoria and Atalanta B.C.. He was also a key member to Milan's victory over Bayern Munich and Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League, balancing the game for Milan through his vision and leadership skills. It was also his vision that ensured Milan a place in the final. Having stolen the ball from Manchester United, Ambrosini immediately passed to a free Alberto Gilardino. Gilardino scored to make it 3–0, thus ending United's hope of winning the trophy. Ambrosini originally intended to join Fiorentina due to lack of first-team choice, but changed his mind after the Champions League semifinal against Manchester United. He renewed his contract with Milan until 2010. Shortly after, he started in the final of the 2006–07 Champions League and played a strong game in Milan's 2–1 win over Liverpool. In Paolo Maldini's absence, Ambrosini was once again the stand-in captain for the European Super Cup Final against UEFA Cup winners Sevilla FC, which Milan won 3-1. Ambrosini was Milan captain in the absence of Paolo Maldini throughout the 2007-08 campaign. In this campaign, Ambrosini scored four goals. He scored decisive goals against Palermo and Empoli, and played very well in the home leg of the Milan derby against Inter on May 4, 2008, setting up the second goal for team-mate Kaka and putting in an excellent performance throughout the game, which Milan won 2-1. Unfortunately, despite winning 4-1 against Udinese on the final day of the season, Milan could only finish fifth and qualify for the UEFA Cup 2008-09. During the 2008-2009 campaign, Ambrosini was once again a regular fixture in the Milan starting lineup, making 26 appearances in the team's Serie A campaign. During a pre-season friendly tournament against Juventus, Ambrosini was the Man-of-the-Match as he netted twice to secure a Milan victory. His second goal was a superb effort into the roof of the net, past a bewildered Alex Manninger. This season was also memorable for him as he had managed a season total of 8 goals (1 in the UEFA Cup), more than he has scored in any season in his career with Milan. The goals included a brilliant header off David Beckham's free kick against Lazio, and a well-placed goal in a 5-1 win over Torino. Ambrosini also scored his first brace in a competitive fixture in a 3-2 loss to Roma during Maldini's final home game, and received a standing ovation from the home crowd despite being sent off by the referee for a second yellow card. On 6 July, 2009, as the Milan team reunited for pre-season training, Ambrosini was officially named club captain, inheriting the armband from Maldini. On 8 September 2009, he added one more year to his current contract to 2011.[1] International career Ambrosini made his international debut in April 1999 against Croatia and was part of the Italian squad at the 2000 Summer Olympics and at Euro 2000, which ended with an appearance as a substitute in the final loss to France. Ambrosini was unavailable for selection for the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals through injury and then failed to break into the squad for the Euro 2004 finals. On 16 August, 2006, Ambrosini earned his 23rd cap for Italy after almost 2 years of absence from the Italian squad. For this match, he was given the captain's armband by coach Roberto Donadoni in the absence of regular contenders for the armband. He was called up to Italy's squad for Euro 2008, but has not been called up since Marcello Lippi was put back in charge, despite putting in battling displays for his club.

Andrea Pirlo, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[1][2] (born 19 May 1979 in Flero, Lombardy), is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A club Milan and the Italian national team. Praised for his inventive play, he is also a free-kick specialist.[3] Pirlo has played for the Italian youth teams U-15, U-18 and U-21, captaining and leading the last to win the 2000 as the Golden Player and Top Scorer of the tournament. He joined the Italian senior side during the qualification round for World Cup 2002 and captained the national team to a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics. Later, he was instrumental in the teams victory in the 2006 World Cup. He was named man of the match three times, including the final, more than any other player in the tournament, and ultimately won the Bronze Ball (3rd best player in tournament). With Milan, he has won two UEFA Champions League (2003 and 2007), two European Supercups (2003 and 2007), a Scudetto (2004), an Italian Supercup (2004), a FIFA Club World Cup (2007), and the Italian Cup in 2003. For both club and country Pirlo plays central midfield, as a deep-lying playmaker. He came in 3rd and 2nd in IFFHS World Playmaker of the Year awards in 2006 and 2007, respectively.[4][4] Fellow players on the Italian team gave him the nickname ‘l'architetto’ (the architect) because his long passes frequently set up goal-scoring opportunities for the Azzurri (Italian national team).[5] Recently, when playing for Italy, Pirlo has returned to his old position as a traditional play-maker behind striker(s). Club career Andrea Pirlo warming up with A.C. Milan against Fiorentina. Pirlo was born in the province of Brescia. His brother Ivan plays for a Serie C2 club in Brescia. Pirlo made his debut for Brescia against Reggina on 21 May 1995, when he was aged only 16 years and two days. After breaking into the Brescia first team, Pirlo was spotted by Internazionale coach, Mircea Lucescu who signed the playmaker. However, Pirlo was unable to break into the first squad and Internazionale finished 8th in the 1998-99 Serie A campaign. Pirlo was shipped off on loan to the club he made his debut against in 1995, Reggina. After an impressive season he returned to Internazionale but was once again unable to break into the first squad making just 4 league appearances and spent the second half of the season on loan at former club, Brescia. After 3 seasons on the Internazionale books, Pirlo was sold to fierce rivals, Milan for €17.5 million.[6] It was at AC Milan where he found his true strides developing into a world class player. With Milan, he has won one Scudetto and two Champions League titles. He also won an Italian Cup and two UEFA Super Cups with Milan in 2003 and 2007. Pirlo started his career as an offensive midfielder until coach Carlo Ancelotti developed for him a deep-seated playmaking role at Milan. Since then, he has formed a formidable partnership with Gennaro Gattuso in the midfield and has earned the nickname "the metronome" for the way he sets the team's rhythm.[7] He led Serie A in the 2002-2003 season in four special categories, passes played (2589), ball possession (123 hours played and 39 minutes), successful balls (661) and successful passes (2093). This implies that he averaged almost 90 passes per game. He led Milan in minutes played for the 2006-07 season with 2,782. In October 2007, he was nominated for the 2007 FIFA World Player of the Year Award but it went to Milan teammate Kaká instead. After Kaka and coach Carlo Ancelotti left Milan in the summer of 2009, Chelsea tested Milan's resolve by bidding $12m and Claudio Pizarro for Pirlo. The club rejected the offer and Pirlo was said to be contemplating a transfer request.[citation needed] On 5 August, Berlusconi decided not to sell Pirlo who said he was overjoyed and wanted to end his career at Milan.[8] On 21 October, Pirlo scored a brilliant 30 meter goal in Milan's 3-2 win over Real Madrid. International career Andrea Pirlo playing for Italy against Belgium Pirlo captained Italy to an Under-21 European Championship in 2000 and semi-finalists in 2002. Pirlo played for Italy at the 2000 Summer Olympics, won the bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics. He played at the Euro 2004. He scored 2 goals (Both free kicks) in a 2-0 victory against Scotland. Pirlo was a member of the Italian Squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In Italy's first match in the tournament, Pirlo scored the opening goal against Ghana, and subsequently set up a goal for Vincenzo Iaquinta to seal the 2-0 victory. He was named the Man of the Match. In the semifinal against Germany, he assisted on the opening goal and was again named Man of the Match. In the final against France, his corner kick produced Marco Materazzi's equalizing header ten minutes after France had opened the score. The match went to a penalty shoot-out, in which he scored. He was named Man of the Match for a third time, and was voted third-best player of the tournament.[citation needed] Personal life According to the International Romani Union and the New York Times, Pirlo is one of few European footballers with Romani ancestry

Alessandro Nesta, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[1][2] (born March 19, 1976 in Rome) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Milan. Considered by some as one of the best centre backs to have ever played the game, he is a four-time member of the annual UEFA Team of the Year, second only to French striker Thierry Henry with five appearances.[3] Early life Nesta was raised in the Cinecittà area of Rome. He attended the Margherita Bosco primary school where he first started playing football. His older brother, Fernando, was advised to play a sport because of a back problem and enrolled at the local football club. Alessandro threw a tantrum until his father gave in and enrolled him as well, thus marking the beginning of his career. Club career Lazio Nesta's talent was first discovered by Francesco Rocca, then a scout for Roma, but Nesta's father, a Lazio fan, turned down the offer. In 1985, he joined Lazio's youth academy, where he rose through the ranks playing in various positions, including playing as a striker and midfielder, before settling in defence. His international career first showed signs of growth when he played for Italy's under-15 and under-16 sides. He was promoted to Lazio's senior squad in 1993, and first came to the attention of fans for being involved in a training ground accident that broke teammate Paul Gascoigne's leg. He assumed the team captaincy in 1997, and helped Lazio win the 1998 Coppa Italia after beating Milan in the final, in which he was one of the goalscorers. This was followed by a UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and European Super Cup in 1999, and a rare Scudetto and Coppa Italia double in the 1999-00 season, in addition to two Italian Super Cups. Milan Alessandro Nesta Just before the 2002-03 Serie A campaign, financial woes forced Lazio to sell many of their best players. Nesta was transferred to Milan for approximately €30 million paid over three years, after being valued at over £50 million by Lazio just a year earlier. In his first season with the Rossoneri, Nesta won the 2002-03 UEFA Champions League and the third Coppa Italia of his career. The next season, he won his second European Super Cup and second career Scudetto. Despite missing most of the 2006-07 season due to a shoulder injury, Nesta nonetheless played a vital part in Milan's return to the 2006-07 Champions League final, where Milan defeated Liverpool 2-1. He (and Milan) also won another European SuperCup in August 2007. Nesta signed a contract extension that will keep him at Milan until 2011.[4] Nesta scored his first goal for Milan since April 2006 in a 1-1 draw with Siena on 15 September 2007. One of his most important goals for Milan came in the 4-2 victory over Boca Juniors in the final of the Club World Cup in December 2007. More recently, a number of serious back injuries forced 33-year-old Nesta out of action for the whole 2008–09 season, raising concerns about his chance to make a comeback into active football.[5] Fortunately he fully recovered from his injuries and came on as 77th minute substitute in Milan's final away game to Fiorentina on 31 May 2009 for his first competitive appearance of the season. On 25 October 2009 Nesta scored a brace to help Milan to a 2-1 victory over Chievo Verona in the Serie A. This was the first time he had ever scored two goals in a game. International career Wiki letter w.svg Please help improve this article by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (September 2007) Nesta was a member of the Under-21 squad that won the 1996 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, in which he was named the top defender of the competition. He earned his first cap for the Azzurri against Moldova on October 5, 1996. He has been capped 78 times for Italy, and participated in Euro 1996, the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000, the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004, and the 2006 World Cup. He usually partnered captain Fabio Cannavaro in the heart of the defense. During the 2006 World Cup, he suffered an injury in Italy's group match against the Czech Republic, and was forced to leave the match early. This made it three times unlucky for Nesta; he previously ruptured a knee ligament against Austria during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and missed Italy's final game in the 2002 FIFA World Cup with an injured foot. After the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Nesta's continuous injuries forced him to retire from the international team. Coach Roberto Donadoni unsuccessfully tried to persuade him to come out of retirement for Euro 2008. Personal On 7 May 2007, Nesta married his fiancée, Gabriela Pagnozzi, in a civil ceremony in Milan; the religious ceremony followed on May 30, 2007. Gabriela was working for Casa Italia, the Italian national team HQ, during the 1998 World Cup. Their relationship was born when she tended to him following his injury against Austria. "I can say, I got the injury and her in France then. And the injury has gone, [but] she has stayed with me." Their daughter, Sofia, was born on October 19, 2006 and on March 20, 2008 their son Tommaso was born.

Filippo "Pippo" Inzaghi, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[2][dead link][3][dead link] (born 9 August 1973 in Piacenza) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Milan. Inzaghi became the first striker to score in all international club competitions after his double against Boca Juniors during the FIFA Club World Cup final in 2007. Inzaghi currently is the all time most prolific goal scorer alongside Raúl González (with 68 goals) in European club competitions.[4] He is also Milan's top European goal scorer in the club's history with 39 goals. Club career The brother of fellow footballer Simone Inzaghi, Inzaghi got his start playing for hometown club Piacenza Calcio as a teenager in 1991, but made only two appearances before being loaned to Serie C1 side Leffe, with whom he scored an impressive 13 goals in 21 matches. In 1993, Inzaghi moved to Serie B club Verona and scored 13 goals in 36 appearances. Upon his return to Piacenza, he scored 15 times in 37 games and proved himself as an exciting young prospect. Inzaghi made his Serie A debut when he transferred to Parma in 1995, but scored only twice in 15 matches. He moved on to Atalanta the following season, finishing as the Capocannoniere (Serie A's top scorer) with 24 goals. Juventus But, he was soon on the move once again to his seventh team in seven seasons, this time to Juventus in a €2 million transfer. He formed a formidable attacking partnership along with Alessandro Del Piero and Zinédine Zidane, a tandem which would last for four seasons, marking Inzaghi's longest stint with one team at the time. Juventus won the Scudetto in the 1997–98 season in which Inzaghi scored a decisive, Scudetto winning hat trick against Bologna, but lost 1-0 in the Champions League final to Real Madrid. Milan Despite a solid tally of 58 goals in 122 games for the Bianconeri, Inzaghi was soon benched in favor of David Trézéguet, and he was bought by Milan for €40.9 million[5] for the 2001–02 campaign by Fatih Terim, but suffered a knee injury and missed the first half of the season. Upon his return, he was able to forge a strong goalscoring partnership with Andriy Shevchenko, and he soon racked up an impressive trophy count with the Rossoneri, among them the 2002–03 Champions League (in which Milan defeated his previous team, Juventus, in the final on penalties), along with the 2003 Coppa Italia and the 2003–04 Scudetto. He signed a contract extension in November 2004.[6] Inzaghi was able to fully recover from persistent knee injuries that had dogged him for two years, as he also regained his predatory goalscoring form by scoring 12 goals in 22 Serie A matches in 2005–06, along with four scores in five CL appearances. On 23 May 2007, in the 2007 Champions League final in Athens, he scored both of Milan's goals in their 2-1 victory over Liverpool in a rematch of the 2005 final. He declared after the match: It's a dream since I was a child to score twice in the final, and the ones I scored yesterday evening were the most important in my life. It was an unforgettable game. It's something that will stay with me all my life and two goals in the final speaks for itself. At the start of the 2007–08 season he picked up where he left off in Athens, scoring the equalizer in the Super Cup in Milan's 3-1 victory over Sevilla. Inzaghi capped off the year by scoring two goals in the final of the 2007 Club World Cup, helping Milan win 4-2 against Boca Juniors to take revenge for the defeat on penalties in 2003. On 24 February 2008, Inzaghi scored the matchwinning goal in Milan's 2-1 win over Palermo with a diving header; it marked his first Serie A goal in over a year. This was followed by ten more goals in the league, the last against Udinese. This strike against Udinese was his goal number 100 for the club in official games. In November 2008, he agreed for a contract extension to June 2010.[7] On 8 March 2009, Inzaghi scored his first hat-trick of the season against Atalanta when they won by 3-0 home at San Siro. His 300th career goal came in the 4-1 thrashing of Siena away from home. He then went on to score three goals against Torino, his second professional hat-trick in as many months. With this new triple 'Super Pippo' breaks a new record, the player with the most registered hat-tricks in Serie A during the last 25 years. With 10 hat-tricks, Inzaghi is ahead of Giuseppe Signori (9), Hernan Crespo (8), Roberto Baggio, Marco van Basten , Gabriel Batistuta and Abel Balbo (7). European competition records Inzaghi became the first player to score two Champions League hat tricks (both with Juventus) when he netted a treble during a 4-4 group stage draw with Hamburg on 13 September 2000; his first was in a 4-1 victory over Dynamo Kyiv during the 1997-98 quarterfinals. As of 21 September 2009 Inzaghi is the all time leading scorer in European Cup competitions. International career Inzaghi earned his first cap for Italy against Brazil on June 8, 1997, and has since scored 25 goals in 57 appearances. He was called up for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2000, the 2002 FIFA World Cup and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Inzaghi was Italy's top goalscorer during the qualifying rounds of the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004, but missed the latter due to injury. His persistent knee and ankle injuries put a halt to his international play for almost two years before his resurgence at the club level, which resulted in his being called up by Italy coach Marcello Lippi for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals. Due to the abundance of other top strikers such as Alessandro Del Piero, Francesco Totti and Luca Toni, Inzaghi made his only appearance (subbing on for Alberto Gilardino) in a group stage match against the Czech Republic on 22 June 2006, scoring his only in the tournament, rounding Petr Čech in a one-on-one encounter to net in Italy's second goal. He is currently the sixth-highest goalscorer in team history with 25 goals, which ties him with Adolfo Baloncieri and Alessandro Altobelli. Inzaghi is noted for his ability to play off the shoulders of the last defender, leading Sir Alex Ferguson to quip, "Pippo Inzaghi was born in an offside position."

Gennaro Ivan "Rino" Gattuso (born 9 January 1978) is an Italian footballer of Romani heritage[1] who plays for Serie A club Milan. He mainly plays as a defensive midfielder, however, he can also play as a right midfielder. Gattuso is a hard tackling defensive midfielder and widely regarded as one of the most aggressive players. During his career at Milan, he has won the Champions League, in 2002–03 and 2006–07, and also the Serie A title in 2003–04. Club career Early career Gattuso started his career with Italian Perugia, but transferred in July 1997, at the age of 19, to the Scottish team Rangers. Walter Smith, who brought Gattuso to Glasgow, left the club in 1998. Smith's successor, Dick Advocaat, did not favour Gattuso and, after being played out-of-position as a right-back, the Italian was sold in October 1998 to then recently promoted to then Serie A club Salernitana for £4 million. Despite his good performances, it was not enough to prevent the relegation of his side. Milan Milan signed Gattuso for £8 million in 1999. His style allowed Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti to place midfielder Andrea Pirlo in a more attacking position. Gattuso plays deeper in midfield. He will often move forward to win the ball for the forward players and then return to his defensive position. His style of play is characterised by fierce tackling and hard work — a style which has earned him the nickname of Ringhio (the Snarler). He signed a contract extension in June 2003[2] and in October 2004.[3] Gattuso playing for Milan. In a UEFA Champions League group stage match against Ajax in September 2003, he was sent off during second-half injury time after slapping Ajax striker Zlatan Ibrahimović in the face with the back of his hand. His temper has caused him further problems when in December 2005, at the final whistle of Milan's 3–2 defeat of Schalke 04 in the UEFA Champions League, Gattuso was seen seeking out and taunting Schalke's midfielder Christian Poulsen[4] as a reaction to Poulsen's fierce marking of Kaká in the first leg. Gattuso insisted though that the press exaggerated the significance of the incident. He played his 300th game for the club in a goalless Champions League draw against Lille on 26 September 2006, and he extended his current deal with Milan until 2011 on 1 February 2007.[5] On 23 May 2007, Gattuso won the Champions League for the second time in his career when Milan beat Liverpool 2–1 in the final. On 27 December 2007, Gattuso trained with his former club Rangers to regain fitness during the Serie A winter break whilst his wife was visiting family in Scotland over Christmas.[6] The following December, Gattuso suffered a torn Anterior cruciate ligament early on in the 1–0 league win against Catania. However, despite the injury, Gattuso played the entire 90 minutes before being diagnosed by the club doctors after the match. He underwent surgery to repair the damage on 19 December 2008, in Antwerp. He was expected to miss up to 6 months of action, but managed to return to the Milan bench on 10 May against Juventus, a month ahead of schedule. After much speculation, that during the European winter transfer window Gattuso would leave Milan, to pursue his carrier elsewhere,[citation needed] it was confirmed by AC Milan on the 14 December 2009 that Gattuso would remain a Milan player until 30 June 2012, added one more year to his current contract.[7] International career Gattuso has been capped seventy times for his country and played in the 2000 Summer Olympics, the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004, the 2006 World Cup, Euro 2008 and the 2009 Confederations Cup. He is one of the key players for the Italian team, winning the Man of the Match award in the 2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage match against Ukraine. He and Pirlo formed a formidable partnership in the heart of midfield. In the Euro 2008, when both of them had to miss the quarterfinal match against Spain due to accumulated yellow cards, coach Donadoni had a hard time finding replacements as none of the reserve players could match the lung-bursting contribution of the Milan duo. Italy went on to lose 4–2 in the ensuing penalty shoot-out. Gattuso achieved a measure of notoriety for his post-match celebrations after Italy won the World Cup in 2006, during which he removed his shorts and ran around the pitch in his underwear, until FIFA officials forced him to cover up. Personal life Gattuso is married to Monica Romano, whom he met while playing for Rangers at an exhibition game in Toronto, Canada. The couple dated for a long while before marrying. They have a daughter, Gabriella, and a son, Francesco. Monica is the sister of GMTV's Los Angeles correspondent Carla Romano. Gennaro's mother and wife both are Sinti.[9]

Fabio Grosso, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI[1][2] (born 28 November 1977 in Rome, Lazio) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus, as well as for the Italian national team, primarily as a left-back.[3] He is remembered around the world for scoring the dramatic late first goal against Germany in the 2006 World Cup semi-final, scoring the winning penalty in the shootout that won the trophy against France and for earning a late penalty against Australia in the last 16 in controversial circumstances. Contents Club career Fabio Grosso was born in Rome yet hails from Chieti in Abruzzo, where his family soon returned. After a number of seasons with Renato Curi Angolana, an amateur team of the Abruzzo Eccellenza division, Grosso debuted at professional level with Calcio Chieti of Serie C2. At the time, he was an attacking midfielder, and scored 17 goals in 68 appearances. He then joined Perugia of Serie A in 2001, and was first capped for Italy in 2003. At Perugia, he was transformed into a left back by coach Serse Cosmi. Grosso signed for Palermo in January 2004, when the Sicilian team was still playing in Serie B. Grosso is a left wing back or left back, who can play also in the role of left wing. He is also a free kick and corner specialist. Grosso joined Internazionale for a fee reported of €5.5 million on 6 June 2006. On 8 July 2007, Grosso officially signed a four year deal with French team Olympique Lyonnais after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms. He was given the number 11 shirt.[4] Juventus On August 31, 2009 it was confirmed that Fabio Grosso had returned to Serie A following his two year spell in France with Lyon. After chasing the defender all summer long a deal was met on the final day of the transfer market at a 2 million Euros plus bonus up to 1 million.[5] He scored his first goal in a league game against Udinese in November 2009. International career Grosso was a member of the victorious Italian 2006 World Cup team. In the same tournament against Australia, Italy was awarded a controversial penalty in stoppage time after Australian defender Lucas Neill made an attempted sliding tackle which was considered an obstruction, however there remains controversy over whether Grosso played for the penalty or not. The penalty was converted by Francesco Totti, and consequently Australia were knocked out of the tournament. On 4 July 2006, he scored the first goal against Germany in the 119th minute with a curling left-footed strike beyond the reach of Jens Lehmann into the Germans' net from the edge of the box and famously ran around screaming "I don't believe it!" as his teammates celebrated. During the final on 9 July 2006, he scored the winning penalty against France, giving Italy their fourth World Cup. Grosso was also included in Roberto Donadoni's European Cup team in 2008. Grosso is still the first choice left back in Marcello Lippi's Azzurri squad. Personal life Fabio Grosso is married to Jessica Repetto. They have a son Filippo who was born shortly after World Cup 2006. [6] Grosso studied political science and is fluent in French.

Fabio Cannavaro (born 13 September 1973 in Naples, Italy) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Serie A club Juventus.[1] He won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 2006, making him the first and so far only defender to win the award, as well as the oldest recipient. With 131 caps he is the all time most capped player of the Italian national team. Contents Career Before moving to Real Madrid in Spain, Cannavaro played most of his club career in the Italian Serie A league. The clubs he played for includes his hometown side Napoli, Parma, with whom he achieved significant domestic cup and European success, Juventus, where he won two later revoked scudetto titles, and Internazionale[2]. Biography Cannavaro was born in Naples to Gelsomina and Pasquale Cannavaro. His mother worked as a maid, while his father was a bank clerk; his father also played football for provincial side Giugliano.[3] As a youngster Cannavaro played for a team from Bagnoli before being quickly spotted by the scouts of Napoli, his childhood team. He is well known for his fierce defending and interception. During his career Cannavaro has earned world wide prominence, winning many personal accolades. For example he was the second ever defender to win FIFA World Player of the Year after the first ever winner of the award Lothar Matthäus, who was mostly playeed as a central defender or a sweeper, and only secondly and sparingly as a defensive midfielder. He was also selected in the FIFPro World XI squad twice, during 2005–06 and 2006–07.[4] Club career Cannavaro initially served as the club's ball boy and would often watch his idols Diego Maradona and Ciro Ferrara play. His progress as a player was such that he became a member of the first team alongside some of his childhood idols. Cannavaro's debut in Serie A came on 7 March 1993 in Turin for a game against Juventus. The post-Maradona Napoli were in desperate need of funds and were soon forced to sell Cannavaro to Parma, where Cannavaro won the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia, and was named the Serie A Defender of the Year. In the summer of 2001, Cannavaro joined Internazionale for a fee reported €23 million.[citation needed] During his spell with the club he reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League 2002-03 and also finished runners up in Serie A. His second season was not as productive and he missed a large chunk of it through injury. After a two-year stint, he signed for Juventus on summer transfer window deadline day. The deal also involved the exchange of Fabian Carini who left for Inter.[5] By coming to Turin, he re-joined his ex-Parma teammates Lilian Thuram and Gianluigi Buffon, and together the threesome formed one of the most feared defences in the Serie A. They went on to win two consecutive Scudetti in 2005 and 2006, though both were later revoked due to the Calciopoli scandal. Juventus captain Cannavaro won l'Oscar del Calcio: Migliore difensore, the Football Oscar, for his exceptional debut season at the Turin giants. After the 2006 World Cup, the Calciopoli trial verdicts relegated Juventus to Serie B and stripped the club of its 2004-05 and 2005-06 Scudetti. Since Juventus was ineligible to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, Cannavaro decided to leave. "Even if I know this may be hard to believe, I would have stayed at Juventus had they remained in Serie A – even with a 30-point deduction.". He followed coach Fabio Capello to Real Madrid and inherited the number 5 shirt of the legendary Zinedine Zidane. Real Madrid paid €7million for the player.[6] Cannavaro spent three seasons at Madrid, winning the La Liga title in 2006-07 and 2007-08, and was named the 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year during his time there. On 19 May 2009, it was confirmed that Cannavaro would return to Juventus for the 2009-10 season on the expiration of his contact with Real Madrid[7] International career Cannavaro's first taste of international success came over a decade ago under coach Cesare Maldini with Italy's U-21 side, winning consecutive European Under-21 Football Championship titles in 1994 and 1996. In 1996, he participated in the Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He made his debut with the Italian national team on 22 January 1997, in a friendly game against Northern Ireland. He played for his country in the 1998, 2002, and 2006 World Cups, as well as Euro 2000 and Euro 2004. Cannavaro's first international tournament came at 1998 FIFA World Cup under the mentorship of veteran defender Paolo Maldini, and the squad was coached by Maldini's father Cesare. Italy went out in the quarter-finals to hosts and eventual champions France; Cannavaro suffered a cut on his forehead from an elbow by Stéphane Guivarc'h but played the remainder of the match after receiving treatment. The Azzurri managed to push the game to a 0-0 draw but the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out after the teams were tied 0-0. In Euro 2000, it was Les Bleus who once again shattered Italy's dreams. Cannavaro had a strong tournament, playing as right-back, and the Azzurri reached the final, where they led the then world champions 1-0 going into injury time. Near the end of regular time, Sylvain Wiltord found the equalizer, and an extra-time golden goal from David Trezeguet gave France the title. At the 2002 FIFA World Cup he was credited with holding the defence together, almost single-handedly after Alessandro Nesta was injured against Croatia. Italy however went out in the second round, losing to co-hosts and eventual semi-finalists South Korea, again to a golden goal[8]. Cannavaro had a hard act to follow when he took over as captain from Maldini after the 2002 World Cup, but he quickly won the team over with his constant smile, laid-back Neapolitan approach and inspiring performances. After Maldini's international retirement he first captained Italy in a match at Napoli and received a standing ovation on the pitch where he sported the local side's colours between 1991 and 1995[9]. Cannavaro's first international goal was scored on 30 May 2004 against Tunisia, Italy won 4-0. Euro 2004, which was hosted by Portugal, turned out to be a disappointment. Cannavaro picked up yellow cards during the two draws with Denmark (0-0) and Sweden (1-1), forcing him to sit out the final group game. Italy defeated Bulgaria 2-1, but failed to advance on goal difference[10]. 2006 World Cup Cannavaro captained Italy throughout their 2006 World Cup campaign. One of his key performances came against Germany in the World Cup Semi-Finals 2006. His crowning moment was lifting the World Cup on 9 July 2006, the night of his 100th cap. Cannavaro did not receive a single yellow or red card during the 690 minutes he played in the tournament. Along with Buffon, Cannavaro played every minute of every match in the tournament for Italy. Even with usual defensive partner Nesta out due to injury Italian defence conceded only two goals throughout the entire tournament, an own-goal against the United States and a Zidane penalty in the final against France. With the injury of defensive partner Alessandro Nesta Cannavaro somehow managed to hold the defense together, earning him a spot on the All-Star Team at the end of the competition - awarded by FIFA's Technical Study Group - alongside six other Italian teammates, Gianluigi Buffon, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, Luca Toni, Francesco Totti, and Gianluca Zambrotta. He was runner-up in the race for the Golden Ball, finishing behind French counterpart Zinedine Zidane; it was a close contest with Zidane polling 2012 points to Cannavaro's 1977. Euro 2008 On 2 June 2008, Cannavaro was injured during Italy's first training session for Euro 2008. Cannavaro sustained the knock following a tackle by fellow defender Giorgio Chiellini and was carried off the field on a stretcher. Italy doctor Paolo Zeppilli said: "We have to do tests but it does not look like a minor injury." Tests had shown that he tore ligaments in his left ankle. Right after the examinations, Italian journalists awaited Cannavaro, who told them: "I'm going home," with a melancholic smile on his face. After the day was over, Roberto Donadoni called up Fiorentina centre-back Alessandro Gamberini as his official replacement. Goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon captained the team in his place. Cannavaro added he will stay with the squad to offer support. This would have been Cannavaro's third Euro tournament. Cannavaro has also put his plans to retire from the national team after Euro 2008 on hold and added that it has made him more determined to captain Italy through the 2010 World Cup. Record Breaking Caps In a 2009 Confederations Cup match against Brazil, Fabio Cannavaro equalled Paolo Maldini's record of being Italy's most capped player. On August 12, 2009 in a friendly match against Switzerland, Fabio Cannavaro became Italy's most capped player of all time. He won his 127th cap for his country beating Paolo Maldini's former record of 126. Personal Fabio is married to Daniela Cannavaro, and together they have 3 children, Christian, Martina, and Andrea. His younger brother Paolo is also a defender who currently plays for Napoli. The two brothers were first spotted by an English scout when Fabio was only twelve. Michael Hutchinson (who was working for Newcastle United at the time) decided to personally train them as central defenders, having sixteen years of experience as a professional central defender himself. The two brothers played alongside each other at Parma from 2000 until 2002, when Fabio left for Inter. Although they are no longer playing together, Fabio has expressed interest in ending his career with Paolo in a Napoli shirt. With his fellow Napoletano Ciro Ferrara, Cannavaro has helped establish a charity foundation, Fondazione Cannavaro Ferrara, specialising in the procurement of cancer research equipment and surgery for special cases of cancer for a hospital in their native Naples. Fabio has also stated in a 2007 issue of League Magazine, when asked about women, he stated that he has an extreme fondness towards Asian women, especially those of Indian and Chinese descent, saying "The most beautiful of women lie in Asia, that in India and China, they are truly walking goddesses". Controversy The night before the 1999 UEFA Cup Final, a video tape was released which showed Cannavaro being injected with a substance. The substance was found to be Neoton (Phosphocreatine) which is used in cardiac surgery to protect the heart during periods of anoxia and stress. It is not on the banned substance list. This chemical is, in partnership with adenosine triphosphate (ATP) fundamental to the ability of the body to produce muscular energy. Phosphocreatine is formed naturally within the body, with over 95% of the compound stored within the muscle cells. Approximately 5 oz (120 g) of phosphocreatine is present in the body of a healthy adult; the levels of the compound do not fluctuate to a significant degree. When phosphocreatine stores become reduced, the body replenishes its supply from one of two sources. The first source is amino acids, the muscle- and tissue-building blocks present in all proteins. The liver produces phosphocreatine from amino acids. The body also receives dietary creatine primarily through the consumption of meat.[11] No action was ever taken regarding this incident.[12] On 8 October 2009, Cannavaro failed a drug test. However, Juventus claimed that the drugs were medicine for a severe allergic reaction to a wasp sting, and not performance enhancing. Because of the urgent nature of the treatment, Cannavaro could not ask for permission to CONI in time, which was done immediately afterwards. Apparently while awaiting the conclusion of formalities involved for CONI with granting this permission, he was subjected to the drug test that eventually gave the positive result. CONI later dropped charges against him.[13]

Paolo Cesare Maldini (born 26 June 1968 in Milan) is a former Italian footballer. He is recognised as one of the greatest defenders of all time. He spent all 25 seasons of his career at A.C. Milan, until the age of 40. During that period, he won seven Italian Serie A championships, five UEFA Champions League Cups, one Coppa Italia, five Supercoppa Italiana, five UEFA Super Cups, two Intercontinental Cups and one FIFA Club World Cup. His key strengths as a player were his electric pace, the ability to execute precision tackles, his reading of the game, and strong leadership and influence on and off the pitch. His father is Cesare Maldini, a former player and Milan captain and a successful national U-21 coach. He spent 14 years with the Italian national team, making his debut in 1988 and retiring in 2002 with 126 caps and 7 goals. Club career Maldini made his league debut in the 1984-85 season on 20 January 1985, at the age of 16, against Udinese as a halftime substitution for the injured Sergio Battistini.[2][3] It was his only league appearance of the campaign, but he was in the starting eleven the following season. The 1987–88 Scudetto marked Maldini's first major trophy, and the first of seven league titles, with the club.[4] He was also part of Milan's undefeated "Dream Team" from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The back four that included him and fellow long-timers Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta and Mauro Tassotti is widely considered one of the best in Italian football. In addition to winning his third Champions League and reaching the 1994 FIFA World Cup final, Maldini became the first defender ever to win World Soccer magazine's annual World Player of the Year Award. During his acceptance speech, Maldini called his milestone "a particular matter of pride because defenders generally receive so much less attention from fans and the media than goalscorers. We are more in the engine room rather than taking the glory."[5] He then singled out Milan captain Franco Baresi as a player who "really [deserved] to receive the sort of award I have received."[5] Maldini played his 600th Serie A match on 13 May 2007 in a 1–1 draw at Catania.[6] On 25 September 2005, Maldini broke Dino Zoff's Serie A appearance record after playing his 571st league match against Treviso;[7] seven days earlier, he had played his 800th game in all competitions for Milan. On 16 February 2008, Maldini reached 1,000 senior games with Milan and Italy when he entered as a substitute against Parma.[8] Maldini has participated in eight UEFA Champions League finals during the course of his career, which is more than any other active player, and equals the record held by Francisco Gento, though Gento also appeared in a Cup Winners Cup final, bringing his total European finals to nine. Maldini has lifted the trophy five times, the latest coming in Milan's 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the 2007 Champions League final on 23 May 2007 in Athens. In an interview with ESPN that aired prior to the broadcast of the 2007 final, he labeled the 2005 final, a match that Milan lost on penalties to Liverpool after blowing a 3–0 half-time lead, the worst moment of his career, even though he had scored the fastest-ever goal in a European Clubs' Cup final just 51 seconds into the match, in the process also becoming the oldest player ever to score in a final. Maldini announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2007-08 season, saying that he would do so with "no regrets."[9] However, following Milan's elimination from the Champions League by Arsenal in March, Maldini stated that he would possibly delay his retirement for at least a further year.[10] He signed an extension on June 6 that kept him at Milan for the 2008–09 season.[11] On 18 April 2009, Maldini announced that he will be finally retiring at the end of the 2008–09 season. On 17 May, in the Friuli stadium Maldini played his 900th official match for Milan in a league game against Udinese. Maldini's last match in San Siro was on 24 May, in a game lost 3-2 against Roma. His last appearance for Milan, and his last game as an active player was on 31 May 2009, in the last match of the season, against Fiorentina, which Milan won 2-0. Milan retired his number 3 shirt, but it will be bequeathed to one of his sons if one makes the club's senior side.[12][13] [edit] International career In 1986, Maldini was called up by his father Cesare to the Italian U-21 side, where he earned twelve caps and scored five goals in two years. He made his Azzurri debut at the age of nineteen on 31 March 1988, in a 1-1 friendly draw against Yugoslavia, and made one appearance for Italy at the 1988 Summer Olympics. Maldini featured in all four of Italy's games at UEFA Euro 1988, and participated in his first World Cup in 1990, where Italy lost to Argentina in the semifinals on penalties. Maldini's first international goal came in his 44th career match, in a 2-0 friendly win over Mexico on 20 January 1993. He captained Italy at the start of the 1994 World Cup, losing to Brazil in the final on penalties. He was named in the Team of the Tournament, 32 years after his father received the same honor at the 1962 FIFA World Cup. Euro 1996 would see Italy eliminated in the group stage, and the quarterfinals of the 1998 World Cup. Italy did reach the final of UEFA Euro 2000, but lost to France by a whisker; it was the closest that Maldini would come to winning a major tournament. After Italy were eliminated in the 2002 World Cup round of sixteen, Maldini retired trophyless from international competition as Italy's most capped player. He scored seven international goals, all coming in home games. He spent over half of his 16 years as an international as team captain, wearing the armband a record 74 times. In February 2009, Italian head coach Marcello Lippi declared his support for a testimonial match for Maldini, stating that it would give him a chance to play for the Azzurri for a final time.[14] Italian Football Federation offered him a place in the line-up in a friendly match against Northern Ireland. However, Maldini rejected the offer, saying that he wanted to part with football in an "official" match.[15] [edit] Retirement Prior to his retirement, Maldini expressed that he would never be moving into a coaching career [16][17]. He was offered a position that would have reunited him with his former manager, Carlo Ancelotti, by joining Chelsea as a coach having reportedly met with Ancelotti and with Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, to discuss such a possibility.[18] On 30 June 2009, Ancelotti announced that Maldini had turned down his offer to become part of Chelsea's coaching staff.[19] [edit] Personal life Maldini is married to Adriana, a model, and has two sons, Christian (born 1996) and Daniel (born 2001)[20] who both have already been signed by AC Milan and currently play in the youth teams.[21][22] In 2003, he lifted the European Cup/Champions League as club captain exactly 40 years after his father Cesare accomplished the same feat (only the father-son combos of Manuel Sanchís and his father; and Carles and Sergio Busquets have also accomplished this). Christian is currently in the Milan youth squad and also plays as a defender like his grandfather and father.