Fabricio Coloccini

Fabricio Coloccini

Fabricio Coloccini playing for Newcastle United.
Personal information
Full name	Fabricio Coloccini
Date of birth	22 January 1982 (1982-01-22)
Place of birth	Córdoba, Argentina
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	Newcastle United
Number	2
Youth career
1997–1998	Argentinos Juniors
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1998–1999	Boca Juniors	2	(1)
1999–2004	Milan	1	(0)
2000–2001	→ San Lorenzo (loan)	19	(3)
2001–2002	→ Alavés (loan)	33	(6)
2002–2003	→ Atlético Madrid (loan)	27	(0)
2003–2004	→ Villarreal (loan)	32	(1)
2004–2008	Deportivo La Coruña	105	(5)
2008–	Newcastle United	131	(4)
National team‡
2003–	Argentina	34	(1)
Honours Competitor for Argentina Men's Football Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens Team Competition
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:00, 25 February 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 01:42, 12 August 2010 (UTC)

Fabricio Coloccini (locally: [faˈβrisjo koloˈtʃini]; Italian: [kolotˈtʃini]; born 22 January 1982) is an Argentine football defender who currently captains Premier League club Newcastle United, and plays for the Argentine national team. At the age of 30, Coloccini has already represented numerous football clubs, however it was his successful spell at Deportivo La Coruña where he earned his reputation as a top-level defender. After beginning his career at Boca Juniors in his native Argentina, Coloccini attracted the attention of AC Milan. He failed to establish himself there however and subsequently went on loan to four different clubs. In July 2011, he was promoted to club captain of Newcastle United after proving himself as one of the Premier League's most reliable and strong central defenders.

Coloccini also holds an Italian passport due to his Italian ancestry.

Club career

Boca Juniors

Born in Córdoba, Córdoba Province, Coloccini started his career in the youth team of Argentinos Juniors, but made his professional debut in 1998 with Boca Juniors.

AC Milan

In 1999, at the end of the Apertura championship, he moved to AC Milan. Coloccini was at the centre of a controversy between Boca and Milan, because the transfer from Argentina to Italy wasn't agreed between the clubs. Instead, Milan arranged terms with Coloccini's father (also a former football player), who exercised his parental rights to remove the minor from Argentina. After that, FIFA ordered Milan to pay Boca compensation.

Loan moves

In 2000, Coloccini was loaned to San Lorenzo de Almagro where he helped the team to win the 2001 Clausura tournament. From 2001–04, Coloccini served three consecutive loans in La Liga: Deportivo Alavés (netting an impressive 6 league goals), Atlético Madrid, and Villarreal, where he was always first-choice.

Deportivo La Coruña

After having only appeared once for Milan officially, Coloccini joined Deportivo La Coruña in January 2005, on a six-year deal. During his three-and-a-half seasons stint, he was an undisputed starter, and appeared in all the matches during 2007–08 netting four goals, good enough for a UEFA Intertoto Cup berth for the club.

Newcastle United

Coloccini joined Newcastle United on a five-year contract in August 2008 for a fee of up to £10.3 Million. Two days later, he made his debut against the reigning league champions, Manchester United, playing 90 minutes in a 1–1 away draw.

Coloccini playing against Ipswich Town in 2010.

Since his debut, Coloccini has been one of the most consistent inclusions in Newcastle's squad, and formed a partnership with fellow newcomer Sébastien Bassong in his first season. He was not immune to the pressures of representing Newcastle's infamous defence, coming under his most intense criticism for his performance in Newcastle's 5-1 defeat to Liverpool. Despite his mistakes in the game, manager Joe Kinnear voiced his support for Coloccini, stating that he believed his "Mr. Reliable" would bounce back. On 1 February, Coloccini was substituted against Sunderland in the 93rd minute. Up until this point, he had played every minute of every game for Newcastle all season. He was dropped for the 1–1 draw with Stoke City, but played in Newcastle's 1–0 defeat to Aston Villa which saw them relegated.

Despite Newcastle's relegation, Coloccini stayed on and was the mainstay of the club's defence all season, partnering the likes of Steven Taylor, Mike Williamson, Fitz Hall and Tamás Kádár in the sturdiest rearguard of the league. He scored two goals for Newcastle since relegation, a header at Cardiff City, and another header at Watford. The club was eventually promoted back to the Premier League as champions, and Coloccini's great contributions awarded him a place in the Championship's Team of the Year. Coloccini scored his third Newcastle goal against Wigan Athletic in the fourth minute of injury time as they came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at St James' Park, with that being his first goal in the Premier League on the same day that he captained Newcastle for the first time. Coloccini scored a striker's finish in a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on 22 January 2011, the day of his 29th birthday and his 100th Newcastle appearance.

He continued his fine form for Newcastle into April, reforming his partnership with Mike Williamson after a brief time with Steven Taylor in January. On 2 April, Coloccini made numerous forward runs and forward roaming to help supply Peter Løvenkrands' goal in the 4-1 win over Wolves. Manager Alan Pardew, along with pundit Jamie Redknapp complimented the defender for his contributions to the team's attack, calling him a "top, top player".

On 8 July 2011, Coloccini was named Newcastle captain for the 2011-12 season. He and Taylor rekindled their partnership and were central to one of the Premier League's meanest defences, conceding a mere 8 goals in the first 11 games. He scored his first goal of the season in the 122nd minute to win the game against Championship club Nottingham Forest in a 4-3 thriller in the third round of the League Cup that saw Forest equalise on three occasions. In October, he was selected for the North East FWA Player of the Year for 2011.

International career

Coloccini was part of the Argentina Under-20 that won the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, as well as the gold medal winning Argentine team at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

With the main squad, he made his debut in 2003 and first participated in the 2005 Confederations Cup, scoring one goal in the game against Cameroon. In the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Coloccini played in two games, as a substitute against the Netherlands, and starting against Germany in the quarter-finals penalty shootout loss. Coloccini was an unused substitute in Argentina's World Cup qualifier against Brazil on 6 September 2009. He was absent from the national team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Career statistics

Club

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Argentina			League		Cup		League Cup		South America		Total
1998–99	Boca Juniors	Primera División	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1
Italy			League		Coppa Italia		League Cup		Europe		Total
1999–00	AC Milan	Serie A	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Argentina			League		Cup		League Cup		South America		Total
2000–01	San Lorenzo	Primera División	19	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	19	3
Spain			League		Copa del Rey		Copa de la Liga		Europe		Total
2001–02	Alavés	La Liga	33	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	33	6
2002–03	Atlético Madrid		27	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	27	0
2003–04	Villarreal		32	1	0	0	0	0	11	0	43	1
Italy			League		Coppa Italia		League Cup		Europe		Total
2004–05	AC Milan	Serie A	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
Spain			League		Copa del Rey		Copa de la Liga		Europe		Total
2004–05	Deportivo La Coruña	La Liga	15	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	15	1
2005–06			26	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	30	0
2006–07			26	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	28	0
2007–08			38	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	38	4
England			League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
2008–09	Newcastle United	Premier League	34	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	38	0
2009–10		Championship	37	2	3	0	0	0	0	0	40	2
2010–11		Premier League	35	2	1	0	1	0	0	0	37	2
2011–12			25	0	1	0	3	1	0	0	29	1
Total	Argentina		21	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	21	4
	Italy		1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
	Spain		197	12	6	0	0	0	11	0	214	12
	England		131	4	7	0	6	1	0	0	144	5
Career total			350	20	13	0	6	1	12	0	381	21

• Stats accurate as at 15:00, 25 February 2012.

International goals

Score and results list Argentina's goal tally first.

Goal	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	4 September 2004	Estadio Monumental "U", Lima	Peru	2–1	3–1	Friendly

Honours

Club

Boca Juniors

• Argentine League: Apertura 1998
• Argentine League: Clausura 1999

San Lorenzo

• Argentine League: Clausura 2001

Newcastle United

• Football League Championship (1): 2009–2010
• Teresa Herrera Trophy: Winner: 2010

International

Argentina

• FIFA World Youth Championship: 2001
• Summer Olympics: 2004 Gold medal

Individual

• PFA Championship Team of the Year (1): 2009–10

External links

• Fabricio Coloccini career stats at Soccerbase
• Stats at Liga de Fútbol Profesional (Spanish)
• NationalFootballTeams data
• Newcastle United profile
• Premier League profile