Giampaolo Pazzini

Giampaolo Pazzini

Personal information
Full name	Giampaolo Pazzini
Date of birth	2 August 1984 (1984-08-02)
Place of birth	Pescia, Italy
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	Vardar FC
Number	7
Youth career
	Atalanta
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2003–2005	Atalanta	51	(12)
2005–2009	Fiorentina	108	(25)
2009–2011	Sampdoria	75	(36)
2011–	Internazionale	34	(16)
National team‡
2004–2007	Italy U-21	22	(5)
2009–	Italy	23	(4)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 January 2012. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2011

Giampaolo Pazzini (Italian pronunciation: [dʒamˈpaolo patˈtsini]; born August 2, 1984 in Pescia) is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Internazionale and the Italian national team. Fans call him Il Pazzo ("the Madman").

Club career

Early career

Pazzini started his career at Atalanta, with whom he made his professional debut in 2003, and quickly emerging as a promising youngster. He spent two seasons with Atalanta, playing 51 league games and scoring 12 goals (of which 3 of them at Serie A level). He switched from a left back to a striker.

Fiorentina

Pazzini joined Fiorentina from Atalanta for around €6 million in January 2005. During his first season he scored 10 goals in 4 appearances. but did not find space in Cesare Prandelli's plans as the latter preferred Luca Toni as the main striker, with Pazzini and Bojinov acting as second strikers.

With the arrival of former Milan striker Alberto Gilardino, Prandelli opted for Adrian Mutu and Gilardino to form a striking partnership, reducing Pazzini to a backup player role.

Sampdoria

As a result of limited first team opportunities, Pazzini agreed a move to Sampdoria on January 2008, for €9 million.

After his first match versus Palermo, in the next matchday Pazzini found the back of the net for the first time with the blucerchiati against Udinese in the Coppa Italia. He scored his first goal in Serie A with his new team on February 1, 2009 in the match against Chievo, finished in a 1–1 draw. His rejuvenated form continued when he hit his first brace with Sampdoria in a 3–0 hammering against Italian champions Internazionale in the Coppa Italia, and his second consecutive brace arrived in the Serie A encounter against Roma (2–2). He combined very well with Antonio Cassano up front, forming arguably one of the most effective partnership in Serie A in the season.

Pazzini scored 19 goals in his second season at Sampdoria making him the 3rd top scorer in the 2009–10 Serie A season.

Internazionale

Pazzini joined Italian champions Internazionale on a four and a half year deal, on January 28, 2011, with Jonathan Biabiany heading in the opposite direction as part of the deal. Pazzini was valued €19 million while Biabiany was tagged for €7 million. He scored a brace on his debut, a 3–2 home win over Palermo and scored another goal in his second game against Bari. He also scored the winner in a 1–2 win against Fiorentina on 16 February 2011. On 30 April 2011 he scored 2 in a 2–1 win over Cesena, both in stoppage time. On the 22 May 2011 he scored a further 2 goals in Inter's 3–1 victory over Catania. Pazzini began the 2011-2012 season on a weak note, failing to score until the 5th round in a 3-1 victory over Bologna (Claudio Ranieri's first match in charge of Inter). He then scored in the next match after a dribble from team-mate Yuto nagatomo in a 3-2 away victory against CSKA Moscow. He later suffered a 3-month goal drought until he scored Inter's opener in a 2-0 vitory against Fiorentina. He also added another goal later that month against Lecce and scored in Inter's opening match of the 2012 calendar year in a 5-0 victory against Parma.

International career

Under-21

Pazzini was formerly a member of the Italy Under-21 team. He holds the record for the first goal and first hat-trick at the new Wembley Stadium. However, Louis Saha broke one of his records, scoring after 26 seconds in the 2009 FA Cup Final.^{[citation needed]}

Senior team

Pazzini made his debut with the senior team on 28 March 2009, in a World Cup qualification match against Montenegro, scoring his first goal. Four days later, Pazzini was awarded with a place in the starting line-up against the Republic of Ireland. Unfortunately his second cap was a less fortunate one as he was sent off in the second minute of the match for elbowing defender John O'Shea. He now holds the record for fastest sending off in Italian history. Pazzini started the friendly against Northern Ireland at Pisa on 6 June 2009, where he missed a penalty in the 55th minute.

He took part at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

On 3 June 2011, two years after his debut, he scored his second goal with the national team in a qualifying game against Estonia.

Honours

Internazionale

• Coppa Italia: 2010–11

Club statistics

As of 21 December 2011

Club	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Atalanta
	2003–04	39	9	-	-	-	-	39	9
	2004–05	12	3	-	-	-	-	12	3
	Total	51	12	-	-	-	-	51	12
Fiorentina
	2004–05	14	3	0	0	-	-	14	3
	2005–06	27	5	0	0	-	-	27	5
	2006–07	24	7	0	0	-	-	24	7
	2007–08	31	9	0	0	10	0	41	9
	2008–09	12	1	0	0	4	0	16	1
	Total	108	25	0	0	14	0	122	25
Sampdoria
	2008–09	19	11	4	4	-	-	23	15
	2009–10	37	19	2	2	-	-	39	21
	2010–11	19	6	1	1	5	5	25	12
	Total	75	36	7	7	5	5	87	48
Internazionale
	2010–11	17	11	3	0	0	0	20	11
	2011–12	17	5	1	1	5	2	20	8
	Total	31	16	4	1	5	2	40	19
Career total		265	89	11	8	24	7	300	104

External links

• Giampaolo Pazzini – Player profile Espnsoccernet.com
• (Italian) Profile on sampdoria.it
• Pazzini's stats footballdatabase.eu