Nicola Legrottaglie

"Legrottaglie" redirects here. For the town, see Grottaglie.

Nicola Legrottaglie

Personal information
Full name	Nicola Legrottaglie
Date of birth	20 October 1976 (1976-10-20)
Place of birth	Gioia del Colle, Italy
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current club	Catania
Number	6
Youth career
	Bari
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1994–1998	Bari	17	(0)
1996–1997	→ Pistoiese (loan)	31	(3)
1997–1998	→ Prato (loan)	26	(0)
1998–2003	Chievo	66	(6)
2000	→ Reggiana (loan)	4	(1)
2000–2001	→ Modena (co-ownership)	32	(1)
2003–2011	Juventus	114	(8)
2005	→ Bologna (loan)	9	(0)
2005–2006	→ Siena (loan)	28	(0)
2011	Milan	1	(0)
2011–	Catania	19	(3)
National team
2002–2009	Italy	16	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 February 2012. † Appearances (Goals).

Nicola Legrottaglie (born 20 October 1976) is an Italian footballer who plays for Calcio Catania in Serie A, as a central defender.

Club career

Early years

Born in Gioia del Colle, Province of Bari, Legrottaglie began his career with A.S. Bari, having loan spells at A.C. Pistoiese and A.C. Prato. In two years, he made 17 total appearances for his hometown club.

Chievo

Following his return to Bari in June 1998, Legrottaglie was sold to A.C. ChievoVerona in the Serie B. He appeared rarely in his second season with the team and, in January 2000, moved on loan to A.C. Reggiana 1919 in the third division. With his new club, he also found playing opportunities hard to come by and, after his return to Verona, moved to the same level and in the same predicament, now with Modena FC.

In his season on loan at Modena, Legrottaglie was a regular fixture in the starting XI, subsequently returning to ChievoVerona for the club's first ever season in the Serie A. In his first year, he only appeared in 15 games, as the club qualified to the UEFA Cup. In his second season, the defender established himself as top division player, netting four goals in 32 league appearances, with Chievo again finishing comfortably in mid-table (seventh).

Juventus

In the 2003 off-season, Legrottaglie was rewarded with a move to Serie A powerhouse Juventus FC. Juve paid €7.55million for his services Chievo, €0.45 million being used in selling 50% of the rights to Giuseppe Sculli, Matteo Paro and Daniele Gastaldello.

Legrottaglie was a full member of the squad in the 2003–04 season, playing 21 games and scoring twice, under coach Marcello Lippi. However, new coach Fabio Capello did not provide him with any playing time the following year, and he made just two appearances in five months. Subsequently, he moved on loan to Bologna F.C. 1909 in the 2005 January transfer window, appearing 11 times - twice in the promotion playoffs - with the Emilia-Romagna side.

Legrottaglie returned to Juventus in the summer of 2005, but was instantly loaned out to A.C. Siena for the 2005–06 season, alongside teammate Igor Tudor and some youth players. While at Siena, he was again a first-team regular, appearing in nearly 30 matches as his club finally avoided relegation. He again returned to Juventus in the summer of 2006 and, as an experienced player, was expected to play a role in the club's attempt to return to the top level following the Calciopoli scandal. However, he would only feature in ten games out of 42, with the addition of a red card, with the Turin outfit eventually gaining promotion, as champions.

Under new coach Claudio Ranieri, and after a failed transfer away from Juventus, Legrottaglie started 2007–08 where he left off, on the substitutes' bench, being behind Jorge Andrade, Domenico Criscito and Jean-Alain Boumsong in the pecking order. However, after the serious injury suffered by the Portuguese, he was promoted to the starting eleven for the game against Reggina Calcio on 26 September, scoring the opener in a 4–0 routing. Until the season's end, he paired with Giorgio Chiellini in central defense, as Juventus allowed only nine goals in 14 games since Andrade's injury (and 37 overall), finishing in third place; his contract ran originally run until the 2008 summer but, in October 2007, due to his excellent form, he was awarded a two-year extension.

In the 2008–09 season, Legrottaglie continued to be first-choice, despite the arrival of Swede Olof Mellberg (Andrade suffered a second serious knee injury). In September 2008, one month shy of his 32nd birthday, he signed another contract, until June 2011, and featured in 27 league matches as Juventus finished second, thus qualifying to the UEFA Champions League.

In the following seasons, veteran Legrottaglie was used mostly as backup. In late May 2010, he was injured during club training, missing Juventus' United States tour.

AC Milan / Later years

On 31 January 2011, after Juventus signed Andrea Barzagli, who played in his position, 34-year old Legrottaglie left on a free transfer for fellow top division team A.C. Milan, signing a six-month contract, but was only able to make one league appearance for the eventual champions due to injury, before being released in June.

On 24 August 2011, he joined Sicilian outfit Calcio Catania on a two-year contract. He scored on his official debut, a 3–3 away draw against Novara Calcio.

International career

On 20 November 2002, Legrottaglie made his Italy debut, in a friendly match with Turkey in Pescara, and went on to appear in a further six matches in a one-year span, mostly friendlies.

Following solid performances at Juventus, he received his first cap in four years, appearing in a friendly against Austria, filling in for injured teammate Chiellini in an 18 August 2008 contest held in Nice. His former Juventus coach Lippi was then in charge of the national team.

On 2 May 2010, 33-year old Legrottaglie was included in a 29-men provisional list for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, attending training camp in Rome, being then dropped from the 30-player list submitted to FIFA on the 11th, with Villarreal CF's Giuseppe Rossi and A.S. Roma's Daniele De Rossi taking his place.

Legrottaglie's only major international tournament was the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, with Italy exiting in the group stage.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	30 April 2003	Geneva, Switzerland	Switzerland	2–1	Win	Friendly

Honours

• Juventus:
  • Second Division: 2006–07
  • Italian Supercup: 2003
  • Italian Cup: Runner-up 2003–04

• Milan:
  • Italian League: 2010–11

Personal

Legrottaglie is one of the most religious Italian footballers, quoting the Bible as his favorite book, which he credits with having him helped rediscover the joy of living and love for his fellow man.

He has come out strongly against homosexuality, calling it a "sin".

External links

• Juventus profile (Italian)
• Stats at Tutto Calciatori (Italian)
• National team data (Italian)
• Nicola Legrottaglie at National-Football-Teams.com
• Fan club (Italian)