Nicola Legrottaglie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- "Legrottaglie" redirects here. For the town, see Grottaglie.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nicola Legrottaglie | ||
| Date of birth | 20 October 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Gioia del Colle, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Juventus | ||
| Number | 33 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Bari | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps (Gls)† | |
| 1994–1996 | Bari | 17(0) | |
| 1996–1997 | →Pistoiese (loan) | 31(3) | |
| 1997–1998 | →Prato (loan) | 26(0) | |
| 1998–2000 | Chievo Verona | 23(0) | |
| 2000 | →Reggiana (loan) | 4(1) | |
| 2000–2001 | Modena | 32(1) | |
| 2001–2003 | Chievo Verona | 43(6) | |
| 2003– | Juventus | 100(5) | |
| 2005 | →Bologna (loan) | 9(0) | |
| 2005–2006 | →Siena (loan) | 28(0) | |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2002– | Italy | 16(1) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 31 May 2009. † Appearances (Goals). |
|||
Nicola Legrottaglie (born 20 October 1976 in Gioia del Colle, Bari) is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Juventus.
Contents |
[edit] Early career
Legrottaglie began his career with Bari back in 1994 before moving to Pistoiese and A.C. Prato. In 1998, he joined Chievo and, after loan spells with Reggiana and Modena, returned to Chievo upon the side's first ever experience in the top flight. .[1]
[edit] Juventus
In the 2003 season, he was rewarded for being one of the top defenders in Chievo with a move to Turin giants Juventus. Juventus paid €7.55million to Chievo, which €0.45million was paid by selling half of registration rights of Giuseppe Sculli, Matteo Paro and Daniele Gastaldello.[2]
Legrottaglie was a full member of the squad in the 2003-04 season, playing 21 games and scoring twice. However, new coach Fabio Capello did not provide him with any playing time the following year, and Legrottaglie had to move on loan to Bologna F.C. 1909 in the 2005 January transfer window (nine games plus relegation play-offs).
After that he returned to Juventus, only to be loaned out to Siena for 2005-06, together with Igor Tudor and some youth players. He was expected to play a role in 2006-07's second division, as Juventus looked for experienced players to get them back up to the topflight, following the Calciopoli match fixing scandal. Legrottaglie ended up playing in only 10 games out of 42, with the addition of a red card.
In 2007-08, Legrottaglie started where he left off the previous season - on the substitutes' bench. However, after the serious injury suffered by new signing Jorge Andrade, he was promoted to the starting eleven for the game against Reggina Calcio on September 26, scoring the opener in a 4-0 routing. Until the season's end, Legrottaglie paired with Giorgio Chiellini in central defense, as Juventus allowed only 9 goals in 14 games since Andrade's injury, finishing the season in third place.
His contract ran originally run until summer 2008 but, in October 2007, due to his excellent form, was awarded a 2-year extension.
In the 2008-2009 season, he continued to feature in the starting 11 despite the arrival of Olof Mellberg to Juventus. In September 2008, he signed a new contract which last until June 2011.
[edit] International career
On 20 November 2002 Legrottaglie made his international 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 his performances at Juventus, Legrottaglie received his first cap in four years, appearing in a friendly against Austria, filling in for injured teammate Chiellini in an August 18, 2008 contest held in Nice.
[edit] Personal life
Legrotttaglie achieved a regular Surveyor diploma and the subject he preferred at school was English.
He is known as one of the most religious Italian football players saying that his favorite book is The Holy Bible, which he credits to having helped him rediscover the joy of living and love for his fellow man.
Legrotttaglie has come out strongly against homosexuality, calling it a "sin" and a "fashion".[3]
[edit] International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 30 April 2003 | Geneva, Switzerland |  Switzerland |
2-1 | Win | Friendly |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Juventus profile (Italian)
- Fan club (Italian)
|
|||||||
|
|||||
