Vincenzo Fiorillo

Vincenzo Fiorillo

Personal information
Date of birth	13 January 1990 (1990-01-13)
Place of birth	Genoa, Italy
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Sampdoria
Number	44
Youth career
2004–2009	Sampdoria
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2008–	Sampdoria	4	(0)
2010	→ Reggina (loan)	5	(0)
2011	→ Spezia (loan)	8	(0)
National team‡
2006–2007	Italy U-17	4	(0)
2007–2008	Italy U-19	9	(0)
2008–2011	Italy U-20	11	(0)
2009–	Italy U-21	3	(0)
2011–	Italy U-21 Serie B	2	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 January 2011. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 4 September 2009

Vincenzo Fiorillo (born 13 January 1990) is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for U.C. Sampdoria.

Fiorillo once a rising star of Italy, which he was compare to Italian legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon. However Fiorillo spent most of his recent career as a backup keeper of Sampdoria.

Club career

Born in Genoa, Fiorillo started playing football in Nuova Oregina Calcio from the Oregina neighborhood of Genoa.^{[citation needed]} On April 10, 2008 he was part of the first ever Sampdoria Primavera squad to win the Primavera Cup. In the final he saved two of four penalties in the shootout against Atalanta, thus securing victory for Blucerchiati. He also won the first ever Campionato Nazionale Primavera for Sampdoria. He finished as the runner-up in 2007 edition.

He made his Serie A debut on 13 April 2008, against Reggina. On 13 January 2010, he was sent on loan to Reggina, in an exchange deal for goalkeeper Mario Cassano.

In January 2011 he left Genoa again for a 6 months loan to another Liguria club Spezia.

International career

Fiorillo was a regular member of the national youth teams until his 20th birthday, after Fiorillo failed to play for a professional team regularly.

Fiorillo played twice in 2007 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship elite qualification, ahead the original starter Sergio Viotti.

He took part with the Italy U-19 squad at the 2008 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship, where he was voted as the best goalkeeper of the competition.^{[citation needed]} Fiorillo was one the youngest member of Italy squad, as he also eligible to the 2009 edition. Fiorillo played once in 2008 qualifying (against Malta), and rest of the matches was the backup of Ugo Gabrieli. He was the starting keeper ahead Carlo Pinsoglio in the elite round. Despite losing to Germany in the final, Azzurrini still qualified to 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup. He took part at the 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup as the captain of the Italian team in September 2009. He also finished as the runner-up in the 2009 Mediterranean Games as captain.

On 25 March 2009 he made his debut with the Italy U-21 squad in a friendly match against Austria. That match de facto played by players born in or after 1988 for a event usually played by U-20 (Four Nations Tournament), but all players were selected by U-21 coach Pierluigi Casiraghi to select junior member to the final round of 2009 U-21 Euro, which the age limit in fact was born in 1986 or after. Fiorillo did not included in the final squad of 2009 U-21 Euro but Andrea Seculin (who made U-21 debut on the same day) did, as Seculin did not went to FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Fiorillo was the first choice keeper in the first round of 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification. Coach Casiraghi later picked Seculin as first choice. Since November 2009 he did not receive any U-21 call-up. Fiorillo also failed to receive any call-up from Italy U-20 team until June 2011 for the last round of 2010–11 Four Nations Tournament. In 2011–12 season, he capped for another feeder team of U-21, the Italy U-21 Serie B twice.

External links

• Pagina dedicata al giocatore sul sito della Sampdoria
• Vincenzo Fiorillo – FIFA competition record
• FIGC (Italian)