Andrea Cossu (footballer, born 1980)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder/Winger | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Cagliari | ||
| Number | 7 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Yohannes Cagliari | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–1997 | Olbia | 5 | (0) |
| 1997–2005 | Verona | 91 | (7) |
| 1999 | → Lumezzane (loan) | 11 | (1) |
| 2000 | → Lumezzane (loan) | 9 | (1) |
| 2001 | → Lumezzane (loan) | 21 | (4) |
| 2002 | → Sassari Torres (loan) | 12 | (1) |
| 2005–2006 | Cagliari | 22 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Verona | 29 | (0) |
| 2008– | Cagliari | 75 | (4) |
| International career | |||
| 2010– | Italy | 1 | (0) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18 March 2010 | |||
Andrea Cossu (born May 3, 1980 in Cagliari) is an Italian association football player in the role of attacking midfielder/winger, who currently plays for Cagliari Calcio.
Club career
Cossu made his professional debut in 1996 with Sardinian side Olbia. In 1997 he joined Verona, where he spent the first two years as a member of the under-19 youth team. In January 1999 he was loaned out to Serie C1 side Lumezzane; the loan move was then later repeated for two more years, in January 2000 and January 2001. In January 2002 he was loaned out for a fourth time, this time to Sassari Torres, and he finally made his debut in a Verona jersey during the 2002–03 season in the Serie B league.
In 2005 he left Verona to join Cagliari, where he had the chance to make his Serie A debut, where he made 22 appearances, mostly as a substitute, and no goals. He returned to Verona in August 2006, this time with little success, and was sold again to Cagliari on January 2008. In his second stint at Cagliari, Cossu's level of performances quickly rose up, and he became one of the team protagonists in a well-remembered escape from relegation during the 2007–08 season under head coach Davide Ballardini, who changed the then-winger to a playmaker role behind young strikers Alessandro Matri and Robert Acquafresca. He kept a high level of performances also during the two successful seasons under new boss Massimiliano Allegri, being often picked as one of the key players for Cagliari.
International career
On February 28, 2010 he received his first call-up for the Italian national team for a friendly game versus Cameroon, making him the first Sardinian call-up after local legend Gianfranco Zola. Cossu played the game, held on March 3, 2010, as a starter: the match ended in a 0–0 draw.
References
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