Marcos Pizzelli

Marcos Pizzelli
	With Kuban in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Marcos Pinheiro Pizzelli
Date of birth	3 October 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth	Piracicaba, Brazil
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team	Kuban Krasnodar
Number	30
Youth career
2000–2005	São Carlos
Senior career*
Years	Team
2006–2008	Ararat Yerevan
2008–2009	→ ASA Issy (loan)
2009–2011	Pyunik Yerevan
2011–2012	Metalurh Donetsk
2012–	Kuban Krasnodar
Total
International career‡
2008–	Armenia
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 31 March 2013; ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 5 February 2013

Marcos Pizzelli (Armenian: Մարկոս Պինեյրո Պիզզելլի, born on 3 October 1984 in Piracicaba, Brazil) is a Brazilian-Armenian football player who currently plays midfielder for the Armenian national team and for Russian Premier League club Kuban Krasnodar.

Club career

Ararat Yerevan

He started his career at the Brazilian club São Carlos as a youth from 2000 to 2005. In 2006, the young talent spotted by an agent from Ararat Yerevan, which soon recruited Pizzelli. His debut took place on April 30 in a game against Ulisses. Pizzelli entered the field in the 58th minute of the match, replacing Tigran Yesayan. His first goal for Ararat happened on June 16 in another game against Ulisses. For the first season Pizzelli focused on adaptation, and the next was on scoring goals. With its high performance, Pizzelli was the leading scorer in the Armenian Premier League twice with Ararat, scoring 22 goals during the 2007 Armenian Premier League and scoring 17 goals during that 2008 Armenian Premier League.^[1] As a result of the financial problems that have befallen Ararat, the club has decided to loan Pizzelli to the amateur club of the 5th Division - Ararat (Issy-les-Moulineaux).

Pyunik Yerevan

Six months later, in the summer of 2009, Pizzelli's contract with Ararat ended, and, as a free agent, he accepted the invitation of FC Yerevan Pyunik. In July, a long-term contract was made. With Pizzelli playing for Pyunik, the club won the 2009 Armenian Premier League and 2010 Armenian Premier League, won the 2009 Armenian Cup and 2010 Armenian Cup and won the 2010 Armenian Supercup. In the 10th round of the 2010 Armenian Premier League, Marcos had his 100th match in the Premier League in the history of his performance.^[1] That season, Pizzelli became the top goalscorer for a third time along with Armenian Gevorg Ghazaryan, with both scoring 16 goals. In the middle of the 2011 Armenian Premier League, Pizzelli had scored 6 goals, but was then transferred to Metalurh Donetsk.

Metalurh Donetsk

In June 2011, he signed a contract with Metalurh Donetsk, along with Pyunik teammate Gevorg Ghazaryan.^[2] In his first official match for the Donetsk club, Pizzelli scored a goal, and this goal, scored against Chornomorets Odesa, was the only one in the match. In the higher level championship, Pizzelli became much more difficult to play. Scoring as it was possible in the Armenian Premier League had not worked. However, the reduction of statistics is not only related to this factor. In Metalurh, according to the plans of the coach, he had Pizzelli not to act as a central striker and instead play the position of attacking midfielder. In rare cases, crossing the center line on the flanks.^[3]

Kuban Krasnodar

In January 2012, Pizzelli joined Kuban Krasnodar. In 2011, in a match between Russia and Armenia, the head coach of Team Kuban Dan Petrescu spotted Pizzelli and was interested in the player. After a long observation of the game of Pizzelli, Petrescu has agreed to acquire the player. On January 13, they signed a contract for three years.^[4] On March 18, Pizzelli scored the first goal in the Russian Premier League and brought Kuban the win over Rubin Kazan. Pizzelli was voted player of the month for Kuban a second time in May 2012.^[5]

International career

In May 2008, he received Armenian citizenship and became a member of the Armenia national team. He made his first appearance on 28 May 2008 and scored on his debut in a friendly away game against Moldova. The match ended with the score 2-2. After playing 3 games that year, he was briefly no longer invited to the national team. After moving to Yerevan to play for Pyunik, he again came to the attention of coaches and August 12, 2009 Marcos again played for the Armenian national team regularly. On October 8, 2010 in a match against Slovakia, he made a scoring pass to Yura Movsisyan, and a few days later, he scored Armenia's 4th goal in a game against Andorra. That victory then went on to secure Armenia's by that time highest ever FIFA World Ranking as 42nd. For his second goal for the national squad, Pizzelli scored in an away match with Russia (1:3). His third goal for the team scored in am away match against Andorra in which Armenia won 3-0. His fourth goal for the national team scored in the match against Macedonia, in which Armenia won 4-1. In a friendly game, which was held February 29, 2012 against Team Canada, marked the first time in his double gate rivals.^[6] On 11 September 2012, Pizzelli was controversially sent off in a 2014 World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria.^[7]

Personal life

Marcos is married to his wife Natalia. They met in Brazil and she moved with him to Armenia. Marcos and Natalia do not have children yet, but have a dog named Liza.^[8] Pizzelli can speak Portuguese, Armenian, English and is currently learning Russian. He identifies himself as Brazilian-Armenian. Pizzelli says he feels more Armenian than Brazilian. Marcos says he would never forget about Armenia, which gave him an opportunity to develop his skills. “I am grateful to this country for everything. I would play for Armenia as long as the squad needs me.”^[9]