Franco Brienza

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Franco Brienza
Personal information
Date of birth March 19, 1979 (1979-03-19) (age 29)
Place of birth    Cantù, Italy
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Playing position Left/right winger,
Deep-lying forward
Club information
Current club Reggina
Number 81
Youth clubs
 ?–1994
1994–1996
1996–1997
Campagnano
Isolotto
Foggia
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
1997–2000
2000–2002
2002–2003
2003
2004
2004–2008
2008–present
Foggia
Palermo
Ascoli (loan)
Palermo
Perugia (loan)
Palermo
Reggina (loan)
59 0(8)
60 0(4)
30 0(7)
18 0(1)
12 0(2)
90 (12)
19 0(7)   
National team2
2005 Italy 02 0(0)

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 2008-04-18.
2 National team caps and goals correct
as of 2008-04-18.
* Appearances (Goals)

Franco Brienza (born March 19, 1979) is an Italian footballer who plays for Reggina Calcio in Serie A and also represented Italy at international level. He is a left footed forward usually playing on the right wing.

Contents

[edit] Career

[edit] Club

Born in Cantù but grown in Ischia, he began his footballing career for local club Campagnano, before moving in Florence at the age of 15 to play for Isolotto. In 1997-98 he joined with Serie B club Foggia. In 2000 he joined U.S. Città di Palermo, then playing in Serie C1, helping his club to win the league and achieve promotion to Serie B. In 2002 he moved on loan at Ascoli, where he scored 7 goals playing as second striker. In 2003 he returned at Palermo, playing for the rosanero for the first half of the season before being loaned out to Perugia on January 2004 as part of the agreement that brought Fabio Grosso to Palermo, making his Serie A debut at Stadio San Siro, in an away match lost 2-1 to AC Milan. He returned once again at Palermo in the 2004-05 Serie A campaign, scoring an impressive 10 goals in 33 games playing just behind Luca Toni. That year, Brienza was called up to the Italian national team and has been subsequently been capped during a North-American tour with the Azzurri, marking his debut in a 1-1 draw with Serbia and Montenegro at Rogers Centre, Toronto on June 8, 2005, and playing also the next match, another 1-1 draw, this time to Ecuador, three days later.

In 2005-06, new Palermo boss Luigi Del Neri, who always showed a preference to play a 4-4-2 formation, ruled out a 'free role' for Brienza, who had little space during the first half of the season. After Del Neri's dismissal, Brienza later found more space in the starting lineup with new coach Giuseppe Papadopulo. He scored only one goal in 27 matches, being also featured 13 times in the UEFA Cup, scoring three goals in the continental competition.

The 2006-07 season begun with Francesco Guidolin's return to Palermo; however, Brienza failed to find a stable place in the regular lineup, being featured mostly as a substitute, playing only 22 league and five UEFA Cup matches. On the 37th matchday, a 2-1 home win to Siena, Guidolin declared his choice to use Brienza mostly as a reserve as one of his main mistakes in a troubled season which ended in a fifth place.[1] Brienza, who originally declared his intention to leave Palermo to find more space in the lineup, was however confirmed also for the 2007-08 season, later stating to have changed his mind following a meeting with new boss Stefano Colantuono.[2]

On January 17, it was announced that Brienza had joined Reggina on a loan basis. Before leaving Palermo, Brienza was the only player still contracted to Palermo who played with the rosanero in both Serie A, B and C1 divisions.

[edit] References

[edit] External links


Persondata
NAME Brienza, Franco
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Brienza, Franco
SHORT DESCRIPTION footballer
DATE OF BIRTH 1979-3-19
PLACE OF BIRTH Cantù , Italy
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH