| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 May 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Prato, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Playing position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Bologna | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1999–2004 | Prato | 23 | (4) |
| 2000–2001 | → Empoli (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2001–2002 | → Fucecchio (loan) | 24 | (3) |
| 2003 | → Fiorentia (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 2004–2006 | AlbinoLeffe | 26 | (0) |
| 2006 | → Prato (loan) | 11 | (4) |
| 2006–2007 | Prato | 38 | (15) |
| 2007–2009 | Livorno | 63 | (24) |
| 2009–2010 | West Ham United | 28 | (7) |
| 2010–2011 | Brescia | 32 | (6) |
| 2011– | Bologna | 11 | (3) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2011– | Italy | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 11 December 2011. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Alessandro Diamanti (born 2 May 1983) is an Italian professional football player who is currently playing his club football as a trequartista for Bologna F.C. 1909.
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Diamanti started his football career playing for his hometown club, Prato. He was loaned to clubs in Tuscany including the newly formed Florentia Viola. In the summer of 2004, he joined U.C. AlbinoLeffe in a co-ownership deal. Having played one and a half seasons he was loaned back to Prato and at the end of season Prato bought back half of the registration rights from AlbinoLeffe.
Having scored 15 goals in 31 outings during season 2006–07 he signed for Italian Serie A side Livorno. Diamanti made 14 starts and 12 substitute appearances in his first season with the Tuscany side.[1] He followed Livorno relegated to Serie B by finished the least.
In season 2008–09 he scored 20 goals in 39 league and cup matches, helping Livorno gain promotion to Italian Serie A.
On 23 August 2009, Diamanti played in Livorno's opening day fixture in Serie A, a 0–0 home draw against Cagliari.[2]
The following week, however, he signed a five-year deal with English Premier League club West Ham United for an undisclosed fee (reported to be £6.0m)[3] and made his debut in the Hammers' 1–0 defeat away to Wigan Athletic on 12 September. In the process, Diamanti became the 800th player in West Ham United's history.[4] He scored his first West Ham goal from the penalty spot, albeit controversially as he fell over on run up and kicked the ball with both feet, on his home debut against Liverpool on 19 September 2009.[5] In a poor season for West Ham, Diamanti scored 8 goals, though only 3 came from open play with most coming from penalty kicks. On 4 May 2010 he was voted a very distant runner-up as Hammer of the Year by the club's supporters, for the 2009–10 season, with runaway winner Scott Parker being a virtually unanimous choice in an otherwise appalling season for the Hammers.[6] Diamanti made one substitute appearance for West Ham in the 2010/11 season before being sold to Brescia.
On 24 August 2010, Serie A club Brescia bought Diamanti for €2.2m from West Ham. And should Brescia secure their Serie A status for the coming campaign, then another €300,000 will be payable to the club.[7]
Alessandro was introduced in Brescia 25 August 2010, and chose to continue with shirt number 32.[8] In his debut season at Brescia, Diamanti scored 6 Serie A goals, only behind Andrea Caracciolo as top scorer of the season for the club. His sixth goal came in a 2-1 loss against Catania which confirmed Brescia's relegation to the Serie B, just one season after promotion to the Italian topflight.[9]
In July 2011 West Ham called for Diamanti's registration at Brescia to be suspended by the Italian Football Federation claiming the latest instalment of his £2m transfer fee from Brescia had not yet been paid.[10]
On 1 August 2011, Diamanti signed by Serie A side Bologna in a co-ownership deal with Brescia.[11][12]
On 14 November 2010 Diamanti was included in the Italy squad by Italy manager Cesare Prandelli for a friendly match against Romania on 17 November.[13] He played only the first-half of his debut international game before being substituted.[14]
| Season | Club | Nat | Apps (League) |
Goals | Apps (Primavera) |
Goals | Apps (Cup) |
Goals | Apps FA Cup |
Goals | Total Apps |
Total Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–00 | Prato | ITA | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| 2000–01 | Empoli (loan) | ITA | 0 | 0 | 12 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 12 | 1 |
| 2001–02 | Prato | ITA | 0 | 0 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| 2001–02 | Fucecchio (loan) | ITA | 24 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 24 | 3 |
| 2002–03 | Prato | ITA | 2 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | - | - | 5 | 0 |
| 2003 | Fiorentina (loan) | ITA | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 9 | 0 |
| 2003–04 | Prato | ITA | 20(+2 p/o) | 4 | - | - | 3 | 0 | - | - | 25 | 4 |
| 2004–05 | AlbinoLeffe (co-ownership) | ITA | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 20 | 0 |
| 2005–06 | AlbinoLeffe (co-ownership) | ITA | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 9 | 1 |
| 2006 | Prato (loan) | ITA | 11(+2 p/o) | 4(+1 p/o) | - | - | - | - | - | - | 13 | 5 |
| 2006–07 | Prato | ITA | 25 | 10 | - | - | 6 | 5 | - | - | 31 | 15 |
| 2007–08 | Livorno | ITA | 26 | 4 | - | - | 1 | 0 | - | - | 27 | 4 |
| 2008–09 | Livorno | ITA | 32(+4 p/o) | 13(+3 p/o) | - | - | 3 | 4 | - | - | 39 | 20 |
| 2009–10 | Livorno | ITA | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| 2009–10 | West Ham United | ENG | 27 | 7 | - | - | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 8 |
| 2010–11 | West Ham United | ENG | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| 2010-11 | Brescia | ITA | 32 | 6 | - | - | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 33 | 7 |
| Total | 231(+8 p/o) | 51(+4 p/o) | 20 | 2 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 280 | 68 | ||
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