Claudio Marchisio

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Claudio Marchisio

Marchisio playing for Italy at the UEFA Euro 2012
Personal information
Full nameClaudio Marchisio[1]
Date of birth (1986-01-19) 19 January 1986
Place of birthTurin, Italy
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in)
Playing positionMidfielder
Club information
Current clubJuventus
Number8
Youth career
1993–2006Juventus
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2006–Juventus189(26)
2007–2008→ Empoli (loan)26(0)
National team‡
2007–2008Italy U2114(1)
2009–Italy41(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 6 December 2013.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 15 November 2013

Claudio Marchisio (Italian pronunciation: [ˈklaudjo marˈkizjo]; born 19 January 1986) is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Juventus and the Italian national team. A product of the Juventus youth system, he has spent his whole career thus far at his hometown club, with the exception of a season-long loan spell at Empoli. He is currently the club's second vice-captain, behind Giorgio Chiellini.

Since making his breakthrough in the 2008–09 season, Marchisio has often been compared to former Juventus and Italy midfielder Marco Tardelli by the Italian press for his tenacious style of play and good reading of the game.[2][3][4] A hard-tackling, versatile midfielder, he is able to play in defensive midfield or out wide but his preferred and most effective position is in the centre.[5] Though predominantly right-footed, he is equally competent with his left, evidenced by his goals and his penchant for shooting from outside the penalty box if given the chance.[6]

Early life

Claudio Marchisio was born in Turin and raised in Andezeno, a comune not far from the city, the youngest child in a family of Juventus fans.[7] His family were season ticket holders and he used to be a ball boy at the Stadio delle Alpi. As a child, he was interested in various sports and joined the youth football team at Fiat's satellite sports club Sisport, where he was later scouted by Juventus youth coaches at the age of seven.[6][8][9]

Club career

Marchisio in 2005

Juventus

While in the youth system, Marchisio played as a trequartista (offensive midfielder), modeling himself after his childhood hero Alessandro Del Piero, until he was switched to the midfield at the age of 16. During the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons, he was called up to train with the first team numerous times by Fabio Capello and given a squad number. He made the bench for the game away at Cagliari but remained an unused substitute. Later that season, he captained the Primavera side to their first Campionato Primavera title in 12 years and a runner-up finish at the Viareggio Tournament in his last full season with the Primavera squad.

After being included in the preseason friendlies, Marchisio was promoted to the first team permanently following Juventus' relegation to Serie B due to the Calciopoli scandal and given the number 15 shirt. On 19 August 2006, he made his first team debut in the Coppa Italia third round, coming on as a late substitute for Matteo Paro in a 3–0 win over Martina. In September, he captained the Primavera team for the last time in the Supercoppa Primavera, thrashing old rivals Internazionale 5–1.[10] He then made his league debut on 28 October against Frosinone as a late substitute for David Trezeguet and made his first start in the following match against Brescia. As the season progressed, he established himself in Didier Deschamps' side and ended the season as first-choice central midfielder. He capped a fine season with an assist for Del Piero's match opener in the 5–1 thrashing of Arezzo,[11] a result which secured immediate promotion to Serie A mathematically.

Loan at Empoli

On 25 July 2007, Marchisio was loaned out to Empoli for the 2007–08 season with good friend and fellow youth product Sebastian Giovinco to gain first-team experience.[12][13] He made his Serie A debut on 26 August against Fiorentina and European debut the following month in the UEFA Cup against FC Zürich. Although he did not score any goals, he tallied two vital assists and was a regular starter when available for the Tuscan club. Unfortunately, Empoli were unable to avoid relegation and he was recalled to Turin by the recently appointed manager Claudio Ranieri.

Return to Juventus and breakthrough

Marchisio playing for Juventus in a match against Bari

After his impressive performances for Empoli, Marchisio returned to Juventus for the 2008–09 campaign and made an impressive Champions League debut, playing the full 90 minutes against Artmedia Petržalka in the Champions League third qualifying round, second leg. In November, former Milan and Fiorentina striker Stefano Borgonovo wrote about him on La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Marchisio has everything needed to play at the highest level...has personality, reminds me of the great Marco Tardelli."[2] Under Ranieri, he eventually established himself as first-choice due to injuries and lackluster performances from other midfielders. He further established himself in the starting eleven after a man-of-the-match game against Milan in pouring rain that earned him rave reviews from the media.[14] He quickly became a firm favourite amongst the Bianconeri fans and they voted him as their Player of the Month for December on the club website.[15] Five days after his 23rd birthday, he scored his first Serie A goal, the match-winner against Fiorentina.[7][16] Less than a week later, he was rewarded with an improved five-year contract extension.[8][17] His season was interrupted by a series of minor injuries in April, which resulted in him being sidelined for almost a month, and he returned to the starting eleven for the penultimate matchday away at Siena, marking it with a goal and an assist for captain Alessandro Del Piero's second goal of the match in a 3–0 win[18] and then setting up Vincenzo Iaquinta's opener in a 2–0 home win against Lazio, a result that ensured a second-place finish for the Bianconieri. When the season ended, he was continuously linked with various clubs, but Director of Sport Alessio Secco ended all speculation by listing him as one of the "untouchable" players.[19] His good performances did not go unnoticed by Italian national team coach Marcello Lippi, who later handed him his senior international debut.

2009–10 season and beyond

Marchisio in 2013

Marchisio continued to be first choice under Ciro Ferrara and later Alberto Zaccheroni mainly due to his versatility and consistency in midfield. During the beginning of the 2009–10 season, he had a good run of form, winning Man of the Match awards in four consecutive matches and being voted Player of the Month for September by registered members on the club website[20][21] but picked up a knee injury in the loss to Palermo at the beginning of October.[22] After surgery, he was sidelined for one and half months and made his comeback as a last minute substitute in the Champions League group stage tie away at Bordeaux on 25 November. On 5 December 2009, he scored the winner in a 2–1 home win over Internazionale in the Derby d'Italia, where he showed incredible composure to drag the ball with both feet before dinking it over the stranded Júlio César.[23] Three days later, he set up David Trezeguet to score the opening goal of the game in the decisive Champions League 1–4 home loss against Bayern Munich. At the end of the year, he was voted Juventus Player of the Year for 2009 by fans on the club website.[24] In the Europa League round of 16 tie against Fulham on 11 March 2010, he captained the team for the first time when David Trezeguet handed him the captain's armband after being substituted at the 62nd minute, as vice-captains Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini missed the match through injury and Del Piero remained an unused substitute.[25] He scored an equalizer against Catania on the second-last away matchday to keep Juventus in a Europa League spot and, despite Juventus' dismal season, was one of the few players to escape the mass criticism from the press.[26]

Despite a disappointing 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign, Marchisio began the season as first-choice under new manager Luigi Delneri. After a slow start to the season, he began to thrive in his role as a wide midfielder. In September, he marked his 100th appearance in a Juventus shirt with a goal against Udinese in a 4–0 win.[27] He started his first match as captain against Roma in April. On 17 May 2011, Juventus announced that Marchisio had signed an improved, five-year contract with the club.[28] His goal against Udinese in January was voted Goal of the Season by fans on fansite vecchiasignora.com.[29]

Marchisio started the 2011–12 season well by scoring Juve's final goal in the opening match, a 4–1 win over Parma. Under former Juventus legend Antonio Conte, he was played alongside new signings Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo to great effect and were dubbed the "M-V-P" midfield by the press and fans. He scored a late double to break the deadlock in the 2–0 win at home against Milan, the first time he has ever scored more than one goal in a match.[30][31] On 20 November, he scored in his second consecutive league game and surpassed his personal season record of four goals by scoring the last goal to seal 3–0 win over Palermo. He scored his first Coppa Italia goal, the match winning goal against Bologna to send Juve to the quarter-finals.[32] His good form during the first half of the season earned him an Oscar del Calcio nomination for the Best Italian Player Award and a place in the Team of the Year.[33] On 18 March, he ended a three-month goal drought with a header in the 0–5 thrashing at Fiorentina and dedicated it his second son, who was born earlier that week. He scored his ninth goal of the season against Lecce in his 200th career match to take his goal tally for the season into the double figures.[34] The following match, he won his first Scudetto after Juve won 2–0 against Cagliari Calcio and runners-up Milan lost 4–2 in the Milan Derby against Inter. He ended the season with 10 goals in league and cup matches.

With the departure of captain and club legend Alessandro Del Piero in June 2012, it was speculated that that Marchisio would "inherit" the number 10 jersey but he declined, stating that he was a midfielder, not a striker, and had grown accustomed to his number 8.[35] He captained the team on the opening match of the season against Parma in the absence of captain Gianluigi Buffon and first vice-captain Giorgio Chiellini. In November, he scored his first ever goal in a European competition in the Group Stage home fixture against FC Nordsjælland. He was one of four Juventus players nominated for the 2012 UEFA Team of the Year and was voted into the Serie A Team of the Year at the Oscar del Calcio awards.[36] Although he played fewer matches compared to last season due to suspension and a minor injury, he contributed crucial goals to his side, including the match winner against Siena and a brace against intercity rivals Torino as Juve won a second consecutive league title.

International career

Marchisio in Italy's Euro 2012 quarter-final match against England

Marchisio was initially called up in early May to the Italy under-21 squad for the 2007 European Championships but eventually withdrew due to injury.[37][38] He made his under-21 debut in June 2007, the group opening game of the 2009 European Championship qualifying, but his debut ended rather unfortunately as he was injured in a collision barely ten minutes into the match while attempting an effort on goal, although the shot would lead to Robert Acquafresca's opener seconds later. Eventually, he became first-choice during the latter stages of the campaign. He scored a 12-yard volley at the 2008 Toulon Tournament against Turkey in a 2–1 win and was called up to the Olympics that summer but was forced to return home due to an injury. In May 2009, Pierluigi Casiraghi named him in the final squad for the 2009 Under-21 European Championship. At the tournament, he started every game and, despite missing the semi-final loss to Germany through suspension, was one of several Azzurrini stars tipped to make the senior squad.[39][40]

On 12 August 2009, Marchisio made his senior debut, starting in the friendly against Switzerland that ended goalless[41][42] and was praised by Marcello Lippi during the post-match interview.[43] Lippi later revealed that he had intended to call Marchisio up earlier but agreed to leave the youngster to Casiraghi's U-21 squad until to the end of the European Championships. Marchisio played his first competitive match for the Azzurri in the World Cup qualifier against Bulgaria in his home stadium and became a first-choice pick for Lippi's squad.[44] He was forced to withdraw, however, from the remaining qualifying matches against the Republic of Ireland and Cyprus after being diagnosed with a knee meniscus injury that required surgery.[45] He was named in the 23-man squad for the 2010 World Cup but had a relatively uneventful tournament due to Lippi's preference for playing him in an unfamiliar playmaker role.[46]

Marchisio scored his first ever international goal in the Euro 2012 qualifier against Serbia on 7 October 2011, barely a minute after kick-off. It was the 250th goal scored by a Juventus player for the Italian national team.[47]

After a good 2011–12 season, Marchisio was named in the final squad for UEFA Euro 2012 and started every match in Italy's surprise run to the tournament finals, where they were defeated 4–0 by reigning European and world champions Spain. The following year he was named in the squad for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Style of play

Marchisio's primary strengths are his work ethic, dribbling, precise short passing, teamwork, and shooting. He is also versatile and is able to play out wide in a three- or four-man midfield or in defensive midfield. His preferred and most effective position is in central midfield, where he is given the license to freely switch between defence and attack instead of concentrating on a single role. In Italy, he is sometimes classified as a mezzala (attacking central midfielder) rather than a traditional regista (Deep-lying "creative" central midfielder) in the mold of Andrea Pirlo, but is neither a pure defensive midfielder nor a playmaker. During the 2011–12 season at club level, he was deployed effectively alongside Pirlo and Chilean international Arturo Vidal due to the fact that he and Vidal were able to interchange quickly between defensive and attacking positions and leave playmaking duties to Pirlo.[48] He also plays a similar role for the national team, partnering Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi alongside Pirlo.

Personal life

Marchisio married Roberta in June 2008[23][49] and they have two sons, Davide (born on August 2009)[50] and Leonardo (born on March 2012).[51] His wife supported Juve's crosstown rivals Torino, as her father used to play for the Torino youth teams as well as various clubs in the Serie C2 and Serie D.[52]

He is affectionately known to supporters as Il Principino ("Little Prince"), a nickname he acquired from the Juventus-supporting Premium Calcio football commentator Claudio Zuliani. Some fans and observers have also dubbed him the "De Rossi of Turin", in reference to his national teammate Daniele De Rossi of Roma, due to their similar style of play and the fact that both are local born and bred youth products and are tipped to be future captains of their respective clubs.

Marchisio has cited former Juventus teammate Alessandro Del Piero as his hero and idol.

Honours

Juventus
Italy
Personal

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 – List of Players" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Retrieved 5 June 2013. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Marchisio, da riserva a intoccabile". Gazzetta dello Sport. 29 November 2008. 
  3. ↑ "Tardelli: "Juve, Marchisio è come me"". Tuttosport. 24 September 2009. 
  4. ↑ "Marchisio, un Predator da Playstation" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. 27 September 2009. 
  5. ↑ "Marchisio si propone per la regia: "Mi piace giocare al centro"" (in Italian). Tuttosport. 15 February 2010. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Marchisio, un fuoriclasse un normale" (in Italian). La Stampa. 6 December 2011. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Rete e bacio al tatuaggio – Claudio è lo spot del vivaio" (in Italian). La Stampa. 1 March 2009. Archived from the original on 6 December 2012. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Claudio Marchisio renews contract until 2014". juventus.com. 29 January 2009. 
  9. ↑ "Mia mamma è un ultrà". Vanity Fair Italia. 9 December 2009. pp. 148–150. 
  10. ↑ "Primavera, Juve troppo forte" (in Italian). Gazzetta dello Sport. 9 September 2006. 
  11. ↑ "Festa Juve: è serie A!" (in Italian). Gazzetta dello Sport. 19 May 2007. 
  12. ↑ "Marchisio: "Vado, gioco, miglioro e torno"" (in Italian). Il Sole. 29 July 2007. 
  13. ↑ "Marchisio alla Tardelli? Operazione nostalgia su presente e futuro Juve". Il Giornale. 6 December 2011. 
  14. ↑ Bandini, Paolo (15 December 2008). "Youth trumps experience as rampant Juve expose Milan's creaks". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  15. ↑ "Marchisio: "I’m going through a great moment"". juventus.com. 16 January 2009. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. 
  16. ↑ "Marchisio, è il giorno della firma con la Juve" (in Italian). Tuttosport. 29 January 2009. 
  17. ↑ "Juve tie Marchisio down to new five-year deal". ESPN. 29 January 2009. 
  18. ↑ "Del Piero and Marchisio: A pair of protagonists". juventus.com. 24 May 2009. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. 
  19. ↑ "Marchisio diventa grande. La Juve gli consegna le chiavi" (in Italian). Gazzetta dello Sport. 8 June 2009. 
  20. ↑ Scouted: Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio
  21. ↑ "Marchisio: voted best player of the month for September". juventus.com. 28 October 2009. 
  22. ↑ "Marchisio out for six weeks". fifa.com. 10 October 2009. 
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Marchisio se la ride "Alla Juve si cresce così"" (in Italian). Gazzetta dello Sport. 6 December 2009. 
  24. ↑ "Marchisio "Juve, non-molliamo Scudetto possibile"" (in Italian). Gazzetta dello Sport. 31 December 2009. 
  25. ↑ "Marchisio: "The result we wanted"". juventus.com. 11 March 2010. 
  26. ↑ "La Juve dice addio all Champions" (in Italian). La Stampa. 3 May 2010. 
  27. ↑ "Marchisio, 100 presenze e un gol: "Questa la Juve che vogliamo"" (in Italian). Tuttosport. 19 September 2010. 
  28. ↑ "Marchisio, another five years at Juventus". Juventus FC. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 18 May 2011. 
  29. ↑ "Tifosi Juve sul web: Di Marchisio il gol più bello" (in Italian). calciomercato.com. 26 May 2011. 
  30. ↑ "Juventus 2–0 AC Milan". ESPN Soccernet. 2 October 2011. 
  31. ↑ "Pirlo-Marchisio, l'asse portante; Con loro la Juventus vola" (in Italian). Gazzetta dello Sport. 3 October 2011. 
  32. ↑ "Marchisio earns Juve quarter-final spot". juventus.com. 8 December 2011. 
  33. ↑ "Del Piero and Marchisio scoop awards". juventus.com. 24 January 2012. 
  34. ↑ "Juve-Lecce, Marchisio verso le 200 presenze" (in Italian). Tuttosport. 1 May 2012. 
  35. ↑ "Juventus senza numero 10" (in Italian). MSN Sport Notizie. 2 September 2012. 
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 "Juventus dominate Italian awards". ESPN Soccernet. 28 January 2013. 
  37. ↑ "Marchisio joins Italy party". uefa.com. 11 May 2007. 
  38. ↑ "Sono Marchisio valgo la serie A" (in Italian). Gazzetta dello Sport. 11 May 2007. 
  39. ↑ "Italy U-21 – Germany U-21 preview". footballitaliano.org. 27 June 2009. 
  40. ↑ "Azzurrini, chi fa il grande salto?" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 24 June 2009. 
  41. ↑ "Italia: Marchisio e Criscito le novità, Del Piero out" (in Italian). Corriere dello Sport. 8 August 2009. 
  42. ↑ Italy in a goalless draw on the day of Cannavaro’s record juventus.com
  43. ↑ "Marchisio: "Italia, spero di avere altre occasioni"" (in Italian). Tuttosport. 12 August 2009. 
  44. ↑ "Lippi sizes up Azzurri options". fifa.com. 1 December 2009. 
  45. ↑ "Marchisio out Italia da ridisegnare" (in Italian). Corriere delle Alpi. 8 October 2009. 
  46. ↑ "Pronta la Squadra Azzurra: Ecco la lista deil 23 per il mondiale" (in Italian). FIGC. 1 June 2010. 
  47. ↑ "Marchisio: record-man with the Azzurri". juventus.com. 8 October 2011. 
  48. ↑ "In-form Marchisio wary of Juventus hype". uefa.com. 19 December 2011. 
  49. ↑ "Marchisio ties the knot: Congratulations Claudio and Roberta". juventus.com. 9 June 2008. 
  50. ↑ "Marchisio è diventato papà" (in Italian). juventus.com. 1 September 2009. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. 
  51. ↑ "Marchisio celebrates birth of second child". juventus.com. 12 March 2012. 
  52. ↑ "Ho dovuto giocare il derby perfino con mia moglie" (in Italian). Il Giornale. 7 March 2009. 
  53. ↑ "Ibrahimovic voted Serie A's best". fifa.com. 24 January 2012. 

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