Damiano Tommasi

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Damiano Tommasi
Personal information
Date of birth (1974-05-17) 17 May 1974
Place of birthNegrar, Italy
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing positionMidfielder
Youth career
1991–1993Verona
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1993–1996Verona77(4)
1996–2006Roma262(14)
2006–2008Levante44(1)
2008Queens Park Rangers7(0)
2009Tianjin Teda29(1)
2009–2011Sant'Anna d'Alfaedo10(2)
Total429(22)
National team
1994–1996Italy U214(0)
1998–2003Italy25(2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Damiano Tommasi (born 17 May 1974) is an Italian retired footballer who played as a defensive midfielder.

After a full decade representing the colours of Roma – winning the 2001 national championship – he started an abroad career, going on to play for teams in three different countries until his retirement at the age of 37.

Tommasi appeared with Italy at the 2002 World Cup.

Club career

Born in Negrar, Province of Verona, Tommasi started his professional career with local Hellas Verona FC, in Serie B. He made his Serie A debut on 7 September 1996 with A.S. Roma in a 3–1 win over Piacenza Calcio, and would be an instrumental figure in the capital side's 2001 scudetto conquest.

During a summer friendly match against Stoke City in 2004, Tommasi suffered a horrible knee injury, caused by Gerry Taggart,[1][2] and was out of action for a long time. In the summer of 2005 he accepted a one-year contract extension, with youth player wages (€1,500 a month) – a contract which, astonishingly, Tommasi instigated himself in the name of fairness.[3] On 30 October 2005, he finally returned to play, entering on the second-half in place of Olivier Dacourt, during a league match against Ascoli Calcio 1898, being even hailed with a long standing ovation by the Roma supporters.

On 27 November 2005, Tommasi scored after just two minutes, in an eventual 1–1 home tie against ACF Fiorentina,[4] being an important first-team member as Roma finished runner-up. After 10 years with the same club, in July 2006, he joined Levante UD in Spain,[5] spending two seasons with the La Liga strugglers, which eventually got relegated in 2007–08.

On 10 September 2008, Tommasi agreed a one-year deal with English second division team Queens Park Rangers.[6] On 9 January 2009, his contract was terminated by mutual consent and, after advanced talks with Chinese League's Tianjin Teda, he signed for the club early in the following month, citing an interest in a third experience abroad as the main reason for it.[7]

After one season, 35-year old Tommasi left Teda and decided to return to Italy, joining amateurs Sant'Anna d'Alfaedo (Seconda Categoria), where he played alongside his two brothers.[8] He made his debut with the team on 13 December 2009.[9]

International career

Tommasi played for the Italian U-21 team that won the 1996 UEFA European Championship, also being picked for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.[10] He made his first senior side appearance for the Azzurri on 18 November 1998, against Spain, but did not become a regular until 2001.

Picked for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea, Tommasi played in all four of Italy's matches, in a round-of-16 exit. In the match against South Korea, he came close to scoring twice: first when Roma team mate Francesco Totti played him in only to have his shot blocked by Lee Woon-Jae; during extra time, Ecuadorian referee Byron Moreno disallowed him a goal due to a controversial offside.[11]

Honours

Club

Country

  • UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship: 1996

Post-retirement

In January 2010, together with his agent Andrea Pretti and longtime friend Werner Seeber, Tommasi set up a company in China, called Tommasi Pretti Seeber Sports Culture & Exchange Co., Ltd (TPS), aimed at creating a reliable bridge between Europe and the Asian country in the field of football.

On 9 May 2011, he became the president of the Italian Footballers' Association, succeeding historical Sergio Campana, in office for 43 years.[12]

Personal

  • Married to Chiara, Tommasi has five children: Beatrice, Camilla, Susanna, Samuele and Emanuele.
  • A philanthropist, he arranges for footballers' disciplinary fines to go to good causes.
  • When first called-up by the national side, Tommasi said he didn't deserve the honour in that moment.[13]

References

  1. ↑ Roma robbed of Tommasi; UEFA.com, 23 July 2004
  2. ↑ Injury blow for Taggart; BBC Sport, 23 July 2004
  3. ↑ Tommasi takes one-year option; UEFA.com, 1 September 2005
  4. ↑ Tommasi's new lease of life; UEFA.com, 28 November 2005
  5. ↑ Fresh starts for Tommasi and Sá Pinto
  6. ↑ "QPR sign Italian veteran Tommasi". BBC Sport. 10 September 2008. Retrieved 10 September 2008. 
  7. ↑ "Tommasi senza confini - Prossima tappa la Cina" [Tommasi without borders - Next step China] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 5 February 2009. 
  8. ↑ China/ Official, Tommasi leaves Teda; Football Press, 3 November 2009
  9. ↑ "Dilettante e felice Tommasi è tornato" [Ecstatic and happy, Tommasi has returned] (in Italian). La Repubblica. 14 December 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2009. 
  10. ↑ Damiano Tommasi – FIFA competition record
  11. ↑ World Cup: Italy out after dramatic Korean victory; Daily Mail, 18 June 2002
  12. ↑ "Aic, a Tommasi il timone Succederà a Campana" [AIC, Tommasi at the helm succeeding Campana] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 2 May 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2011. 
  13. ↑ Tommasi to lead by example; UEFA.com, 17 September 2002

External links

Italy men's football squad – 1996 Summer Olympics
Italy
Italy squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup
Italy
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