Luca Cigarini
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 20 June 1986 | ||
| Place of birth | Montecchio Emilia, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Playing position | Midfielder | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Atalanta | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1997–2004 | Parma | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2008 | Parma | 70 | (4) |
| 2004–2005 | → Sambenedettese (loan) | 33 | (4) |
| 2008–2009 | Atalanta | 23 | (3) |
| 2009–2013 | Napoli | 28 | (2) |
| 2010–2011 | → Sevilla (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | → Atalanta (loan) | 58 | (3) |
| 2013– | Atalanta | 7 | (1) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2004 | Italy U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2005 | Italy U19 | 1 | (0) |
| 2005–2007 | Italy U20 | 5 | (0) |
| 2005–2009 | Italy U21 | 20 | (1) |
| 2008 | Italy Olympic Team | 8 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 14:26, 29 August 2012 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Luca Cigarini (Italian pronunciation: [ˈluka tʃiɡaˈrini]; born 20 June 1986 in Montecchio Emilia) is an Italian football midfielder who currently plays for Atalanta B.C. in Serie A. He is nicknamed Il Professore (The Professor) due to his intelligent reading of the game. The Italian Media "Gazzetta dello Sport" has also stated that Cigarini has a similar vision of the game to that of Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo.
Club career
He was one of the notable youth products in 2005 Parma squad, alongside Daniele Dessena. After Parma was relegated to Serie B in June 2008, he was sold to Atalanta in join-ownership bid.[1]
On 3 July 2009 Napoli signed the talented and hard-working playmaker from Atalanta on a five-year deal[2] for €10.5 million.[3]
On 2 August 2010, Napoli sent Cigarini to Sevilla FC on a loan deal for the 2010-2011 season, upon conclusion of the season, Sevilla will have the option to purchase the midfielder for €7 million.[citation needed]
On 5 July 2013, after spending two seasons on loan with Atalanta, a co-ownership deal was agreed to with S.S.C. Napoli. Cigarini will continue to play for Atalanta for the upcoming 2013-14 Serie A season.[4] Cigarini scored his first goal of the season against S.S. Lazio on October 20th.
International career
On 7 September 2007, Cigarini scored his first ever goal (which was also the winning goal) with the Italy U-21 squad in a 2–1 victory over the Faroe Islands in a UEFA U-21 Qualifying match. He was also part of Pierluigi Casiraghi's Olympic team which won the 2008 Toulon Tournament. He also played for Italy in the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
Cigarini received his first call-up to the senior team on 30 August 2010. New coach Cesare Prandelli named him in the squad for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers as an injury replacement for Claudio Marchisio.[5]
Career statistics
- As of 29 August 2012[6]
| Club performance | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Italy | League | Coppa Italia | Europe | Total | ||||||
| 2005–06 | Parma | Serie A | 17 | 0 | 4 | 0 | –– | 21 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 2 | ||
| 2007–08 | 32 | 3 | 0 | 0 | –– | 32 | 3 | |||
| 2008–09 | Atalanta | 23 | 3 | 1 | 0 | –– | 24 | 3 | ||
| 2009–10 | Napoli | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | –– | 29 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Atalanta | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 | –– | 32 | 1 | ||
| 2012–13 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | –– | 28 | 2 | |||
| Spain | League | Copa del Rey | Europe | Total | ||||||
| 2010–11 | Sevilla | La Liga | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 16 | 3 |
| Total | Italy | 179 | 12 | 16 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 201 | 14 | |
| Spain | 6 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 16 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 185 | 12 | 20 | 3 | 12 | 2 | 217 | 17 | ||
References
- ↑ "Cigarini all'Atalanta" (in Italian). Atalanta BC. 11 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-01.
- ↑ "Comunicato ufficiale SSC Napoli: acquistato Cigarini" (in Italian). SSC Napoli. 3 July 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-07.
- ↑ "SSC Napoli 2009–10 Annual Report (page 21 to 40)". SSC Napoli (C.C.I.A.A. Archive) (in Italian). Re-Published by direttanapoli.it. ca. January 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
- ↑ "Atalanta Invest in Cigarini". Football Italia. 6 July 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-07.
- ↑ "Cigarini replaces Marchisio in Italy squad". Yahoo! News via Reuters. 30 August 2010.
- ↑ "Luca Cigarini Statistics". ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
External links
- Player profile on Napoli's official website
- Luca Cigarini National Team Stats at FIGC.it (Italian)
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