Rolando Bianchi
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Rolando Bianchi | ||
| Date of birth | 15 February 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Lovere, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Bologna | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1993 - 2002 | Atalanta | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2000–2004 | Atalanta | 21 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Cagliari | 39 | (4) |
| 2005–2007 | Reggina | 46 | (19) |
| 2007–2008 | Manchester City | 19 | (4) |
| 2008 | → Lazio (loan) | 15 | (4) |
| 2008–2013 | Torino | 169 | (71) |
| 2013– | Bologna | 14 | (3) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2000–2001 | Italy U17 | 2 | (0) |
| 2004 | Italy U20 | 3 | (1) |
| 2002–2006 | Italy U21 | 13 | (7) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 19 December 2013. † Appearances (Goals). | |||
Rolando Bianchi (Italian pronunciation: [roˈlando ˈbjaŋki]; born 15 February 1983 in Lovere, Bergamo) is an Italian footballer, who currently plays as a striker for Bologna. He is the 10th highest all-time scoring player for Torino with 77 goals in 169 appearances.
Career
Atalanta
A product of the Atalanta youth system, Bianchi made his Serie A debut at the age of 18 during the 2000–01 Serie A season. He played the final 10 minutes against Juventus on 17 June 2001, lost 2-1. His only appearance during the season. The following season he made an additional 3 appearances for the bergamaschi, while during the 2002–03 Serie A season he made 16 appearances. Despite being a prolific scorer in the youth ranks, he played 21 games for the first team without scoring.
Cagliari
He was sold in co-ownership to Serie B team Cagliari in January 2004, where he played 14 matches and scored two goals helping them gain promotion to Serie A. The 2004–05 season, for which he remained at Cagliari, saw him score 2 goals in 25 matches.
Reggina
Bianchi was promptly sold to Reggina in 2005, where his first season was hampered by a serious knee injury suffered early on in the season. He recovered to play 9 games late in the season, scoring one goal.
The 2006–07 season saw Bianchi score 18 goals in 37 games. Due to their indictment for sporting fraud, the club had started the season with an 11-point deduction and seemed destined for relegation. They managed to save themselves, however, with Bianchi's performances considered a key part of Reggina's Serie A survival. He finished the season 4th in the league's goal scoring table.
Manchester City
His form for Reggina attracted the attention of clubs throughout Europe, and in July 2007 Bianchi moved to Manchester City for a fee of £8.8 million[1] (€13 million), where he was given the number 10 shirt. Bianchi scored on his debut for City against West Ham, slotting home from close range following a run and pass from Elano.[2] Bianchi's second goal came in a 2–1 victory in the Carling Cup 2nd round against Bristol City. Bianchi then scored his third goal in English football in a 2–1 defeat against Tottenham on 9 December 2007. Then on the following Saturday he scored the first goal against Bolton in a 4–2 victory. Later that month, Bianchi criticised English cuisine and alcohol culture, and stated how he could never become a full international unless he returned to Serie A.[3]
In January 2008, Manchester City manager Sven-Göran Eriksson informed Bianchi that he would be allowed to leave the club. On 23 January 2008 Bianchi finalised a loan move to Lazio after not being able to settle in England.[4] In his debut with Lazio on 27 January, Bianchi was sent off after picking up two yellow cards in just under five minutes, as the capital club drew 0–0 with Torino.[5] He scored his first goal for Lazio against former club Reggina from a penalty kick in a 1–0 victory.[6] In spite of Bianchi's hope that Lazio would make his move permanent, he had in fact been asked to return to Manchester City.
Torino
On 23 August 2008, after a summer of much speculation about a possible move, it was officially announced by Manchester City that Bianchi had signed for Italian club Torino on a five-year deal.[7]
On 18 August 2012, Bianchi scored two goals in Torino's 4–2 defeat of U.S. Lecce in the Third Round of the Coppa Italia, Torino's first competitive game of the new season.[8] He scored two goals in the 5–1 defeat of Atalanta on 30 September, reaching 70 goals with Torino.[9] With these strikes, he entered into the Top 10 scorers for the club, tied with club legend, Ezio Loik. Bianchi helped the club to a 3–2 victory over Siena on 13 January 2013, heading in a cross from Valter Birsa in the later stages of the first-half.[10]
International career
In the summer of 2006, Bianchi was called up to the Italy U-21 squad for the 2006 U-21 Championships in Portugal, where he appeared 3 times and scored once.
References
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/6287728.stm
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/6931065.stm
- ↑ http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/29726/Bianchi-City-have-had-their-chips
- ↑ BBC Sport Bianchi set to clinch Lazio move 23 January 2008
- ↑ "Bianchi sees red on Lazio debut". The Guardian. 27 January 2008.
- ↑ "Bianchi has debut to forget". Sporting Life. Retrieved 27 January 2008.
- ↑ {DBD12D53-8346-431D-A04F-5D0F8664DE80}&newsid=6616640 Rolando Bianchi leaves the club
- ↑ "Torino 4–2 Lecce". ESPNFC. 18 August 2012.
- ↑ "Atalanta 1 – 5 Torino". Football Italia. 30 September 2012.
- ↑ "Torino 3–2 Siena". ESPNFC. 13 January 2013.
External links
- Rolando Bianchi Official Web Site
- Rolando Bianchi career stats at Soccerbase
- Info, career and statistics (Italian)
- Bomber italiani.... addio... , Realsoccer.it del 18 luglio 2007 (Italian)
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