Alberto Gilardino

Alberto Gilardino

Gilardino in 2010
Personal information
Full nameAlberto Gilardino[1]
Date of birth5 July 1982
Place of birthBiella, Italy
Height1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing positionStriker
Club information
Current team
Fiorentina
(on loan from Guangzhou Evergrande)
Number9
Youth career
Piacenza
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1999–2000Piacenza17(3)
2000–2002Verona39(5)
2002–2005Parma96(50)
2005–2008Milan94(36)
2008–2012Fiorentina118(48)
2012–2014Genoa50(19)
2012–2013→ Bologna (loan)36(13)
2014–Guangzhou Evergrande14(5)
2015–→ Fiorentina (loan)9(1)
National team‡
2000–2004Italy U2130(19)
2004–2013Italy57(19)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 April 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 11 October 2013

Alberto Gilardino, Ufficiale OMRI[2][3][4] (Italian pronunciation: [alˈbɛrto dʒilarˈdino]; born 5 July 1982) is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Fiorentina on loan from Guangzhou Evergrande.

In his early career, he was compared to Filippo Inzaghi,[5] and Christian Vieri described him as the fusion of both players. Gilardino currently holds the record for being the second youngest player to have scored 100 goals in Serie A, after Altafini.[6][7] With 175 Serie A goals, Gilardino is currently among the top 15 all-time scorers in Serie A history and ranks 3rd among active players after Francesco Totti and Antonio Di Natale.[8]

With Milan he has won the UEFA Champions League 2006-07, 2007 UEFA Super Cup and the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup. He was named Serie A Young Footballer of the Year in 2004, Serie A Footballer of the Year and the Italian Footballer of the Year in 2005.

Gilardino has represented Italy at under-19, under-20, under-21, and senior levels. Gilardino was a part of the Italian side that won the 2004 UEFA U-21 Championship where he became the tournament's leading goalscorer. He was also named as the best player of the tournament and one of two strikers in the UEFA Team of the Tournament. He is the all-time top scorer of the Italy U-21 national team with 19 goals in 30 appearances. He was part of the 2006 FIFA World Cup winning-squad and has also participated at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Club career

Early life and Piacenza

Resident from birth to Cossato, in the province of Biella, Gilardino started playing with Cossatese, with whom he remained until the Under-15 category of Juniors.[9]

After another year in the youth of A.S.D. Junior Biellese Libertas under the guidance of Luca Prina,[10] Gilardino went to Piacenza. The coach Luigi Simoni gave him his debut in Serie A at 17, on 6 January 2000 against Milan. The season ended with the Piacenza's relegation to Serie B, but Gilardino still managed to make an impact by scoring 3 goals in 17 matches.[11]

Verona

In September 2000, "Gila", as he is often nicknamed and already considered a talent, was sold to Verona in co-ownership,[12] for 7 billion Italian lire (€3,615,198).[13] Despite his young age, he scored five goals in his two seasons at the club where he made 39 league appearances. Gilardino attracted Verona to sign him in full in June 2001,[14][15] for 8.5 billion lire. (€4,389,884).[13]

Gilardino was bought by Parma in a co-ownership deal during the 2001–02 season for 9.5 billion lire (€4,906,341)[13] and loaned back to Verona. At Verona Gilardino played two seasons under the guidance of Attilio Perotti, and then Alberto Malesani.

He was also involved in a car accident which ruled him out of the season on 28 April 2001: a truck crossed his car off the road and ended up in the river Sile, but he managed to abandon it before it sank. However, a fracture of the sternum ruled him out of the rest of the season.[16] Gilardino, not yet 20 years old, scored 5 goals in 39 games in two seasons at Verona.

Parma

His career was launched on the international stage in 2002, as Parma bought the remained 50% registration rights and gave Šerić back to Verona.[17] That was strongly desired by the coach Cesare Prandelli, who advocates the purchase.[18] Later Adrian Mutu, his team-mate at Verona was also signed, to replace the exit of Marco Di Vaio. Under Cesare Prandelli, who later bought him to La viola, the attack holder of Parma is composed by Adrian Mutu and Adriano in the 2002–2003 Serie A season. Being a backup, Gilardino still managed to pick up 24 league appearances, scoring 4 goals. He also scored 1 goal in the Italian Cup. In the 2003–2004 season takes its affirmation explosive makes mark 23 goals in the league, as many as 17 of them in the second half of the season, during which the holder becomes stable, also thanks to the return of Adriano to Inter. That total in the 2003–04 campaign made him the second-most prolific Serie A scorer, preceded by a single goal from Andriy Shevchenko, However, Gila was the top scorer among Italian players. He also scored 3 goals in the UEFA Cup. The player credited his manager Cesare Prandelli for helping him to grow technically.[19] The success at club and U-21 level earned him a contract extension until June 2007.[20]

In his third championship in Parma (2004–2005), he repeated this feat, scoring another 23 goals in the league and finishing as the second-best scorer in Serie A once again, preceded (still only one goal) by Cristiano Lucarelli. He scored in a playoff match against Bologna, bringing his total haul to 24 goals.[21] He also scored once in the Coppa UEFA. He scored 51 goals for Parma in only 97 appearances in Serie A.

Milan

He made a €25 million transfer to A.C. Milan on 17 July 2005; He chose the number 11 shirt.[22][23] He made his first goal for Rossoneri in the match against Sampdoria. Gilardino concludes the 2005–2006 season with 17 goals in 34 Serie A appearances and 2 goals in 3 appearances in the Italian Cup, but he failed to find his offensive form in Milan's 2005–06 UEFA Champions League campaign, going goal-less in all 12 matches.[24]

In the 2006–2007 season, his first goal in UEFA Champions League finally came on 1 November 2006 in a 4–1 against Anderlecht. Gilardino's European offensive output the next season was equally disappointing, with only two goals. One of his two goals, though, helped Milan seal a decisive 3–0 win over Manchester United in the second leg of the semi-finals on 3 May 2007, which put them back into the Champions League final and set up a rematch with Liverpool. He played only two minutes as a substitute for Filippo Inzaghi in Milan's 2–1 victory. Gilardino led Milan in 2006–07 Serie A scoring with 12 goals; no other Milan player hit double figures. At the end of the season Gilardino revealed in an interview to feel challenged, to experience bitterness at not having played the Champions League final won by Milan, and was considering the possibility of leaving AC Milan.[25] Following a clarification with the management the player decided to stay.[26]

Gilardino contributed a brace in Milan's 5–1 defeat of Lazio on 7 October 2007 (which marked his first domestic goal following a double in Milan's 5–2 victory over Ascoli on 18 April), and likewise for his first Champions League brace netting of the season in a 4–1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk on 24 October. In the second half of the season, Gila is often left on the bench by coach Carlo Ancelotti, to be relegated to third striker behind Filippo Inzaghi and Alexandre Pato. Later, Gilardino described the last few months spent at Milan as the worst of his career,[27] while stressing the positive aspects of his experience in Milan and his estimate for the Rossoneri .[28]

With Milan, Gilardino was considered a strong front man who was adept at holding the ball and leading attacks.[29]

Fiorentina

Gilardino during a 3–0 loss to Lazio on 24 September 2008.

On 25 May 2008, Fiorentina sporting director Pantaleo Corvino confirmed that a deal to sign Gilardino from Milan had been completed.[30] On 28 May 2008, the deal was confirmed from the official website of the Rossoneri: Gilardino moved for €15 million[31] and signed a five-year deal. In the club of Fiorentina, Gilardino found some old times of Parma, as Adrian Mutu, Sebastian Frey and Marco Donadel, and especially his mentor coach Cesare Prandelli. His first goal with the Violas arrived in the first leg of the third qualifying round for the 2008–09 UEFA Champions League against Slavia Prague, where he scored the second goal of the match. On 31 August, Gilardino scored on his Serie A debut against Juventus in the 89th minute to tie the game at 1–1. In the successive league match, he supplied an assist to Adrian Mutu to open the score in the match against Napoli, but Fiorentina still finished on the losing side by suffering a 1–2 defeat at the Stadio San Paolo. In the first match from the Champions League group stages against the French of Olympique Lyonnais, he scored two goals in the first half to give Fiorentina a two-goal cushion, only to be cancelled by two-second-half goals from Frédéric Piquionne and Karim Benzema. On 18 October, thanks to a brace against Reggina, Gila became the youngest Italian player to score 100 goals in Serie A.[32] On 27 October 2008, Gilardino was affected by the sport through television test a two-day suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct seriously, to have scored, unseen by the referee Morganti, a goal by hand on a voluntary basis during the race won by Fiorentina 3 – 1 at the home of Palermo.[33] Gilardino insists on several occasions the involuntary gesture,[27][34] as the goal being caused by the intervention of the defender Dellafiore.[35] On 25 April 2009, Gilardino scored a brace in the victory of 4–1 against Roma, and reaches the quota of 100 goals scored in the last 6 years. In the same period in Europe, only Eto'o, Henry and Toni have scored more goals .[36] Gilardino finished the 2008–09 season with 19 Serie A goals which all scored from open play, reaching the 4th place in the scorer (2nd place is not considering the rigors ), and contributing significantly to the 4th place achieved by Fiorentina in the league. He was instantly beloved by the Viola faithful. Among the highlights of his season was a double against Roma and an astonishing tight angle shot against Genoa while being marked by three defenders.[37]

Gilardino had an exceptional campaign in the Champions League the following season, first scoring a dramatic late goal to give Fiorentina a 2–2 tie at Sporting Lisbon, then against Debrecen, and then scoring in the third minute of stoppage time against Liverpool in the final match day of the group phase at Anfield, which gave Fiorentina a coveted first place finish at the expense of Lyon. On this occasion Gila reached 10 goals in European competitions in purple shirt equaling the record of Batistuta.[38] Gilardino defined the goal in Anfield as the most important goal of his career.[39] Gila ended the 2009–2010 season with 4 goals in the Champions League and 15 in Serie A.

On 27 February 2011, Gilardino scored the ninth league goal of the season and his 200th career goal as a professional player in a match against Bari, which brought the team 1–0 lead.[40](138 in Serie A, 8 in Italian Cup, 13 in the Champions League, 5 in the UEFA Cup, 17 in the senior national team, 15 in Under 21 national team, 4 in the Italian Olympic team). On 6 March 2011 Gilardino scored in the Fiorentina-Catania 3–0 match, which is the 44th goal in Serie A with the shirt of Fiorentina. This leads him to the 10th place among the markers purple and 30 th place in the scorer list of all time.[41]

On 21 August, Gilardino made the first goal of the season in the match Fiorentina against Cittadella, which ended 2–1.[42] His first league goal of the season came in the second round against Bologna. On 17 December, He made his second goal of the season.

Genoa

On 3 January 2012 Gilardino penned a four-and-a-half-year contract with his new employers; Genoa, and cost €8million.[43][44] Gilardino has chosen 82 as his shirt number since the number 11 was occupied by Bosko Jankovic.[45] On 29 January, during a match against Napoli, he finds his first goal with the shirt rossoblu in Stadio Luigi Ferraris. He netted his first brace with Genoa from the penalty spot at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium against Inter (then the match ended with a score of 5–4 to Inter) . He made his fourth goal against Palermo on Sunday, 13 May ( game ended 2–0), helping the team reach the Ligurian salvation with 6 points clear of the relegation zone. Gilardino scored four goals in 14 appearances at Genoa in the second half of the 2011–2012 Serie A Season. Referred to the facts of Siena – Genoa 1–4 match in the 2011–2012 season ( pressure from the fans in the stadium with the players that they had to remove the mesh), 6 October 2012 federal prosecutors asked for 30 thousand euro fine for Gilardino and his other 14 teammates.[46]

Bologna

On 31 August 2012, Gilardino switched clubs again, joining Bologna for €1.3 million loan fee. Gilardino signed a contract worth €2,341,288.[47][48] He made his debut with the shirt Emilian on 1 September 2012 in the lost game against Milan, succeeding Robert Acquafresca. Gilardino netted a brace on 16 September, helping his new side overcome a 2–0 haftime deficit to defeat Roma 3–2 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.[49] Gilardino scored his second brace for Bologna, in their 4–0 defeat of Catania on 30 September, bringing his goal tally to five in five games.[50] Gilardino scored his sixth goal for Bologna on 18 November, opening the scoring in a comfortable 3–0 defeat of Palermo, earning his new club a much needed three points.[51]

Gilardino led Bologna to a much needed win on 12 January 2013, netting a brace in the side's 4–0 defeat of Chievo Verona.[52] He powered the club to a 1–0 defeat of Inter Milan on 10 March, scoring with a classy volley from a Diego Pérez cross, firmly establishing Bologna in mid-table and easing their relegation fears.[53] He finished the season with 13 goals in 35 matches.

Return to Genoa

After the season at Bologna, where he dragged his team to an early salvation thanks to his 13 goals, he returned to Genoa, non-transferable declared by the president Enrico Preziosi, at the request of the former midfielder Fabio Liverani recently become the new coach of Genoa.[54] He scored his first goal of the season on 17 August against Spezia in the Italian Cup, the defeat on penalties after a 2–2 draw in regulation time accrued.[55] He made his debut in the league in the 0–2 defeat at the San Siro against Inter and scored his first goal of the season in Serie A the following Sunday during the 2–5 home defeat against Fiorentina.[56] On 20 October, Gilardino scored two goals in the home game against Chievo Verona in the 2–1 game won by Genoa.[57]

On 30 October, in the 9th round of the Serie A, Gilardino scored a decisive goal that allows Genoa in front of Parma.[58] The story is also repeated on the next match against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico, with a penalty kick goal of doubling.[59] On 23 November, Gilardino carries a penalty equalizer against AC Milan at the San Siro, coming to 6 season goals in the top flight.[60] On 8 December, Gilardino scored the opening goal at the Stadio Sant'Elia against Cagliari Calcio in a 1–2 loss game.[61] On 6 January 2014, he scored the eighth goal of the season on a penalty kick against Sassuolo leading Genoa to 500 victories in Serie A matches with the formula of a single round.[62][63] On 26 January against Fiorentina Gilardino scored the opening goal in a thrilling 3–3 draw.[64] On 16 February, He scored his first brace against Udinese since he returned the I Rossoblu, which led his team a 3–3 draw.[65] With this two goals, Gilardino reaches 11 season goals and 170 total goals in Serie A, thus exceeding Giuseppe Savoldi and then temporarily ranking 14th among the Serie A all-time scorers.[66] He finished the 2013-14 Serie A season with 15 goals in 36 matches.

Guangzhou Evergrande

On 5 July 2014, it was announced that Genoa had accepted a €5 million offer for Gilardino from Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande.[67]

Return to Fiorentina

On 25 January 2015, Fiorentina officially announced that the club had made a deal with Guangzhou Evergrande that Gilardino would transfer to Fiorentina on loan until the end of 2014-15 season, with a reported buyout clause of €1.5 million.[68]

International career

Debut

Gilardino played with Italy in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, winning the bronze medal. He scored a decisive goal in the match for the third place. He also led Italy's Under 21 team to victory in the 2004 European Under-21 Football Championship. With the national Under-21 team led by coach Claudio Gentile, Gilardino won the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and was also named the best player and top scorer of the event with 4 goals. He is currently the all-time top scorer for the Italy National Under-21 team with 19 goals in 30 matches.

First Lippi era

After the 2004 Olympics, Gilardino was chosen by the senior national team coach Marcello Lippi. He made his debut on 4 September 2004, at the age of 22, in a World Cup qualifier between Italy and Norway (2–1). On 13 October, he scored his first national team goal in the match between Italy and Belarus (4–3) played at Parma. Lippi considered him a starter, often in tandem with Luca Toni.

He was a member of the Italy squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played in the first two matches, scoring a goal against the United States with a diving header on a free kick by Andrea Pirlo,[69] then coming on as a substitute in the semifinal match against Germany, hit the post in extra time and then in the last minute of the second half of extra time, provided the assist for Alessandro Del Piero's goal two minutes after the first goal sealing the Azzurri's 2–0 victory.[70]

Donadoni era

On 17 October 2007, Gilardino assumed the team captaincy for the first time in his international career after Daniele De Rossi was substituted during Italy's 2–0 friendly win over South Africa. Because of his 2007–08 season with the Rossoneri ended up with misery (only 7 goals in 30 appearances), Gilardino was not selected for Euro 2008 by coach Roberto Donadoni.

Second Lippi era

Gilardino returned to the national team on 20 August 2008 with Lippi returned to the bench of the Azzurri. He also found the goal, scoring the first of Italy's two goals at the end of the first half in an international friendly against Austria, which ended in a 2–2 draw.

In June 2009, Marcello Lippi called Gilardino up for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa.[71] Gilardino played a friendly match against New Zealand in Pretoria, South Africa days before Italy's first match, netting two goals and displaying a wonderful performance.[72] However, the Italian team was eliminated in the first round of the Confederations Cup after a loss to Brazil.[73]

On 10 October 2009, Gilardino scored what he describes as the most important goal of his career so far, scoring in the 89th minute against Ireland. This enabled them (Italy) to qualify for the 2010 World Cup to try to defend the title they won in 2006.

On 14 October 2009, Gilardino scored a hat-trick in the final 13 minutes of the game against Cyprus to cap a 3–2 victory for Italy, allowing the team to overturn the double disadvantage and win the game.[74]

Gilardino was part of the Italian 2010 FIFA World Cup squad. He started Italy's first game on the group stage against Paraguay. The tournament was a disaster for Italy and the team was eliminated in the group stage.

Prandelli era

Gilardino entering the field in place of Mario Balotelli during the first match of the Confederations Cup, a 2–1 victory over Mexico.

After the embarrassment that was the 2010 World Cup, Cesare Prandelli was chosen as Italy's new coach. On 7 September 2010, Gilardino scored the first goal in the 5–0 victory against the Faroe Islands in the second qualification match for Euro 2012.[75] On 29 March 2011, Gilardino was made captain in a friendly match between Ukraine-Italy (0–2) held in Kiev, 30 years since a Fiorentina player (Giancarlo Antognoni) last held the Azzurri captaincy.[76] As result of his good form after his arrival at Bologna, Gilardino was called back to the national team, alongside his team mate Alessandro Diamanti. On 7 October 2012, after an absence of over a year, Gilardino was called up again for the 2014 World Cup qualifying matches against Armenia and Denmark. On 6 February, in the friendly against the Netherlands, Gilardino came on as a sub in the final minutes, providing an assist for Marco Verratti's equaliser.[77] On 31 May 2013, Gilardino scored a goal in Azzurri's 4–0 victory against San Marino.[78]

After the positive performance against San Marino, Gilardino was called up for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil by Prandelli on 3 June 2013.[79] He came on for Mario Balotelli in the second half for the first group match against Mexico. After Balotelli's injury, Gilardino took his place for all of Italy's subsequent matches, including the semi-final against Spain and the winning third place match against Uruguay.[80][81]

On 6 September 2013, as Mario Balotelli and Pablo Daniel Osvaldo were suspended, Gilardino made the starting eleven for the match against Bulgaria, qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, his first half goal sealing a 1–0 win for the Azzurri.[82] This goal helped Gilardino to overtake Roberto Bettega on the all-time leading scorers' list of the Italian national team,[82] and made him the first Genoa player to score a goal for the Azzurri since Riccardo Carapellese scored in the match against France on 12 February 1956.[83]

Honours

Club

Milan
Guangzhou Evergrande

International

Italy

Individual

Orders

  • Collar of Merit Sports: 2006[84]
  • 4th Class / Officer: Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana:(2006)[85]
  • 5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana:(2004)[86]

Career statistics

As of 30 April 2015
Club Season Domestic
League		 Domestic
Cup		 Continental
Competition1		 Other
Tournaments2		 Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Piacenza 1999–2000 17 3 – – – – – – 17 3
2000 0 0 3 2 – – – – 3 2
Total 17 3 3 2 – – – – 20 5
Verona 2000–01 22+23 3+0 – – – – – – 24 3
2001–02 17 2 2 1 – – – – 19 3
Total 39+2 5+0 2 1 – – – – 43 6
Parma 2002–03 24 4 2 1 2 0 – – 28 5
2003–04 34 23 2 0 4 3 – – 40 26
2004–05 38+13 23+1 1 0 8 1 – – 48 25
Total 96+1 50+1 5 1 14 4 – – 116 56
Milan 2005–06 34 17 3 2 10 0 – – 47 19
2006–07 30 12 4 2 11 2 – – 45 16
2007–08 30 7 1 0 7 2 2 0 40 9
Total 94 36 8 4 28 4 2 0 132 44
Fiorentina 2008–09 35 19 1 0 10 6 – – 46 25
2009–10 36 15 3 0 9 4 – – 48 19
2010–11 35 12 1 0 – – – – 36 12
2011–12 12 2 1 1 – – – – 13 3
Total 118 48 6 1 19 10 – – 143 59
Genoa 2011–12 14 4 – – – – – – 14 4
2012–13 0 0 1 1 – – – – 1 1
Total 14 4 1 1 – – – – 15 5
Bologna 2012–13 36 13 1 0 – – – – 37 13
Total 36 13 1 0 – – – – 37 13
Genoa 2013–14 36 15 1 1 – – – – 37 16
Total 36 15 1 1 – – – – 37 16
Guangzhou Evergrande 2014 14 5 1 1 2 0 – – 17 6
Total 14 5 1 1 2 0 – – 17 6
Fiorentina 2014–15 9 1 0 0 0 0 – – 9 1
Total 9 1 0 0 0 0 – – 9 1
Career total 473+3 180+1 28 12 63 18 2 0 569 211

1Continental Competitions include the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and AFC Champions League.
2Other Tournaments include the FIFA Club World Cup.
3Include playoffs.

Italy national team
YearAppsGoals
200441
200584
2006114
200720
200851
200996
201061
201120
2012--
2013102
Total5719

[87][88]

International goals

Alberto Gilardino international goals.[89]

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 13 October 2004 Parma, Italy  Belarus 4–3 Win 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
2 9 February 2005 Cagliari, Italy  Russia 2–0 Win Friendly
3 17 August 2005 Dublin, Ireland  Republic of Ireland 1–2 Win Friendly
4 12 October 2005 Lecce, Italy  Moldova 2–1 Win 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 12 November 2005 Amsterdam, Netherlands  Netherlands 1–3 Win Friendly
6 1 March 2006 Florence, Italy  Germany 4–1 Win Friendly
7 30 April 2006 Geneva, Switzerland   Switzerland 1–1 Draw Friendly
8 17 June 2006 Kaiserslautern, Germany  United States 1–1 Draw 2006 FIFA World Cup
9 6 September 2006 Saint-Denis, France  France 1–3 Loss UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying
10 20 August 2008 Nice, France  Austria 2–2 Draw Friendly
11 10 June 2009 Pretoria, South Africa  New Zealand 1–1 4–3 Friendly
12 2–2
13 10 October 2009 Dublin, Ireland  Republic of Ireland 2–2 Draw FIFA World Cup 2010 Qualification
14 14 October 2009 Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma, Italy  Cyprus 1–2 3–2 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification
15 2–2
16 3–2
17 7 September 2010 Florence, Italy  Faroe Islands 1–0 Win UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
18 31 May 2013 Bologna, Italy  San Marino 4–0 Win Friendly
19 6 September 2013 Palermo, Italy  Bulgaria 1–0 Win 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification

Playing style

Skilled in the air, both with his head and acrobatically,[90][91] Gilardino plays mainly as a striker who prefers to be served in the penalty area. This position allows him to leverage his skills, timing, and opportunism,[92] as well as his ability to protect the ball,[93] and to get on the end of his team mates' crosses.[94] He is also capable of providing depth to his team, and shooting first time,[95] as well as being capable of defending himself with his back to goal in order to lay off the ball for team mates and provide them with assists.[96][97][98] Gilardino is naturally right-footed, but in his early years at Parma, he was able to improve his ability with his left foot.[96][97][98]

Personal life

Gilardino is close friends with former Milan teammate Daniele Bonera; they were also teammates at Parma. Gilardino once dedicated one of his goals to Daniele's baby daughter Talitha. Besides his goal-scoring, he is well-remembered for his goal celebration as well – getting on his knees and "playing the violin" at the touchline in front of the fans. He became engaged to Alice Bregoli on 31 March 2006[99] and had their first baby, a girl Ginevra, on 2 March 2008. The couple wed 5 July 2009 in Santa Margherita Ligure, in the province of Genoa.[100] The second daughter, named Gemma, born on 19 March 2011.

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 – List of Players" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  2. ↑ quirinale.it (ed.). "Gilardino Sig. Alberto – Ufficiale Ordine al merito della Repubblica Italiana".
  3. ↑ FIFA.com
  4. ↑ AscotSportal.com
  5. ↑ "Il Verona mette i brividi alla Roma". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 27 August 2001. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  6. ↑ Redazione La Nazione. "Solo Altafini come Gilardino: bomber a 26 anni".
  7. ↑ Giansandro Mosti. "Gila, numeri da urlo. Più decisivo di Altafini: alla sua età Bati era indietro". La Nazione.
  8. ↑ Gilardino, sulla via di Pablito Rossi ilsecoloxix.it
  9. ↑ Roberto Cominoli (22 February 2005). "Cossatese, facciamo festa". Gazzetta dello Sport.
  10. ↑ Prina: "Vi racconto il giovane Gilardino" Tuttomercatoweb.com
  11. ↑ Fabio Bianchi (17 October 2003). "Gilardino, il terzo fratello Inzaghi". Gazzetta dello Sport.
  12. ↑ Carlo Laudisa (28 September 2000). "Gillet a Bari avvicina Mancini a Napoli. Gilardino a Verona". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Hellas Verona FC SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2001, PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A. (Italian)
  14. ↑ "DOPO MAURO CAMORANESI E GIUSEPPE COLUCCI, ALTRO COLPO DI MERCATO! L'HELLAS VERONA F.C. ACQUISTA PER INTERO ALBERTO GILARDINO.". Hellas Verona FC (in Italian). 16 June 2001. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  15. ↑ Carlo Laudisa , Stefano Carini (17 June 2001). "Thuram: domani il sì alla Juve". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  16. ↑ Germano Mosconi (28 April 2001). "Gilardino, tragedia sfiorata". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  17. ↑ "COMPROPRIETA': L'HELLAS RISCATTA MARCO CASSETTI, CLAUDIO FERRARESE RESTA AL CITTADELLA". Hellas Verona FC (in Italian). 26 June 2002. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  18. ↑ "Gilardino Milan, ci siamo". Gazzetta dello Sport. 2 June 2005.
  19. ↑ Giancarla Ghisi (15 August 2004). "Gilardino, un futuro già scritto con i gol". Corriere della Sera.
  20. ↑ "Gilardino staying at Parma". UEFA.com. 11 August 2004. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  21. ↑ 23 gol nel girone regolare e 1 nella gara di ritorno dello spareggio salvezza con il Bologna.
  22. ↑ "AC Milan Group 2006 annual report". AC Milan (in Italian). Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2011.
  23. ↑ "Gilardino 'honoured' to join Milan". UEFA.com. 18 July 2005. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  24. ↑ "Gilardino gives Milan another year". UEFA.com. 2 October 2006. Retrieved 3 May 2008.
  25. ↑ Giovanni Battista Olivero (3 June 2007). Gazzetta dello Sport, ed. "Gilardino: "Non so se resto. Valuto altre soluzioni"".
  26. ↑ Giovanni Battista Olivero (9 June 2007). Gazzetta dello Sport, ed. "Gila-Milan Scoppia la pace".
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Alessandro Bocci (24 December 2008). Corriere della Sera, ed. "Sono tornato Gilardino".
  28. ↑ Giovanni Battista Olivero (7 July 2008). Gazzetta dello Sport, ed. "Gila: "Tornerò grande un gol dopo l'altro"".
  29. ↑ May, John (22 May 2007). "AC Milan Pen Pics". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  30. ↑
  31. ↑ "Bilancio Gruppo Milan Anno 2008" [AC Milan Group 2008 Annual Report] (PDF). AC Milan (in Italian). 29 April 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  32. ↑ sky.it, ed. (18 October 2008). "Gilardino arriva a 100 gol in A: "Mai stato così bene"". Retrieved 19 October 2008.
  33. ↑ gazzetta.it, ed. (27 October 2008). "Gilardino, due giornate con la prova televisiva". Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  34. ↑ Alessandra Gozzini (3 January 2009). "Gilardino, il buio e la luce". Gazzetta dello Sport.
  35. ↑ Franco Fiocchini (27 October 2008). "Tris Fiorentina a Palermo Gilardino segna di mano Esulta, ma poi si scusa". Corriere della Sera.
  36. ↑ Matteo Dalla Vite (28 April 2009). "Gila, 100 gol negli ultimi 6 anni: è tra i top bomber d'Europa". La Gazzetta dello Sport.
  37. ↑ Pier Luig Todisco (19 September 2008). "Viola di rabbia a Lione Doppio Gilardino e poi pari". La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 8 April 2010.
  38. ↑ Giuseppe Calabrese (10 December 2009). la Repubblica Firenze, ed. "Fiorentina, notte indimenticabile. Impresa a Liverpool ed è prima". Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  39. ↑ tuttomercatoweb.com, ed. (11 December 2009). "Gilardino, Ad Anfield il goal della mia vita". Retrieved 15 December 2009.
  40. ↑ Fiorentina.it Gilardino porta in vantaggio la Fiorentina a Bari e fa 200 gol in carriera
  41. ↑ Gilardino: 201 gol da professionista (di cui 54 da gigliato)
  42. ↑ "Coppa Italia, Toro battuto a Siena – Il Gubbio fa fuori l'Atalanta". Gazzetta.it. 21 August 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  43. ↑ ACF Fiorentina SpA Report and Accounts on 31 December 2011 (Italian)
  44. ↑ "Genoa confirm Gilardino capture". Sky Sports.
  45. ↑ "Gilardino: 'My light is back'". Football Italia. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  46. ↑ ma.gal. (6 October 2012). "La Procura: 100 mila euro d'ammenda per Preziosi". La Gazzetta dello Sport.
  47. ↑ Bologna FC SpA financial report and accounts on 30 June 2012 (Italian)
  48. ↑ "Gilardino leaves Genoa for Bologna". Fox News. 31 August 2012.
  49. ↑ "AS Roma 2–3 Bologna". ESPNFC. 16 September 2012.
  50. ↑ "Bologna 4 – 0 Catania". ESPNFC. 30 September 2012.
  51. ↑ "Bologna 3–0 Palermo". ESPNC. 18 November 2012.
  52. ↑ "Bologna 4–0 Chievo Verona". ESPNFC. 12 January 2013.
  53. ↑ "Internazionale 0–1 Bologna". ESPNFC. 10 March 2013.
  54. ↑ Liverani: "Gilardino rimane"
  55. ↑ Spezia-Genoa finisce 5–4
  56. ↑ Stagione 2013–14 – 2ª Giornata legaseriea.it
  57. ↑ Genoa-Chievo 2–1, ci pensa Gilardino per la festa di Gasperini
  58. ↑ Serie A, Genoa-Parma 1–0 Gilardino, prima sbaglia rigore poi fa il gol partita
  59. ↑ Lazio-Genoa 0–2, Kucka e Gilardino affondano i biancocelesti
  60. ↑ Milan-Genoa 1–1, gol di Kakà e Gilardino su rigore
  61. ↑ Cagliari-Genoa 2–1: Gilardino sogna, Sau lo sveglia
  62. ↑ Genoa-Sassuolo 2–0: gol di Gilardino su rigore e Bertolacci nel primo tempo
  63. ↑ Serie A: risultati, classifica e prossimo turno (18a giornata)
  64. ↑ "Fiorentina 3–3 Genoa". ESPN. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  65. ↑ Genoa-Udinese 3–3, Gilardino evita la disfatta
  66. ↑ Promossi&bocciati – Difesa in difficoltà, Fetfa illuminante, Gilardino come Re Mida
  67. ↑ "Gilardino vicino al Guangzhou: il Genoa accetta l'offerta" (in Italian). gazzetta.it. 5 July 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  68. ↑ "佛罗伦萨宣布吉拉迪诺加盟 恒大前锋重返紫百合". 网易体育. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  69. ↑ "Italy – USA Match Report". fifa.com. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  70. ↑ "Italia gran finale". gazzetta.it. 4 July 2006. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  71. ↑ "I convocati dell'Italia per la Confederations Cup 2009.".
  72. ↑ "Gila-Iaquinta: l'Italia se la cava".
  73. ↑ "Confederations Cup: Italia umiliata dal Brasile. Azzurri eliminati.".
  74. ↑ Riccardo Pratesi (14 October 2009). "Gila segna una supertripletta". Gazzettadellosport.it.
  75. ↑ Cinquina alle Far Oer Cassano segna e incanta
  76. ↑ Fiorentina, bilancio positivo per tutti i nazionali
  77. ↑ Verratti salva l'Italia: con l'Olanda finisce 1–1 Corrieredellosport.it
  78. ↑ "Italia-San Marino 4–0: gol di Poli, Gilardino, Pirlo e Aquilani". La Gazzetta dello Sport. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  79. ↑ Confederations Cup: Italia, ecco i 23 convocati Il Sole 24 Ore
  80. ↑ L'Italia copia la Juve e vara la difesa a tre Gilardino sarà il vice-Balotelli Gazzetta.it
  81. ↑ Confederations, Italia-Uruguay 5–4 dopo i rigori, Buffon ne para tre, azzurri terzi Gazzetta.it
  82. ↑ 82.0 82.1 Contro la Bulgaria basta Gilardino L’Italia vince e avvicina i Mondiali lastampa.it
  83. ↑ Edicola web – Il Secolo XIX: Gilardino gol dopo 57 anni
  84. ↑ "Coni: Consegnati i Collari d’oro e diplomi d’onore ai campionissimi". Coni.it. 23 February 2014.
  85. ↑ "ONORIFICENZE - 2006". http://www.quirinale.it/'' (in Italian). 12 December 2006. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  86. ↑ "Gilardino Sig. Alberto - Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana". Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (in Italian). 27 September 2004. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
  87. ↑ Alberto Gilardino at National-Football-Teams.com
  88. ↑ "Alberto Gilardino – Goals in International matches". Rsssf.com. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  89. ↑ F.I.G.C. Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio
  90. ↑ Marco Gori (27 March 2008). "Simoni a Firenze Viola: Vi racconto Gilardino". Firenze Viola.
  91. ↑ Pierino Prati (7 October 2008). "Gilardino quest'anno arriverà a 115". Corriere Fiorentino.
  92. ↑ "Paolo Rossi: "Gila spietato opportunista"". La Nazione. 23 September 2008.
  93. ↑ Alberto Costa (14 November 2005). "Toni & Gilardino all'attacco del Mondiale". Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 12 December 2008.
  94. ↑ Andrea Schianchi (22 January 2008). "Gilardino si guadagna il posto: titolare con Pato". La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  95. ↑ Mario Sconcerti (8 April 2008). "L'errore di Zamparini: ha dato un alibi ai giocatori". Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  96. ↑ 96.0 96.1 Simone Bargellini (28 October 2008). "Hamrin a VN: "Ingiusta la squalifica a Gila, è uno da un gol a partita"". Violanews.com. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
  97. ↑ 97.0 97.1 Mario Sconcerti (25 July 2005). "Gilardino, diplomato in ragioneria e in grandi gol". Panorama. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
  98. ↑ 98.0 98.1 Simone Bargellini (14 November 2008). "Pusceddu a VN: "Quanti problemi sulla fascia sinistra viola"". Violanews.com.
  99. ↑ "alice.it". Sports.alice.it. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  100. ↑ "Fiorentina Striker Alberto Gilardino Marries Long-Time Girlfriend". Goal.com. 5 July 2009. Retrieved 9 September 2013.

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