Leonardo Bonucci

Leonardo Bonucci

Bonucci playing for Italy
Personal information
Full nameLeonardo Bonucci[1]
Date of birth1 May 1987
Place of birthViterbo, Italy
Height1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing positionCentre back
Club information
Current team
Juventus
Number19
Youth career
2004–2005Viterbese
2005–2007Internazionale
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
2005–2007Internazionale1(0)
2007–2009Treviso40(4)
2009→ Pisa (loan)18(1)
2009–2010Bari38(1)
2010–Juventus158(9)
National team‡
2010–Italy45(3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 April 2015.

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 31 March 2015

Leonardo Bonucci (Italian pronunciation: [leoˈnardo boˈnuttʃi]; born 1 May 1987) is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. A former midfielder who is usually deployed as ball-playing centre back,[2] he is known for his technique, passing range, and his ability to launch an attack with long passes. A tall and strong defender, he also excels in the air, and frequently poses a threat from set pieces.[3]

Club career

Internazionale

Bonucci started his career at the youth ranks of his hometown club Viterbese but was loaned to Internazionale in the summer of 2005.[4] He played a number of pre-season friendlies for Inter first team.[5][6][7][8] He then became a member of Inter's Primavera Under-20 Team.[9]

Bonucci made his Serie A debut in the last match of 2005–06 season, against Cagliari Calcio.[10][11] At the end of the season, Inter bought Bonucci outright.[12]

He played his first Coppa Italia match against Messina on 9 November 2006 when he came off the bench for substitute Fabio Grosso in the 86th minute. Bonucci featured in two more Coppa Italia games for Inter that season when he was brought on for the substituted Walter Samuel at half-time during the quarter final second leg match against Empoli and as a starter in the semi final second leg tie against Sampdoria.

In January 2007, 50% of Bonucci's registration rights were sold to Treviso by Inter along with 50% of the registration rights for fellow Primavera Team team-mate Daniel Maa Boumsong. At that time Bonucci was tagged for a peppercorn fee of €500.[13] Bonucci subsequently remained at Inter until 30 June 2007[14] while Maa Boumsong returned from Treviso where he spent the first half of the season on loan. During Bonucci's last season with Inter's U-20 Youth Team, he won the Italian "Primavera" U20 Youth League.

Treviso and Pisa

On 1 July 2007, Bonucci and Maa Boumsong formally became players of Treviso after the loan contract back to Inter had expired. At Treviso, Bonucci played 20 starts in 27 Serie B appearances as one of the regular starters.[15]

In June 2008, Bonucci was the only player that was bought back by Inter from Treviso[16] but he remained at Treviso on loan. Bonucci was tagged for about €700,000 at that time.

Bonucci played 13 Serie B matches for Treviso before leaving for another Serie B struggler Pisa Calcio on loan.[17]

Bari

Bonucci playing for Bari in the 2009–10 season

On 8 June 2009, Bonucci underwent a medical examination at Genoa.[18] On 1 July, Inter officially announced Bonucci, along with Robert Acquafresca, Francesco Bolzoni and Riccardo Meggiorini (€2.5M for Inter half[19]), transferred to Genoa, as part of the deal that sent Thiago Motta and Diego Milito to Inter. Moreover, Ivan Fatić who co-owned between Chievo and Inter, became co-owned between Chievo and Genoa. Bonucci was valued €3 million at that time.[19]

But on 2 July he was transferred to Bari from Genoa, on a co-ownership deal, for €1.75 million,[19] along with Meggiorini (co-ownership deal, for €2.75 million[19]), Matteo Paro (loan), Andrea Ranocchia (loan) and Giuseppe Greco (loan).

At Bari he became first choice in central defence under head coach Giampiero Ventura, showing a composed yet strong and effective defensive style. He formed an extremely strong partnership with Andrea Ranocchia which was so effective that, as of the midway point in the 2009–10 season, Bari had the second best defensive record in Serie A. The strong partnership ended after Ranocchia got injured in mid-season and was ruled out for the remaining fixtures.

Juventus

Bonucci playing for Juventus F.C. in the 2012–13 season

In July 2010 Leonardo Bonucci was signed by Juventus on a four-year contract for a total of €15.5 million[20] from Genoa and Siena in cash-plus-player deal (remain 50% of Domenico Criscito to Genoa[21] plus €2M cash[22] and 50% of Sergio Bernardo Almirón to Bari[23] plus €5M cash). He was assigned the shirt number 19.

Partnered with Azzurri teammate Giorgio Chiellini, Bonucci was immediately drafted into the starting line-up for the first matches of the season. He scored his first goal for Juventus in the Europa League play-off match against Sturm Graz.[24]

Due to the presence of veteran of Andrea Barzagli, it was expected that Bonucci would compete with him for a starting place alongside Chiellini in a four-man defence as new manager Antonio Conte was known for his preference for the 4–4–2 formation. Instead Conte decided to play all three in a three-man defence aided by wingbacks and Bonucci established himself once again in the starting eleven.[25] On 2 April 2012 Juventus announced that he had signed a new 5-year contract[26] effective on 1 July 2012. Bonucci won his first major title, the 2011–12 Scudetto, and contributed two goals as Juventus finished the season undefeated and with one of the best defensive records in the top five European leagues. His good form that season earned him a place in the final Euro 2012 squad.[25]

Bonucci began the season by winning the 2012 Supercoppa Italiana with Juventus. He made his Champions League debut against Chelsea in the group stage and scored his first goal in the competition against Shaktar Donetsk on October 2012 in a 1–1 draw.[27] On December 2012 Bonucci was criticized for diving in a league game against Palermo on which was described by a number of journalists as "the worst dive ever".[28][29] He was booked by the referee during the game and subsequently given a one-match ban and a €2000 fine by the authorities.[30] Juventus finished the season by winning the 2012-13 Serie A title.

The following season, Bonucci would help Juventus to defend the Supercoppa Italiana and the Serie A title, although Juventus would suffer a group-stage elimination in the UEFA Champions League. Nevertheless, he helped Juventus to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League, scoring a decisive goal against Lyon in the quarter-finals.[31] During the 2014-15 Serie A season, Bonucci made his 200th appearance with Juventus on 25 January 2015, in a 2-0 win over Chievo Verona.[32]

International career

Bonucci(right) playing against Cesc Fabregas of Spain in the UEFA Euro 2012 final

At youth level, he played for Under-21 Serie B representative team. He was call-up to the friendly against Renate on 6 November 2007,[33] and against Under-20 Serie C representative team on 4 December 2007.[34] He also capped for the team in an internal friendly, which split the Under-21 Serie B team into two on 9 October 2007,[35] on 21 October 2008,[36] on 25 November,[37] and on 24 March 2009 as blue team captain.[38]

He also received a call–up from Italy U20 team on 31 May 2007. He was an unused bench in the match that 0–1 lost to Serie D Best XI.[39]

Bonucci made his debut with Italy senior team on 3 March 2010, under manager Marcello Lippi, in a friendly match against Cameroon played in Monaco, which ended in a 0-0 draw,[40] and became one of the few debutants to have never played an official match for the national youth teams.[41][42] He was included by manager Marcello Lippi in the starting line-up along with national team regulars Fabio Cannavaro and Giorgio Chiellini, forming a three-man defensive line in Lippi's 3–4–3 formation.[43]

Due to his performances during the 2009-10 season, Bonucci was included in the Italy squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[44][45][46] He scored his international first goal on 3 June 2010, in a 1–2 friendly loss against Mexico, in a pre-tournament friendly match.[47] In the World Cup, he appeared as an unused substitute for all three of Italy's matches, as they suffered a first-round elimination, failing to win a match.

Bonucci ended a fine 2011–12 season by earning a place in the final 23-man Italy squad for Euro 2012, under manager Cesare Prandelli, helping Italy to reach the final of the tournament, where they were defeated 4-0 by defending champions Spain.[48] He started in all but one match as Italy reached the finals.[49]

In the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup he missed his spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out against Spain in the semi-finals, shooting high over the bar as Italy went out of the competition losing 7–6 on penalties;[50] Italy would win the bronze medal match over Uruguay 4-3 on penalties, after a 2-2 draw following extra-time, allowing them to capture third place.

Bonucci was selected by Cesare Prandelli to be part of the Italy squad that would take part at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, making his only appearance in Italy's 1-0 defeat to Uruguay, as they were eliminated in the first round of the competition for a second consecutive time.[51]

On 4 September 2014, under new Italy manager Antonio Conte, Bonucci wore the captain's armband for Italy for the first time, following Daniele De Rossi's substitution in a 2-0 friendly win over the Netherlands.[52]

International goals

# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1. 3 June 2010 King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium  Mexico 1 – 2 1–2 Friendly
2. 3 September 2010 A. Le Coq Arena, Tallinn, Estonia  Estonia 1 – 2 1–2 Euro 2012 qualifying
3. 9 September 2014 Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway  Norway 0 – 2 0 – 2 UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying

Career statistics

Club statistics

As of 26 April 2015
Team Season League Cup1 Europe2 Other Cups3 Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Internazionale 2005–06 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
2006–07 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Total 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0
Treviso 2007–08 27 2 0 0 – – – – 27 2
2008–09 13 2 1 0 – – – – 14 2
Total 40 4 1 0 – – – – 41 4
Pisa 2008–09 18 1 0 0 – – – – 18 1
Bari 2009–10 38 1 1 0 – – – – 39 1
Juventus 2010–11 34 2 2 0 8 1 – – 44 3
2011–12 32 2 5 0 – – – – 37 2
2012–13 33 0 4 0 10 1 1 0 48 1
2013–14 29 2 1 0 13 1 1 0 44 3
2014–15 30 3 3 1 10 0 1 0 44 4
Career Total 255 14 20 0 41 3 3 0 319 18

1Includes Coppa Italia.

2Includes UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.

3Includes Supercoppa Italiana.

Honours

Club

Inter
Juventus

International

Italy

Individual

Personal life

In June 2011 Bonucci married his long-time girlfriend Martina Maccari, a former model.[54] They have two sons, Lorenzo (b. July 2012)[55] and Matteo (b. May 2014).[56][57][58] His father owns a paint shop in Viterbo.

In October 2012, Bonucci and his wife and then three-month-old son were confronted by an armed robber who demanded the defender to hand over his watch. As the robber reached out to take the watch, Bonucci reportedly punched him and chased him down the street. The robber escaped with his accomplice on a motorbike.[59]

References

  1. ↑ "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 – List of Players" (PDF). Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  2. ↑ "UFFICIALE: Bonucci e Martinez bianconeri. Spesi 27,5 milioni!". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  3. ↑ "I Campioni d’Italia: Leonardo Bonucci". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "INTER'S SUMMER TRANSFERS: 62 DEALS DONE". FC Internationalize Official Site (WWW.inter.it). 31 August 2005. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  5. ↑ "INTER 3 BOLZANO 0". FC Internationalize Official Site (WWW.inter.it). 21 July 2005. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  6. ↑ "INTER BEAT LEICESTER 2–1". FC Internationalize Official Site (WWW.inter.it). 25 July 2005. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  7. ↑ "INTER BEAT CRYSTAL PALACE 2–0". FC Internationalize Official Site (WWW.inter.it). 27 July 2005. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  8. ↑ "CHOUTOS, MARTINS GOALS SINK NORWICH". FC Internationalize Official Site (WWW.inter.it). 29 July 2005. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  9. ↑ "PARMA-INTER: 5 YOUNGSTERS WITH SQUAD". FC Internationalize Official Site (WWW.inter.it). 29 November 2005. Retrieved 2010-06-03.
  10. ↑ INTER HOLD CAGLIARI TO DRAW inter.it 14 May 2006
  11. ↑ GERMINALE, ALOE & BONUCCI ON DEBUTS, inter.it, 14 May 2006
  12. ↑ "BONUCCI SIGNS PERMANENT CONTRACT". inter.it. 2006-07-07. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  13. ↑ FC Internazionale Milano 2006–07 bilancio, Require purchase in CCIAA (Italian)
  14. ↑ "TRANSFERS: INTER'S JANUARY DEALINGS". inter.it. 31 January 2007. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  15. ↑
  16. ↑ "Transfer market: co-ownership deals". inter.it. 25 June 2008. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  17. ↑ "Academy ins and outs". inter.it. 2 February 2009. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  18. ↑
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Genoa CFC 2009 bilancio (in Italian). Genoa CFC & C.C.I.A.A. 28 April 2010.
  20. ↑ "Agreement with A.S. Bari for the acquisition of the registration rights of the player Leonardo Bonucci" (PDF). Juventus FC. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  21. ↑ "Agreements with Genoa C.F.C. S.p.A." (PDF). Juventus FC. 25 June 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  22. ↑ "Bonucci riscattato dal Bari" (in Italian). AS Bari. 24 June 2010. Event occurs at 18:34. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  23. ↑ "Agreement with A.S. Bari for the disposal of the player Sergio Bernardo Almiron" (PDF). Juventus FC. 14 July 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  24. ↑ "Europa League 2011 Sturm-Juventus". uefa.com. 19 August 2010.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 "Euro 2012: Juventus renaissance transforms Cesare Prandelli's Italy". The Guardian. 27 June 2012.
  26. ↑ "Bonucci and Matri sign contract extensions". Juventus FC. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  27. ↑ "Champions League 2012 Juventus-Shaktar Donetsk". uefa.com. 2 October 2012.
  28. ↑ "Is this the most embarrassing dive ever? Juventus cheat Bonucci leaves Cazorla and co in the shade". Daily Mail. 11 December 2012.
  29. ↑ "Today on YouTube: Juventus striker Leonardo Bonucci guilty of the worst dive ever?". Daily Telegraph. 11 December 2012.
  30. ↑ "Simulazione, multato Bonucci". La Stampa. 11 December 2012.
  31. ↑ Riccardo Pratesi (3 April 2014). "Europa League: Lione-Juventus 0-1: risolve Bonucci nel finale, infortunio a Tevez". http://www.gazzetta.it'' (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  32. ↑ Camillo Demichelis (26 January 2015). "BONUCCI: "Orgoglioso delle 200 presenze in bianconero. Ora si guarda avanti con fame di altri successi"". http://www.tuttojuve.com'' (in Italian). Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  33. ↑ "Comunicato Ufficiale n. 99: Gara amichevole Under 21 Serie B – A.C. Renate presso il campo Comunale "L. Fabbri" di Trezzano S/N (MI) – Viale Europa, 90" (PDF). Lega Calcio (2007–08 Archive) (in Italian). 2 November 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 18, 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  34. ↑ "Comunicato Ufficiale n. 127: Gara amichevole Under 21 Serie B – Under 20 Serie C presso stadio "G. Voltini" di Crema – ore 14:30" (PDF). Lega Calcio (2007–08 Archive) (in Italian). 30 November 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 18, 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  35. ↑ "Comunicato Ufficiale n. 69: Gara amichevole di allenamento a squadre contrapposte presso il campo Comunale "L. Fabbri" di Trezzano S/N (MI) – Viale Europa, 90" (PDF). Lega Calcio (2007–08 Archive) (in Italian). 5 October 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 18, 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  36. ↑ match Report
  37. ↑ Match Report
  38. ↑ Match Report
  39. ↑ "La Top 11 Serie D Corriere dello Sport supera per 1 – 0 l'Under 20". Serie D News (in Italian). 31 May 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2010.
  40. ↑ "Nazionale in cifre: Bonucci, Leonardo". http://www.figc.it/'' (in Italian). Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  41. ↑ "Amichevole Italia-Camerun. Tre le novità di Lippi: Sirigu, Bonucci e Cossu". FIGC (in Italian). 28 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  42. ↑ "Italy: Borriello and three newcomers". Football Italia. 28 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-28.
  43. ↑ "Line-ups: Borriello and Cossu start". football-italia. 3 March 2010. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
  44. ↑ "Verso il Mondiale. Ventinove Azzurri convocati per lo stage di Roma". FIGC (in Italian). 2 May 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
  45. ↑ "World Cup 2010: Giuseppe Rossi left out of Italy squad". BBC Sport. 1 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
  46. ↑ "Domani penultimo collaudo: Azzurri in campo a Bruxelles contro il Messico". FIGC (in Italian). 2 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-02.
  47. ↑ Maurizio Nicita (3 June 2010). "Non è ancora un'Italia Mondiale Il Messico ci dà due schiaffi". http://www.gazzetta.it'' (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  48. ↑ "ItalJuve, Euro 2012 statistics". juventus.com. 3 July 2012.
  49. ↑ Alvaro Moretti (1 July 2012). "L'Italia crolla in finale. Spagna campione d'Europa". http://www.tuttosport.com'' (in Italian). Tuttosport. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  50. ↑ "Spain 0 Italy 0". BBC Sport. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  51. ↑ Alessandro Brunetti (26 June 2014). "Mondiali 2014 - Bonucci e De Rossi: rissa con Balotelli negli spogliatoi?". https://it.eurosport.yahoo.com'' (in Italian). Eurosport. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  52. ↑ Angelo Proietti (5 September 2014). "Amichevole Italia – Olanda, fascia di capitano per Leonardo Bonucci". http://www.tusciaweb.eu'' (in Italian). Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  53. ↑ INTER BEAT MILAN TO LIFT PRIMAVERA CUP, inter.it, 5 April 2006
  54. ↑ "Martina e Leondardo, congratulazioni" (in Italian). juventus.com. 18 June 2011.
  55. ↑ "Lorenzo Bonucci has come to the world". juventus.com. 8 July 2012.
  56. ↑ "Leonardo Bonucci, nato il secondo figlio del difensore: si chiama Matteo" (in Italian). Il Sussidiario. 14 May 2014.
  57. ↑ "Bonucci vuole scrivere la storia della Juve." (in Italian). juventus.com. 17 April 2014.
  58. ↑ "Leonardo Bonucci e Martina Maccari incinta, la famiglia meraviglia si allarga" (in Italian). Oggi. 17 December 2013.
  59. ↑ Bandini, Paolo (21 October 2012). "Napoli wilt in the face of Juve's Andrea Pirlo facts". The Guardian (London).

External links