Aimo Diana

Aimo Diana

Diana as a Sampdoria player
Personal information
Full name Aimo Stefano Diana
Date of birth (1978-01-02) 2 January 1978
Place of birth Brescia, Italy
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Playing position Midfielder / Right back
Youth career
Brescia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps† (Gls)†
1996–2001 Brescia 93 (4)
1999–2000 → Verona (co-ownership) 25 (0)
2001–2003 Parma 26 (1)
2003 → Reggina (loan) 16 (1)
2003–2006 Sampdoria 94 (16)
2006–2007 Palermo 41 (2)
2008–2011 Torino 60 (3)
2010 → Bellinzona (loan) 15 (0)
2011 Bellinzona 16 (0)
2011–2012 Lumezzane 29 (1)
2013 Trento 13 (1)
Total 415 (28)
National team
1998–2000 Italy U21 3 (0)
2004–2007 Italy 13 (1)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (goals)

Aimo Stefano Diana (born 2 January 1978 in Brescia) is an Italian retired footballer. A player of wide range, he could appear as a midfielder or a defender, always on the right flank.

Club career

A product of Brescia Calcio's youth system, Diana made his debuts for the first team in Serie B in 1997, and played his first Serie A game on 31 August of the same year, against Inter Milan. He played one season with Hellas Verona F.C. in a co-ownership deal, helping the side to a final ninth position in the top level, and left for Parma A.C. in 2001.

Diana was used irregularly by the Emilia-Romagna side, winning the Italian Cup in his first season, but hardly featuring at all in 2002–03. In January 2003 he moved on loan to Reggina Calcio along with Emiliano Bonazzoli, posteriorly signing for U.C. Sampdoria at the end of the campaign. A key member from the start for the Genovese, he helped the team qualify for the UEFA Cup in his second year, scoring five goals in 32 matches; in early May 2005 he scored the game's only at Juventus F.C. and, the following week, also found the net, in a 3–0 home success against ACF Fiorentina.

In the 2006 summer, Diana signed for U.S. Città di Palermo for €5 million,[1] with Sampdoria also selling Marco Pisano to the same club for €4 million and receiving Massimo Bonanni (50% for €2million), Pietro Accardi (€2 million) and Christian Terlizzi (50% for €1.5 million). He was regularly used in one 1/2 seasons and scored two goals, including the equalizer in a 2–1 home win by the Rosanero against A.C. Milan on 26 September 2007. On 30 January of the following year he was sold to Torino F.C. in a permanent move,[2] for €1.2 million.[3]

In early January 2010, Ultras of Torino attacked club players during David Di Michele's birthday party.[4][5] After the incident, Riccardo Colombo, Diana, Di Michele, Massimo Loviso, Marco Pisano, Francesco Pratali and Paolo Zanetti were transferred to other clubs, with only Rolando Bianchi, Angelo Ogbonna and Matteo Rubin remaining.

Diana joined AC Bellinzona in Switzerland on loan in early February 2010,[6] making his Super League debut on the 21st in a 1–2 away loss against FC Luzern, eventually contributing solidly (15 matches, 14 starts) as the club narrowly retained its division status.

Subsequently, 32-year-old Diana returned to Torino. On 4 January 2011 he mutually terminated his contract,[7] re-signing for Bellinzona (on a permanent basis) the following day.

International career

After impressing for Sampdoria, Diana received his first call-ups to the Italian national team, making his debut in a friendly match with Spain on 28 April 2004.

A regular for the Azzurri under Marcello Lippi, an injury prevented him from being picked to the squad at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. On 2 June 2007, in his last appearance, Diana assisted on Filippo Inzaghi's second goal against the Faroe Islands, in a 2–1 away win for the UEFA Euro 2008 qualifiers.[8]

Honours

Parma

References

  1. ↑ US Città di Palermo Report and Accounts on 30 June 2006 (Italian)
  2. ↑ "Diana e Pisano al Torino" [Diana and Pisano to Torino] (in Italian). US Città di Palermo. 30 January 2008. Archived from the original on 1 February 2008. Retrieved 30 January 2008.
  3. ↑ US Città di Palermo Report and Accounts on 30 June 2008 (Italian)
  4. ↑ Fabrizio, Turco (7 January 2010). "Il Torino è senza pace. Ora si parla di sciopero" [No peace at Torino. Strike a possibility now] (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
  5. ↑ "Torino fans in player restaurant attack". ESPN Soccernet. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2010.
  6. ↑ "Diana al Bellinzona" [Diana to Bellinzona] (in Italian). Torino FC. 8 January 2010. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
  7. ↑ "Diana, rescissione consensuale" [Diana, mutual rescision] (in Italian). Torino FC. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
  8. ↑ "Soccer – Inzaghi double gives Italy tight win in Faroes". Reuters. 2 June 2007. Retrieved 20 April 2011.

External links

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