Cristian Zenoni
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 23 April 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Trescore Balneario, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (5 ft 11 1⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Full Back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1994–1996 | Atalanta | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–2001 | Atalanta | 120 | (2) |
| 1996–1997 | → Pistoiese (loan) | 30 | (0) |
| 2001 | Milan | 0 | (0) |
| 2001–2005 | Juventus | 37 | (2) |
| 2003–2005 | → Sampdoria (loan) | 59 | (0) |
| 2005–2008 | Sampdoria | 86 | (1) |
| 2008–2010 | Bologna | 49 | (0) |
| 2010–2011 | AlbinoLeffe | 32 | (1) |
| 2011–2012 | Monza | 19 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2001–2006 | Italy | 2 | (0) |
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Cristian Zenoni (born 23 April 1977 in Trescore Balneario, Province of Bergamo) is an Italian football manager and former player, who played as a defender in the role of full-back. He is the twin brother of former footballer Damiano Zenoni.[1]
Club career
Zenoni started his career at his native club Atalanta B.C., joining the team's youth system in 1994. After being promoted to the first team, in 1996, Zenoni was loaned to Serie C1 side A.C. Pistoiese for a season in order to gain playing time and experience. The following season, he made his Serie A debut with Atalanta on 5 October 1997, in a 1–1 draw against rivals Brescia; in total he made 17 appaearances throughout the season. Despite his promising performances for the club, he has unable to help Atalanta avoid relegation to Serie B. He later helped Atalanta gain promotion to Serie A during the 1999–2000 season, and the next season, both he and his brother Damiano extablished themselves as two of the most exciting young full-backs in the league.[1][2] Described by press as a promising young prospect, in June 2001, Cristian transferred to A.C. Milan along with Massimo Donati for 60 billion Italian lire in a cash plus player deal (the player was majority),[3] but quickly transferred to Juventus F.C. as part of Filippo Inzaghi's transfer in the opposite direction, he was tagged for 30 billion Italian lire or about €15.6M. He signed a 5-year contract. In the summer of 2003, Zenoni was loaned to U.C. Sampdoria[4] with an option to sign permanently for 10 million euro.[5] He was loaned out to the club once again in the summer of 2004, and at the end of the 2004–05 season, after almost helping the team qualify for the UEFA Champions League, he was signed permanently by Sampodoria for €1M.[1][2][6][7] After several seasons in Genoa, in 2008, Zenoni joined Bologna. In 2010, he moved to AlbinoLeffe, where he remained until 2011. He ended his career after spending the 2011–12 season with Monza, in Lega Pro. In total, he made 546 professional appearances, scoring 10 goals.[1]
International career
After representing the Italy national under-21 football team three times between 1998 and 1999, Zenoni was capped at senior level for the Italy national football team twice, making his debut in a 2–1 friendly home loss against Argentina, on 28 February 2001, under manager Giovanni Trapattoni.[1][2][8][9]
He was recalled by Roberto Donadoni, for his first match as Italy's coach, in August 2006. Zenoni played the friendly match, his second and final Italy appearance losing 0–2 to Croatia on 16 August, as starter.[2][8][10]
Style of play
A hard-working and athletic team player, Zenoni was regarded as a talented and promising young prospect, and as one of the best players in his position in Italy in his youth. He usually played as a right sided full-back, although he was known for his offensive prowess, stamina, and ability to cover the right flank, and was also capable of playing in more advanced positions on occasion, as a right winger.[1][2]
Personal life
Cristian is the twin brother of former footballer Damiano Zenoni.[1]
Honours
Club
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Che fine ha fatto Cristian Zenoni". www.bergamopost.it (in Italian). Bergamo Post. 28 February 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Stefano Bedeschi (24 April 2015). "Gli eroi in bianconero: Cristian ZENONI" (in Italian). Tutto Juve. Retrieved 21 January 2017.
- ↑ Antonello Capone; Andrea Masala (2001-06-03). "Il Milan ha in pugno Thuram e Inzaghi". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 2010-04-27.
- ↑ "Sampdoria continue signing spree". UEFA.con. 2003-06-25. Retrieved 2010-03-08.
- ↑ Six-Monthly Report at 31 December 2003
- ↑ Six-Monthly Report at 31 December 2004
- 1 2 "Il pallone racconta: Cristian Zenoni". ilpalloneracconta.blogspot.ca (in Italian). Il Pallone Racconta. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- 1 2 "Nazionale in cifre: Zenoni, Cristian". www.figc.it (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ↑ "Italia-Argentina 1-2" (in Italian). Rai Sport. 28 February 2000. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
- ↑ "Non va la nuova Italia di Donadoni La Croazia è più avanti: 0-2 a Livorno" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 16 August 2006. Retrieved 20 January 2017.