Alberto Aquilani facts for kids
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Aquilani with Liverpool in 2012
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 7 July 1984 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rome, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2002 | Roma | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2002–2009 | Roma | 102 | (9) | |||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | → Triestina (loan) | 41 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2012 | Liverpool | 18 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2010–2011 | → Juventus (loan) | 33 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | → Milan (loan) | 23 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | Fiorentina | 81 | (13) | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Sporting CP | 19 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Pescara | 9 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2017 | → Sassuolo (loan) | 16 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Las Palmas | 21 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 358 | (33) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | Italy U16 | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | Italy U17 | 13 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Italy U18 | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2001–2003 | Italy U19 | 18 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2003 | Italy U20 | 2 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Italy U21 | 20 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2014 | Italy | 38 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Pisa | |||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Alberto Aquilani is an Italian football manager and former player. He was born on July 7, 1984. Alberto mostly played as a central midfielder, helping his team control the game. He was also good at playing further up the field as an attacking midfielder.
Aquilani started his career with the Italian club Roma. After a short loan, he became a regular player for Roma. Fans even called him "Il Principino" (The Little Prince). This was because he played like a famous Roma player named Giuseppe Giannini, who was known as "Il Principe" (The Prince). He won the Coppa Italia twice with Roma in 2007 and 2008. He also won the 2007 Supercoppa Italiana.
In 2009, he moved to the English club Liverpool. He didn't play much there due to injuries. So, he went back to Italy on loan to Juventus in 2010. After that, he was loaned to Milan in 2011. In 2012, he was sold to Fiorentina. He then played for Sporting CP in Portugal and later for Pescara and Sassuolo in Italy. His last club was Las Palmas in Spain. He stopped playing football in 2019.
Alberto Aquilani also played for the Italian national team. He played 38 games for Italy between 2006 and 2014, scoring 5 goals. He was part of the team for Euro 2008 and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Italy won a bronze medal. He also went to the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting with Roma
When Alberto Aquilani was 17, big clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal wanted him to join them. But he chose to stay with his youth club, Roma.
He played his first game in Italy's top league, Serie A, when he was 18. This was on May 10, 2002, against Torino. Roma won that game 3–1. To get more experience, he was loaned to Serie B club Triestina for the 2003–04 season.
When he returned to Roma in 2004, he started playing regularly. In the 2005–06 season, he scored a goal in the important derby match against their rivals. Roma won that game and set a new record for most wins in a row in Serie A.
He scored two amazing long-range goals at the start of the 2007–08 season. These goals were against Palermo and Siena. However, he often had injuries that kept him from playing. He signed a new contract with Roma in 2009, planning to stay until 2013.
Time at Liverpool
On August 5, 2009, Liverpool announced that Alberto Aquilani would be joining them. He signed a five-year contract after passing his medical tests. Liverpool paid Roma about £17 million for him. He was given the number 4 shirt.
Aquilani played his first game for Liverpool in October 2009. It was a League Cup match against Arsenal. He made his Premier League debut in November. His first start in the Premier League was on December 26, 2009, against Wolves. The fans gave him a big cheer when he left the field.
He scored his first goal for Liverpool on March 15, 2010, against Portsmouth. He also helped set up another goal in that game. Fans voted him "man of the match" on Liverpool's website. He continued to play well, getting three assists in a 4–0 win against Burnley. He also scored a goal in the Europa League against Atlético Madrid. In his first season, Aquilani played 26 times and scored twice.
In August 2010, Liverpool's new manager thought Aquilani might benefit from playing more regularly. So, he was loaned back to Italy.
Loan to Juventus
On August 21, 2010, Aquilani joined Juventus on a one-season loan. He made his debut for Juventus in September. He started playing regularly and scored his first goal for the club in October. Even though he played well, Juventus decided not to buy him permanently. So, he returned to Liverpool.
Loan to Milan
In August 2011, Aquilani joined Milan on loan for the 2011–12 season. Milan had the option to buy him later. Liverpool's manager said that Aquilani was a great player. He explained that the loan happened because Aquilani didn't fit the team's main playing style at the time.
Aquilani played his first game for Milan in August 2011. He immediately helped the team by being involved in their first goal and assisting the second. He scored his first goal for Milan in his second league game for the club.
Moving to Fiorentina
Aquilani returned to Liverpool for pre-season training in 2012. However, he soon moved to Fiorentina in Italy. His transfer was completed on August 3, 2012. Aquilani later said that Liverpool's high asking price had stopped him from joining Milan or Juventus permanently.
On January 26, 2014, Aquilani scored his first ever hat-trick (three goals in one game) for Fiorentina. This was in an exciting 3–3 draw against Genoa. He reached the 2014 Coppa Italia Final with Fiorentina, but they lost to Napoli. The next season, Fiorentina finished fourth in the league and reached the semi-finals of the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League.
Later Clubs
After his contract with Fiorentina ended in 2015, Aquilani became a free agent. He then signed a three-year contract with the Portuguese club Sporting CP.
In August 2016, he returned to Italy and signed with Pescara. In January 2017, he was loaned to Sassuolo for the rest of the season.
In August 2017, Aquilani joined the Spanish club Las Palmas. He left the club in July 2018. After a year without a club, Alberto Aquilani announced his retirement from playing football in June 2019.
International Career for Italy
Alberto Aquilani played for Italy at different youth levels. He won the 2003 UEFA European Under-19 Championship with Italy's Under-19 team and was named the best player of the tournament.
He made his debut for the senior Italian team on November 15, 2006, in a friendly game against Turkey. He played regularly in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He scored two goals and was named in the "UEFA Team of the Tournament."
Aquilani was chosen for Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2008. This was his first big international tournament. He played in the quarter-final match against Spain. Italy lost that game after a penalty shootout.
He scored his first two goals for Italy in a World Cup qualification match against Montenegro in October 2008. However, he was not chosen for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad.
In August 2011, he scored his third international goal. It was a late winning goal in a friendly game against the world champions, Spain.
Aquilani was part of the Italian team that played in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. Italy finished third and won a bronze medal. In the match for the bronze medal, he scored a penalty in the shootout.
On October 11, 2013, Aquilani scored a late goal that helped Italy draw 2–2 against Denmark in a World Cup qualifying game. This was his fifth goal for Italy. He was also part of Italy's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
How He Played
Alberto Aquilani was a modern and hardworking player. He could play in many different midfield roles. He was good at playing deep to start attacks, or further forward as an attacking midfielder. His favorite position was as a central midfielder, where he could make runs into the penalty area.
He was known for his great vision, creativity, and quick, accurate passes. He could control the pace of the game from midfield. He also had a lot of energy and could shoot powerfully from long range with both feet. Because of his height and good heading ability, he was also dangerous in the air. He was good at taking free kicks and corners, helping his team score more goals.
Even though he was very talented when he was young, he often got injured. These injuries sometimes stopped him from playing consistently. Some people in football felt that his injuries prevented him from reaching his full potential.
Managerial Career
After retiring as a player, Alberto Aquilani started a new career as a manager. On July 11, 2019, he became the head coach of Fiorentina's Under-18 team. Later, he joined the first team staff as an assistant coach.
In July 2020, he was appointed head coach of Fiorentina's main youth team, the Primavera squad. Under his leadership, the team won the Coppa Italia Primavera title three times in a row (2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22). They also won the Supercoppa Primavera twice (2021, 2022).
In 2023, he left Fiorentina's youth system to become the head coach of a senior team. He took over Serie B club Pisa. He guided Pisa to a mid-table finish in the league. In June 2024, Aquilani left the club.
Personal Life
Alberto Aquilani married Michela Quattrociocche on July 4, 2012. They have two daughters together, Aurora (born in 2011) and Diamante (born in 2014). In May 2020, it was announced that they had separated.
Images for kids
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Martin Škrtel and Aquilani warming up before a game.
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Aquilani playing for Fiorentina.
See also
In Spanish: Alberto Aquilani para niños
