Alberto Gilardino facts for kids
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Gilardino managing Genoa in 2023
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 5 July 1982 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Biella, Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Striker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cossatese | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Biellese | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Piacenza | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Piacenza | 17 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | Hellas Verona | 39 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2005 | Parma | 96 | (50) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | AC Milan | 94 | (36) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2012 | Fiorentina | 118 | (48) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2014 | Genoa | 50 | (19) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | → Bologna (loan) | 36 | (13) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Guangzhou Evergrande | 14 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 14 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Palermo | 33 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Empoli | 14 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Pescara | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Spezia | 16 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 544 | (199) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Italy U15 | 10 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | Italy U16 | 2 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Italy U19 | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | Italy U21 | 24 | (15) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Italy Olympic | 6 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2013 | Italy | 57 | (19) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Rezzato | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Pro Vercelli | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Siena | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Siena | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Genoa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Alberto Gilardino (born on 5 July 1982) is an Italian professional football manager and a former player. He used to play as a striker. He was most recently the manager of the Genoa football club.
Gilardino was known for scoring many goals. People often compared him to Filippo Inzaghi because he was great at finding chances to score. He is one of the youngest players to score 100 goals in Italy's top league, Serie A. With 188 goals, he is among the top 10 all-time scorers in Serie A history! His special way of celebrating a goal was to get on his knees and pretend to play a violin.
Alberto Gilardino played for many Italian clubs. He became famous while playing for Parma. His amazing goal-scoring earned him awards like the Serie A Young Footballer of the Year in 2004. He also won the Serie A Footballer of the Year and the Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year awards in 2005. After Parma, he moved to AC Milan. With Milan, he won the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, the 2007 UEFA Super Cup, and the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup. He also played for a Chinese club, Guangzhou Evergrande, winning the 2014 Chinese Super League with them.
Gilardino played for Italy's national teams at different age levels, including the under-19, under-20, under-21, and senior teams. He helped the Italy under-21 team win the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. He was the top scorer and best player in that tournament. Later that year, he won a bronze medal with Italy at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He is the all-time top scorer for the Italy U-21 team with 19 goals. For the senior team, he was part of the squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2010 World Cup, and the 2013 Confederations Cup, where he won another bronze medal. In his whole career, Gilardino scored 432 goals.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out at Piacenza
Alberto Gilardino grew up in Cossato, Italy. He started playing football with a local team called Cossatese. After playing for another youth team, he joined Piacenza. At just 17 years old, he made his first professional appearance in Italy's top league, Serie A, in January 2000. Even though Piacenza was relegated to a lower league that season, Gilardino scored 3 goals in 17 matches.
Time at Verona
In 2000, Gilardino, who was already seen as a talented player, moved to Hellas Verona. He scored five goals in two seasons there. In 2001, he was in a car accident that kept him from playing for a while. Luckily, he was able to get out of his car before it sank into a river. He scored 5 goals in 39 matches during his two seasons with Verona.
Becoming a Star at Parma
Gilardino's career really took off when he joined Parma in 2002. His coach, Cesare Prandelli, really wanted him on the team. In the 2003–04 season, Gilardino scored 23 goals in Serie A. This made him the second-highest scorer in the league that year. He also scored three goals in the UEFA Cup.
He did it again in the 2004–05 season, scoring another 23 goals in the league. He ended up with 51 goals for Parma in just 97 Serie A games. His success at Parma and with the Italy U-21 team earned him a longer contract.
Winning Trophies with AC Milan
On 17 July 2005, Gilardino moved to AC Milan for a big transfer fee. He quickly scored his first goal for Milan against Sampdoria. In the 2005–06 season, he scored 17 goals in Serie A.
In the 2006–07 season, Gilardino scored his first UEFA Champions League goal. He scored a very important goal against Manchester United in the semi-finals, helping Milan reach the Champions League final. Milan won the final against Liverpool, and Gilardino played a small part in that victory. He was Milan's top scorer in Serie A that season with 12 goals.
Moving to Fiorentina
On 25 May 2008, Gilardino joined Fiorentina. He was happy to be reunited with his former Parma coach, Cesare Prandelli, and some old teammates. He scored his first goal for Fiorentina in a Champions League qualifying match.
On 31 August, he scored on his Serie A debut for Fiorentina against Juventus, tying the game 1–1. In October 2008, he scored two goals against Reggina, becoming one of the youngest Italian players to reach 100 goals in Serie A. He finished the 2008–09 season with 19 Serie A goals.
In the 2009–10 Champions League, Gilardino scored a dramatic late goal against Sporting CP. He also scored a goal against Liverpool at Anfield, which he called the most important goal of his career. He scored 10 goals in European competitions for Fiorentina, matching a club record.
On 27 February 2011, Gilardino scored his 200th career goal as a professional player. He scored 44 Serie A goals for Fiorentina, placing him among the club's top scorers.
Time at Genoa and Bologna
On 3 January 2012, Gilardino signed with Genoa. He scored his first Genoa goal later that month. He scored 4 goals in 14 games for Genoa in the second half of the 2011–12 season.
In August 2012, Gilardino went on loan to Bologna. He scored two goals in his second game for Bologna, helping them win 3–2 against Roma. He scored 13 goals in 35 matches for Bologna, helping the team stay safe from relegation.
After his loan, he returned to Genoa for the 2013–14 season. He scored 15 goals in 36 matches that season, reaching 170 total goals in Serie A.
Playing in China and Returning to Italy
On 5 July 2014, Gilardino moved to the Chinese club Guangzhou Evergrande. He scored 5 goals in 14 matches, helping Guangzhou win the Chinese Super League title.
In January 2015, he returned to Fiorentina on loan. He scored 4 goals in 14 matches during this time.
In August 2015, Gilardino signed with Palermo. He scored his 184th Serie A goal in January 2016, matching Gabriel Batistuta's record. He also tied the record for scoring against the most different clubs in Serie A (38 clubs). He finished the season with 10 Serie A goals, helping Palermo avoid relegation.
After Palermo, he played briefly for Empoli and Pescara. In October 2017, he signed with Spezia. He left the club at the end of that season and announced his retirement from playing on 20 September 2018.
Managerial Career
Early Coaching Roles
In September 2018, Gilardino got his coaching licenses. He started as an assistant coach and technical director for a club called Rezzato. In February 2019, he became the head coach of Rezzato.
In July 2019, Gilardino was appointed manager of Pro Vercelli. In September 2020, he became the new manager of Siena. He left Siena in January 2021 but was rehired a month later. He guided Siena to third place in the league. In October 2021, Siena dismissed him again.
Managing Genoa
On 1 July 2022, Gilardino became the head coach of Genoa's Under-19 team. In December 2022, he was temporarily promoted to head coach of the main Genoa team, which plays in Serie B.
Because of good results, Gilardino was made the permanent head coach. He led Genoa to get promoted directly to Serie A! He signed a contract extension until June 2024. However, on 19 November 2024, after some difficult results, Gilardino was sacked from his role as manager.
Playing for Italy
Youth and Olympic Teams
Gilardino played for Italy at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, where he won a bronze medal. He scored a key goal against Iraq in the match for third place. He also led Italy's under-21 team to win the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. He was named the best player and top scorer of that tournament with four goals. Gilardino is still the all-time top scorer for the Italy under-21 team, with 19 goals.
Senior National Team Debut
After the 2004 Olympics, Gilardino was chosen by the senior national team coach Marcello Lippi. He made his debut on 4 September 2004, at age 22, in a World Cup qualifier against Norway. On 13 October, he scored his first goal for Italy against Belarus.
Gilardino was part of the 23-player Italy squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played in the first two matches, scoring a goal against the United States. He came on as a substitute in the semi-final against Germany, hitting the post in extra time. He also helped set up Alessandro Del Piero's goal, which sealed Italy's 2–0 victory. Italy then beat France in the final to win the World Cup!
Later International Career
Gilardino returned to the national team in 2008. In June 2009, he played in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. He scored two goals in a friendly match against New Zealand before the tournament.
On 10 October 2009, Gilardino scored a goal against Ireland that he called the most important of his career. This goal helped Italy qualify for the 2010 World Cup. A few days later, he scored three goals (a hat-trick) against Cyprus, helping Italy win 3–2. He was part of the Italian squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but Italy was eliminated early.
Under new coach Cesare Prandelli, Gilardino continued to play for Italy. On 7 September 2010, he scored in a 5–0 victory against the Faroe Islands. In 2013, he was called up for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil, where Italy won a bronze medal. On 6 September 2013, he scored a goal against Bulgaria, helping Italy qualify for the 2014 World Cup. This goal also made him the first Genoa player to score for Italy since 1956.
How He Played Football
Alberto Gilardino was a fast, active, and hardworking forward. He was very good at finding the right spot to score goals. He was skilled at heading the ball and scoring with acrobatic moves. He played mainly as a striker, meaning he liked to be in the penalty area to finish chances. He was known for his ability to score goals and finish off passes from his teammates.
He had good technique and an eye for goal. He could shoot quickly, and he was also strong enough to hold the ball and protect it from defenders. This helped his team by allowing him to hold up the ball and pass it to teammates for assists. Gilardino was naturally right-footed, but he learned to use his left foot well during his early years at Parma.
Personal Life
In April 2001, shortly after getting his driver's license, Gilardino was in a car accident. His car went off the road and into a canal. Even though he was hurt, he managed to open his door and help two sisters, Silvia and Cosetta Puppinato, get to safety from the sinking car.
Gilardino is good friends with his former Milan teammate Daniele Bonera. He once dedicated a goal to Daniele's baby daughter. Besides his goal-scoring, he is famous for his goal celebration: getting on his knees and pretending to play a violin. He married Alice Bregoli on 5 July 2009. They have three daughters: Ginevra (born 2008), Gemma (born 2011), and Giulia (born 2012).
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
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| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Piacenza | 1999–2000 | Serie A | 17 | 3 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 17 | 3 | ||
| 2000–01 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | – | – | 3 | 2 | |||
| Total | 17 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5 | ||
| Verona | 2000–01 | Serie A | 22 | 3 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 24 | 3 | ||
| 2001–02 | Serie A | 17 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 19 | 3 | |||
| Total | 39 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 6 | ||
| Parma | 2002–03 | Serie A | 24 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 28 | 5 | |
| 2003–04 | Serie A | 34 | 23 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 3 | – | 40 | 26 | ||
| 2004–05 | Serie A | 38 | 23 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 48 | 25 | |
| Total | 96 | 50 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 116 | 56 | ||
| AC Milan | 2005–06 | Serie A | 34 | 17 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 0 | – | 47 | 19 | |
| 2006–07 | Serie A | 30 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 11 | 2 | – | 45 | 16 | ||
| 2007–08 | Serie A | 30 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 9 | |
| Total | 94 | 36 | 8 | 4 | 28 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 132 | 44 | ||
| Fiorentina | 2008–09 | Serie A | 35 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 6 | – | 46 | 25 | |
| 2009–10 | Serie A | 36 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 4 | – | 48 | 19 | ||
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 35 | 12 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 12 | |||
| 2011–12 | Serie A | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 13 | 3 | |||
| Total | 118 | 48 | 6 | 1 | 19 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 143 | 59 | ||
| Genoa | 2011–12 | Serie A | 14 | 4 | – | – | – | 14 | 4 | |||
| 2012–13 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 1 | 1 | |||
| 2013–14 | Serie A | 36 | 15 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 37 | 16 | |||
| Total | 50 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52 | 21 | ||
| Bologna (loan) | 2012–13 | Serie A | 36 | 13 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 37 | 13 | ||
| Guangzhou Evergrande | 2014 | Chinese Super League | 14 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 17 | 6 | |
| Fiorentina (loan) | 2014–15 | Serie A | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 | 4 | |
| Palermo | 2015–16 | Serie A | 33 | 10 | 1 | 1 | – | – | 34 | 11 | ||
| Empoli | 2016–17 | Serie A | 14 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | – | 16 | 1 | ||
| Pescara | 2016–17 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | – | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||
| Spezia | 2017–18 | Serie B | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 16 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 544 | 199 | 31 | 14 | 63 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 643 | 232 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2004 | 4 | 1 |
| 2005 | 8 | 4 | |
| 2006 | 11 | 4 | |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 9 | 6 | |
| 2010 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2012 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 10 | 2 | |
| Total | 57 | 19 | |
- Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Gilardino goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 October 2004 | Parma, Italy |  Belarus |
4–2 | 4–3 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 9 February 2005 | Cagliari, Italy |  Russia |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 3 | 17 August 2005 | Dublin, Ireland |  Republic of Ireland |
2–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 4 | 12 October 2005 | Lecce, Italy |  Moldova |
2–1 | 2–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 12 November 2005 | Amsterdam, Netherlands |  Netherlands |
1–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
| 6 | 1 March 2006 | Florence, Italy |  Germany |
1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
| 7 | 30 April 2006 | Geneva, Switzerland |  Switzerland |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 8 | 17 June 2006 | Kaiserslautern, Germany |  United States |
1–0 | 1–1 | 2006 FIFA World Cup |
| 9 | 6 September 2006 | Saint-Denis, France |  France |
1–2 | 1–3 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying |
| 10 | 20 August 2008 | Nice, France |  Austria |
1–2 | 2–2 | 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 | 2–2 | 2010 FIFA World Cup 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 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying |
| 18 | 31 May 2013 | Bologna, Italy |  San Marino |
2–0 | 4–0 | Friendly |
| 19 | 6 September 2013 | Palermo, Italy |  Bulgaria |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Managerial statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Rezzato | 28 February 2019 | 30 June 2019 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 60.00 |
| Pro Vercelli | 11 July 2019 | 30 June 2020 | 30 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 30.00 |
| Siena | 8 September 2020 | 11 January 2021 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 55.56 |
| 11 February 2021 | 24 October 2021 | 32 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 40.63 | |
| Genoa | 6 December 2022 | 19 November 2024 | 79 | 32 | 24 | 23 | 40.51 |
| Total | 160 | 65 | 46 | 49 | 40.63 | ||
Honours
AC Milan
- UEFA Champions League: 2006–07
- UEFA Super Cup: 2007
- FIFA Club World Cup: 2007
Guangzhou Evergrande
- Chinese Super League: 2014
Italy
- FIFA World Cup: 2006
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2004
- Olympic Bronze Medal: 2004
- FIFA Confederations Cup: Third place 2013
Individual
- Serie A Footballer of the Year: 2005
- Serie A Italian Footballer of the Year: 2005
- Serie A Young Footballer of the Year: 2004
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship Golden Player: 2004
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship Top Scorer: 2004
Orders
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5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2004
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4th Class / Officer: Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2006
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CONI: Golden Collar of Sports Merit: 2006
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Images for kids
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Gilardino captaining Italy in 2013 during a friendly match versus Haiti
_-_Alberto_Gilardino_(edited).jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Alberto Gilardino para niños
