Andrés D'Alessandro facts for kids
D'Alessandro in 2016
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrés Nicolás D'Alessandro | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 15 April 1981 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Buenos Aires, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Attacking midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1999 | River Plate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2003 | River Plate | 70 | (20) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2007 | Wolfsburg | 61 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006 | → Portsmouth (loan) | 13 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | → Zaragoza (loan) | 36 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007 | Zaragoza | 4 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008 | San Lorenzo | 15 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2020 | Internacional | 284 | (45) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | → River Plate (loan) | 17 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Nacional | 14 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | Internacional | 1 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 478 | (84) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001 | Argentina U20 | 7 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004 | Argentina U23 | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2010 | Argentina | 25 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Andrés Nicolás D'Alessandro (born April 15, 1981) is a former professional footballer from Argentina. He was an attacking midfielder, known for his skill and creativity on the field. He played for top teams in Argentina, Germany, England, Spain, Brazil, and Uruguay.
Andrés won a gold medal with the Argentine national team at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He also played in the 2004 Copa América that same year. In 2020, he became a Brazilian citizen.
Contents
Andrés D'Alessandro's Club Journey
Starting Out in Argentina
Andrés D'Alessandro was born in La Paternal, a part of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Before becoming a professional footballer, he worked as a pizza delivery boy. People called him El Cabezón, which means "The Big Headed". This nickname came from how his head looked big on his smaller body.
He grew up playing football in the River Plate youth system. This system has helped many talented Argentine players become stars. Andrés followed in the footsteps of players like Santiago Solari and Pablo Aimar. He also played alongside Javier Saviola in the 2001 Youth World Championship. With the senior team at River Plate, he helped them win the Primera División titles in 2001–02 and 2002–03.
Playing in Europe
Andrés D'Alessandro's great performances at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship caught the eye of many European clubs. In July 2003, he moved to VfL Wolfsburg in Germany for a club record fee of €9 million. On September 21, 2005, he scored the 40,000th goal in the Bundesliga (Germany's top league) since it started in 1963. This goal came in a 4–2 win against Hannover 96.
On January 31, 2006, D'Alessandro joined the English Premier League club Portsmouth on a loan deal for the rest of the season. His main goal was to help the team avoid being moved down to a lower league. On April 17, he scored his first goal in English football against Charlton Athletic. Portsmouth managed to stay in the Premier League.
Portsmouth's manager wanted to sign D'Alessandro permanently. However, many other European clubs were interested in him, including Atlético Madrid and Benfica. On June 17, he decided to join La Liga team Real Zaragoza in Spain on a season-long loan. He said he really wanted to play in Spain. On June 6, 2007, he signed a full contract with Zaragoza until 2011.
Coming Back to South America
In 2008, Andrés D'Alessandro returned to Argentina to play for San Lorenzo. He joined his former River Plate coach, Ramón Díaz, there. But after Díaz left the club, D'Alessandro decided to move to Brazil. He joined Internacional, a team that had won the Copa Libertadores. He felt this move was a "step forward" in his career.
Andrés D'Alessandro became one of Internacional's most loved players. In 2008, he helped Inter win the Copa Sudamericana. In 2009, Internacional finished second in both the Brasileirão (Brazilian league) and the Copa do Brasil (Brazilian cup).
In 2010, D'Alessandro led Internacional to win their second Copa Libertadores title. He was also named the best player in South America that year. At the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup, he helped Internacional finish third and won the Bronze Ball award as the tournament's third best player.
In 2011, D'Alessandro had a great year personally, but Internacional only won the State Gaucho Championship. In 2013, his game improved again, and he was seen as the best part of the team, even though they only won the State Championship. In 2014, D'Alessandro continued to play well and led Inter to their fourth straight Gaucho Championship.
On February 3, 2016, he returned to River Plate on a loan deal after 12 and a half years. During his time there, he won his second Recopa Sudamericana and the Copa Argentina. After that, he went back to Internacional in December 2016 and continued his successful career.
Andrés D'Alessandro's International Career
Andrés D'Alessandro played for Argentina's national teams at different levels.
Youth and Olympic Success
In 2001, he won the Under-20 World Championship with the Argentine youth team. This tournament was held in Buenos Aires. Because of his excellent play, he received the Silver Ball award as the second-best player in the tournament. Argentina won the final against Ghana with a score of 3–0.
D'Alessandro also played for Argentina's under-23 team at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Argentina won a gold medal at these games.
Playing for the Senior Team
Andrés D'Alessandro played for Argentina's senior national team 28 times, scoring 4 goals between 2001 and 2011.
He also took part in the 2004 Copa América with Argentina. He scored one goal in the group stage, helping Argentina win 6–1 against Ecuador. In the final against their rivals Brazil, the game ended in a 2–2 draw after extra time. D'Alessandro missed Argentina's first penalty in the shootout, and Argentina lost 4–2.
On August 20, 2010, coach Sergio Batista called D'Alessandro back to the national team. He played in a friendly match against Spain on September 7, 2010.
Andrés D'Alessandro's Style of Play
Andrés D'Alessandro was a very skilled attacking midfielder. He was known for his amazing dribbling ability, which means he was great at controlling the ball and moving past defenders. He was also very creative and had excellent technical skills.
He could trick players with body feints and special moves, like the dragback (called boba), the nutmeg (kicking the ball between an opponent's legs), or the Blomqvist shuffle. D'Alessandro was also very good at taking free-kicks, often scoring directly from them.
His short passing ability was also a key part of his game. This made him a great assist provider, meaning he often set up goals for his teammates. In 2001, he was named one of the 100 best young footballers in the world by Don Balón magazine.
Honours and Awards
Andrés D'Alessandro won many titles and awards throughout his career:
River Plate
- Argentine Primera División: 2000 Clausura, 2002 Clausura, 2003 Clausura
- Recopa Sudamericana: 2016
- Copa Argentina: 2015–16
Internacional
- Copa Sudamericana: 2008
- Campeonato Gaúcho: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
- Copa Libertadores: 2010
- Recopa Sudamericana: 2011
Argentina U20
Argentina Olympic
- Summer Olympics Gold Medal:
2004
Argentina
- Copa América runner-up: 2004
Individual Awards
- South American Team of the Year: 2001, 2002, 2008, 2010
- FIFA World Youth Championship Silver Ball: 2001
- FIFA Club World Cup Bronze Ball: 2010
- South American Footballer of the Year: 2010
- EFE Brazil Trophy: 2013
See also
In Spanish: Andrés D'Alessandro para niños
