Andrea Belotti facts for kids
Belotti in 2021
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 20 December 1993 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Calcinate, Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.81 m | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Striker | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current club | Como | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 11 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2006 | Grumellese | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2012 | AlbinoLeffe | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | AlbinoLeffe | 39 | (14) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Palermo | 62 | (16) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2022 | Torino | 232 | (100) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Roma | 45 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | → Fiorentina (loan) | 15 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2024– | Como | 17 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| National team‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Italy U19 | 6 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2013 | Italy U20 | 9 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | Italy U21 | 18 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2022 | Italy | 44 | (12) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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† Appearances (Goals). |
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Andrea Belotti (born 20 December 1993) is an Italian professional footballer. He plays as a striker for the Serie A club Como.
Belotti started his career at AlbinoLeffe. He then moved to Palermo, where he helped them win the Serie B title in the 2013–14 season. In 2015, he joined Torino. He became one of Torino's top goalscorers before leaving in 2022 to join Roma. He also played on loan for Fiorentina and is now with Como.
Andrea Belotti has played for Italy's national youth teams, including the under-19, under-20, and under-21 squads. He played in the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He made his debut for the senior national team in 2016. He was part of the Italy team that won UEFA Euro 2020.
Contents
Early life
Andrea Belotti was born in Calcinate, a small town near Bergamo in northern Italy. His nickname is Il Gallo, which means "The Rooster". This fun nickname came from a childhood friend. His friend jokingly suggested that Andrea should celebrate his goals by acting like a rooster, putting an open hand to his forehead like a rooster's comb. When he was a kid, Belotti was a big fan of AC Milan.
Club career
Starting with AlbinoLeffe
Andrea Belotti began playing football at a local school in Gorlago and then with Grumellese. After trying out for Atalanta without success, he joined AlbinoLeffe. He played in their youth teams. He made his first team debut in the 2011–12 season. He played eight matches in Serie B and scored two goals. He also scored 13 goals for the youth team that season, helping them win a youth title called the Trofeo Dossena.
In the next season, he became a full member of the first team. He played 31 games in Lega Pro Prima Divisione and scored 12 goals. He was sometimes called Belottino because another player, Mauro Belotti, was also on the team.
Moving to Palermo
On 2 September 2013, Belotti was loaned to Palermo, a club in Serie B. He made his debut for Palermo on 24 September 2013. He helped set up a goal in that game. He scored his first goal for Palermo on 5 October against Brescia. On 3 May 2014, his team was promoted to Serie A, Italy's top league. He finished that season with 10 goals. Palermo then bought half of his contract.
He played his first game in Serie A on 31 August 2014, when he was 20 years old. On 24 September, he scored his first two goals in Serie A in a match against Napoli. He played in 38 games that season, mostly as a substitute, and scored six goals.
Time at Torino
On 18 August 2015, Andrea Belotti joined Torino for about €7.5 million. He scored his first goal for Torino in a 2–0 win against Bologna. On 16 January 2016, he scored two goals in one game for the first time with Torino. He finished the 2015–16 season with 12 goals in 35 games.
He started the 2016–17 season by scoring a header against AC Milan. On 28 August, he scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) in a 5–1 win against Bologna. In December 2016, he signed a new contract with Torino until 2021. This contract included a €100 million release clause for foreign clubs. On 5 March 2017, he became captain for the first time. In that game, he scored the fastest hat-trick in Serie A since 2000, doing it in just seven minutes and 15 seconds. He ended the season with 26 goals in 35 games, making him the third top-scorer in the league.
After becoming the permanent team captain, he scored a fantastic scissor-kick goal in a 3–0 win against Sassuolo. He scored 10 goals in Serie A during the 2017–18 season.
On 26 August 2018, Belotti scored his first goal of the 2018–19 season. He scored another scissor-kick goal against Sassuolo on 25 May. He was voted Torino's player of the year for his performance. He scored 15 goals in Serie A that season. This helped Torino qualify for the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League.
On 25 July 2019, Belotti played his first game in a UEFA competition. He scored a penalty in the Europa League. On 29 August, he scored his 77th goal for Torino, putting him in the club's top 10 goalscorers of all time. On 26 September, he scored two goals against Milan. On 23 June 2020, he reached double-figures in Serie A for the fifth season in a row. On 16 July 2020, he scored in his seventh Serie A match in a row.
On 12 December 2020, he scored his 100th goal for Torino in all competitions. This put him level with Adolfo Baloncieri on the club's all-time scorer list. On 30 January 2021, he reached double figures in the league for all six seasons he played in Serie A with Torino.
Belotti started his seventh season with Torino by scoring a goal. On 30 October 2021, he scored his 100th goal in Serie A. This included 94 goals for Torino and six for Palermo. On 1 July 2022, Torino announced that Belotti would leave the club for free.
Time at Roma
On 28 August 2022, Belotti signed a one-year contract with Roma. There was also an option to extend his contract for two more years. He scored his first goal for Roma against Cremonese in the Coppa Italia on 1 February 2023. He played in 31 league matches in his first season but did not score any league goals. However, his contract was extended until 2025.
Loan to Fiorentina
On 1 February 2024, Belotti moved on loan to Fiorentina. On 2 May, he scored a goal for Fiorentina in a match against Club Brugge in the Conference League semi-finals. On 29 May, Belotti played in the 2024 UEFA Europa Conference League final, where Fiorentina lost to Olympiacos.
Joining Como
On 25 June 2024, Belotti signed a two-year contract with Como. Como is a newly promoted Serie A club.
International career
Youth teams
Belotti first played for the Italy under-19 team in December 2011. He scored a goal in that match. He also played as a centre-forward for the under-19 team in the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship.
He played nine games for the under-20 team, scoring four goals. He then made his debut for the under-21 team on 14 August 2013. He scored his first goal for the under-21 team on 14 November. On 5 September 2014, he scored two goals in a European Championship qualifier against Serbia.
Under coach Luigi Di Biagio, Belotti played in the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. He scored a goal against England. However, Italy did not make it to the semi-finals.
Senior national team
On 27 August 2016, Belotti was called up to the senior squad for the first time. He made his senior international debut in a friendly match against France. Belotti scored his first goal for the senior team on 9 October. It was the first goal in a 3–2 win over Macedonia in a World Cup qualification match.
In June 2021, Belotti was chosen for Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2020. On 6 July, in the semi-final against Spain, the game went to a penalty shoot-out. Belotti scored Italy's second penalty, helping them win 4–2 and reach the final. On 11 July, Belotti and Italy won the European Championship! They beat England in a penalty shoot-out in the final at Wembley Stadium. Belotti came on as a substitute in that match.
Style of play
Belotti started his career as a midfielder and winger. But his youth coach at AlbinoLeffe helped him become a forward. People compare him to Gianluca Vialli because of his strong and athletic playing style. Belotti is a fast, strong, and skilled striker. He can shoot powerfully with both feet. He is good at heading the ball and is known for his speed, smart play, and ability to find good positions to score.
He can also play as a second striker. This is because he can hold the ball up and pass to his teammates, as well as score goals himself. He is also an acrobatic player and has scored some amazing overhead kick goals. His playing style has been compared to famous strikers like Andriy Shevchenko and Christian Vieri.
Personal life
Andrea Belotti married Giorgia Duro on 15 June 2017. They have a dog named Angi. In February 2021, Belotti tested positive for COVID-19. During this time, his wife gave birth to their daughter, Vittoria, on 22 February.
Honours
Palermo
- Serie B: 2013–14
Roma
- UEFA Europa League runner-up: 2022–23
Fiorentina
- UEFA Conference League runner-up: 2023–24
Italy
Individual
- Pallone d'Argento: 2016–17
- Giuseppe Prisco Award: 2017
- Gazzetta Sports Awards Performance of the Year: 2017
- Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 2020
Orders
- 5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2021
See also
In Spanish: Andrea Belotti para niños
