Christian Abbiati facts for kids
Abbiati playing for AC Milan in 2012
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 8 July 1977 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Abbiategrasso, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.91 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1992 | Trezzano | |||||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Assago | |||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Corsico | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1994–1998 | Monza | 52 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | → Borgosesia (loan) | 29 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1998–2016 | AC Milan | 281 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | → Juventus (loan) | 19 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | → Torino (loan) | 36 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | → Atlético Madrid (loan) | 21 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 438 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2000 | Italy U21 | 20 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2000–2005 | Italy | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Christian Abbiati (born July 8, 1977) is a former Italian professional footballer. He was a talented goalkeeper.
Abbiati played for AC Milan for many years, starting in 1998. Before that, he began his career with Monza. He played over 300 official games for Milan. He also spent time on loan at other big clubs like Borgosesia Calcio, Juventus, Torino, and Atlético Madrid.
He won many important trophies with Milan. These include three Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, two Supercoppa Italiana wins, one UEFA Champions League, and one UEFA Super Cup.
Abbiati was chosen for the Italian national team for UEFA Euro 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup. However, he made his first international appearance in 2003. He played a total of four games for Italy.
Christian Abbiati holds the record for playing the most games as a goalkeeper for AC Milan, with 380 appearances. In his best years, he was considered one of Italy's top goalkeepers.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting with AC Milan
Abbiati made his first appearance in Serie A on January 17, 1999. He came on as a substitute for Sebastiano Rossi. That season, Milan won the league title, even though Abbiati was initially the third-choice goalkeeper.
He worked hard and earned his spot as the main goalkeeper. In the final game of the season, on May 23, he made amazing saves. These saves helped Milan win the Scudetto (league title) with a 2–1 victory over Perugia.
Abbiati was Milan's number one goalkeeper for the next four years. But in the 2002–03 season, he got an injury. This allowed Dida to become the starting goalkeeper.
Even though he was on the bench, Abbiati helped Milan win the Coppa Italia and the Champions League that season. He also played in the 2003 Supercoppa Italiana final, which Milan lost to Juventus on penalties.
Loan Adventures
Abbiati wanted to play more often, so he decided to move to another club. In July 2005, he was loaned to Genoa for the 2005–06 season. But he quickly returned to Milan because Genoa was moved down to a lower league.
Time with Juventus and Torino
Abbiati then joined Juventus. He filled in for their main goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, who had a shoulder injury. Abbiati played regularly and did very well for Juventus. When Buffon returned, Abbiati moved on.
He then joined another team from Turin, Torino, in July 2006. Juventus won the Serie A title that season. However, they later lost the title because of a scandal.
Playing in Spain with Atlético Madrid
Abbiati was loaned out by Milan again, this time to the Spanish club Atlético Madrid. He started on the bench, but an injury to Leo Franco gave him a chance to play. He enjoyed playing in Spain and wanted to stay longer.
Back to AC Milan
Abbiati returned to Milan for the 2008–09 season. He became the first-choice goalkeeper again after playing well in pre-season games. However, on March 15, 2009, he suffered a serious knee injury. This ended his season early. He needed surgery and rehabilitation.
In the 2010–11 season, Abbiati was back as Milan's starting goalkeeper. He signed a new contract until 2013. He made many important saves that season. On May 7, 2011, Milan won their first Serie A trophy in seven years.
Abbiati also helped Milan win the Supercoppa Italiana against Inter Milan. He continued to play well for Milan. In September 2013, he broke the record for most appearances as a goalkeeper for the club. He signed new contracts in 2014 and 2015.
In the 2014–15 Serie A season, he became the second-choice goalkeeper after Diego López joined the team. During the 2015–16 Serie A season, he was the third-choice goalkeeper. A young player named Gianluigi Donnarumma became the main keeper.
Abbiati played five games in the 2015–16 Coppa Italia. He helped Milan reach the final, but he was on the bench for that game. On May 13, he announced he would retire at the end of the season. He played 281 league games for Milan over 15 years.
International Career
Abbiati was first called up for the Italian national team for UEFA Euro 2000. He was the third goalkeeper. He was also part of the team for the 2000 Summer Olympics.
He made his first appearance for Italy in a 2–1 win against Switzerland on April 30, 2003. He was not on the team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. In total, he played four games for Italy.
Life After Football
In June 2017, Abbiati returned to AC Milan. He took on a new role as a club manager. He helps connect the team with the club's management.
Playing Style
When he was at his best, Abbiati was a strong and reliable goalkeeper. He was known for being calm and a good leader. He was also good at rushing out to collect crosses.
He was considered one of the most talented young Italian goalkeepers in the late 1990s. He became one of the best Italian goalkeepers of his time. He was also known as one of the best shot-stoppers in Serie A.
Personal Life
Christian Abbiati is married to Stefania Abbiati. They have a daughter named Giulia, who was born on January 30, 2000.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Coppa Italia | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Monza | 1994–95 | Serie C1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||||
| 1997–98 | Serie B | 26 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 0 | |||
| Total | 52 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 54 | 0 | ||||
| Borgosesia (loan) | 1995–96 | C.N.D. | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 0 | ||
| AC Milan | 1998–99 | Serie A | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 18 | 0 | |
| 1999–2000 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35 | 0 | ||
| 2000–01 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 32 | 0 | |||
| 2001–02 | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — | 46 | 0 | |||
| 2002–03 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2003–04 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2008–09 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 28 | 0 | |||
| 2009–10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| 2010–11 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 42 | 0 | |||
| 2011–12 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 36 | 0 | |||
| 2013–14 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 39 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | 11 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||||
| 2015–16 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 281 | 0 | 33 | 0 | 64 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 380 | 0 | ||
| Juventus (loan) | 2005–06 | Serie A | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | |
| Torino (loan) | 2006–07 | Serie A | 36 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 | ||
| Atlético Madrid (loan) | 2007–08 | La Liga | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | |
| Career total | 438 | 0 | 41 | 0 | 79 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 560 | 0 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 2003 | 2 | 0 |
| 2005 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 4 | 0 | |
Trophies and Awards
AC Milan
- Serie A: 1998–99, 2003–04, 2010–11
- Coppa Italia: 2002–03
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2004, 2011
- UEFA Champions League: 2002–03
- UEFA Super Cup: 2003
- Intercontinental Cup runner-up: 2003
Italy
- UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2000
Individual Awards
- AC Milan Hall of Fame
Special Honors
- Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic: 2000
Images for kids
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Abbiati in 2008
See also
In Spanish: Christian Abbiati para niños
