Cristian Zaccardo facts for kids
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Cristian Zaccardo | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 21 December 1981 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Formigine, Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender, Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1991–2000 | Bologna | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | Bologna | 79 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2001 | → Spezia (loan) | 28 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2008 | Palermo | 142 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | VfL Wolfsburg | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2013 | Parma | 118 | (10) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2015 | AC Milan | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Carpi | 27 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | → Vicenza (loan) | 24 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Vicenza | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Ħamrun Spartans | 15 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Tre Fiori | 17 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 480 | (27) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Italy U21 | 21 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2007 | Italy | 17 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Cristian Zaccardo (born 21 December 1981) is a former Italian footballer. He played as a defender. He was mostly a centre-back. But he could also play as a full-back or in midfield.
He started his club career with Bologna in 2000. He stayed there until 2004, except for a short loan to Spezia. Then he moved to Palermo. He became well-known during his four seasons with Palermo. In 2008, he joined German club VfL Wolfsburg for one season. There, he helped them win their first ever Bundesliga title.
He came back to Italy the next season, joining Parma. In 2013, he moved to AC Milan. Later, he joined Carpi in 2015. He played on loan for Vicenza in the 2016–17 season. In October 2017, he joined Maltese Premier League team Ħamrun Spartans. In January 2019, he signed with San Marino club Tre Fiori. He won the Coppa Titano with them. He announced his retirement in July 2019.
For his country, he played for the Italy national football team 17 times. He scored one goal between 2004 and 2007. He was part of the Italian team that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Contents
Club Journey
Cristian Zaccardo grew up playing in the Bologna youth system. He joined the main team in 2000. But first, he went on loan to Spezia for the 2000–01 season. He played his first Serie A game for Bologna on 18 October 2001. This was against Lecce. After that, he quickly became a regular player for Bologna. He also played for Italy's under-21 national team.
In 2004, he left Bologna to join Palermo. He played under his old coach, Francesco Guidolin. Zaccardo was a regular starter for Palermo. He played in 142 league matches and scored eight goals. This is where he really started to shine.
After one season in Germany with VfL Wolfsburg, he returned to Italy. He helped Wolfsburg win their first ever Bundesliga title. In August 2009, he joined his former coach Guidolin again at Parma. He played for Parma for three and a half seasons. During this time, Zaccardo played in 118 league matches and scored ten goals.
On 24 January 2013, AC Milan signed Zaccardo. On 1 February 2015, he scored his first goal for Milan. It was in a 3–1 home win against Parma.
After his contract with Milan ended in 2015, Zaccardo joined Carpi. Carpi had just been promoted to Serie A. He signed a two-year contract with them. He played 27 games for Carpi in the 2015–16 season and scored one goal. However, Carpi was moved down to Serie B at the end of the season.
On 31 August 2016, Zaccardo moved to Vicenza Calcio. This was another club in Serie B. He joined them on loan with a plan to buy him later. He wore the number 9 shirt for the team. On 13 July 2017, he announced he had ended his contract with Vicenza. He became a free agent, meaning he could join any club.
In October 2017, he signed with Ħamrun Spartans in the Maltese Premier League. On 20 May 2018, he said he would be leaving the club. He then became a free agent again. In December, he earned his Sporting Director diploma.
In January 2019, Zaccardo said he had been in talks with several clubs. These included his old team Bologna. On 31 January 2019, he announced he had signed with San Marino club Tre Fiori. He joined the team in March. He won the Coppa Titano with the club. On 9 July 2019, exactly 13 years after winning the World Cup, he announced he was retiring from professional football.
Playing for Italy
Zaccardo played for the Italy under-16 team when he was 15. He played in the 1998 UEFA European Under-16 Championship in Scotland. In that tournament, he scored the winning goal in the semi-final. This helped Italy reach the final, where they lost to the Republic of Ireland. In 2001, he won a silver medal with the Italian under-23 team. This was at the Mediterranean Games in Tunis. Zaccardo also played for the Italy under-21 team. He won the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with them.
He made his first game for the senior Italy team on 17 November 2004. This was in a friendly match against Finland. On 8 October 2005, he scored his first and only goal for Italy. It was in a 1–0 win against Slovenia. This win helped Italy qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Zaccardo was chosen for Italy's 23-player squad for the 2006 World Cup. He played in three matches during the tournament. He started the first two group games. He helped Italy keep a clean sheet in their 2–0 win over Ghana. In the second match against the United States, he accidentally scored an own goal. The game ended in a 1–1 draw. This was one of only two goals Italy let in during the whole tournament. He played one more time in the tournament, as a substitute. This was in Italy's 3–0 win over Ukraine in the quarter-finals. Italy went on to win the 2006 World Cup!
After the World Cup, he didn't play for the national team as much. He made his last appearance for Italy on 17 October 2007. This was in a 2–0 friendly win against South Africa. In total, Zaccardo played 17 games for Italy and scored one goal.
How He Played
Cristian Zaccardo was a fast, smart, and hard-working player. He was right-footed. He was known for his energy and how professional he was. He understood where to be on the field. He was also very strong mentally and physically. This allowed him to play in many different positions. He could play anywhere in defence or midfield on the right side.
Even though he was mainly a right-sided full-back, he could also play as a wing-back. Sometimes he played in midfield as a winger. He could even play as a central or defensive midfielder. In these roles, he could win the ball back and start attacks. As he got older, he became slower. So, he often played as a centre-back. He was good at guessing where the ball would go and strong in the air.
Personal Life
Cristian Zaccardo is married to Alessia Serafini. They have two children, Niccolò and Ginevra. Zaccardo has the names of his children tattooed on his left arm. On his right arm, he has a tattoo of his wife, Alessia Serafini. On 6 March 2008, Zaccardo became an honorary citizen of Pollina, a town in Palermo.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bologna | 2001–02 | Serie A | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 |
| 2002–03 | Serie A | 32 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 40 | 2 | |
| 2003–04 | Serie A | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | |
| Total | 79 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 91 | 3 | ||
| Spezia (loan) | 2000–01 | Serie C | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Total | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 0 | ||
| Palermo | 2004–05 | Serie A | 35 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 2 |
| 2005–06 | Serie A | 36 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 44 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | Serie A | 36 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 42 | 6 | |
| 2007–08 | Serie A | 35 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 1 | |
| Total | 142 | 8 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 1 | 161 | 9 | ||
| Wolfsburg | 2008–09 | Bundesliga | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 22 | 2 |
| 2009–10 | Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 15 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 23 | 2 | ||
| Parma | 2009–10 | Serie A | 34 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | 5 |
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 34 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 3 | |
| 2011–12 | Serie A | 35 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| 2012–13 | Serie A | 15 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | |
| Total | 118 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 123 | 10 | ||
| Milan | 2012–13 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2013–14 | Serie A | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
| Total | 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | ||
| Carpi | 2015–16 | Serie A | 27 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29 | 1 |
| Vicenza | 2016–17 | Serie B | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 |
| Ħamrun Spartans | 2017–18 | Maltese Premier League | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 3 |
| Tre Fiori | 2018–19 | Campionato
Sammarinese di Calcio |
17 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 20 | 2 |
| Career total | 480 | 27 | 31 | 1 | 22 | 3 | 533 | 31 | ||
International
| Italy national team | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 |
| 2005 | 9 | 1 |
| 2006 | 6 | 0 |
| 2007 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 17 | 1 |
International goal
- Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first.
| No | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 8 October 2005 | Stadio Renzo Barbera, Palermo, Italy |  Slovenia |
1–0 | 1–0 | 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours
Club
VfL Wolfsburg
- Bundesliga: 2008–09
Tre Fiori
- Coppa Titano: 2018–19
International
Italy U-21
Italy
Orders
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CONI: Golden Collar of Sports Merit: Collare d'Oro al Merito Sportivo: 2006
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4th Class / Officer: Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2006
See also
In Spanish: Cristian Zaccardo para niños
