Cristiano Zanetti facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 10 April 1977 | ||
| Place of birth | Carrara, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1993–1996 | Fiorentina | 4 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | Venezia | 21 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | Reggiana | 31 | (0) |
| 1998 | Inter Milan | 0 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | Cagliari | 18 | (0) |
| 1999–2001 | Roma | 38 | (0) |
| 2001–2006 | Inter Milan | 99 | (2) |
| 2006–2009 | Juventus | 63 | (4) |
| 2009–2011 | Fiorentina | 29 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Brescia | 8 | (0) |
| Total | 311 | (6) | |
| International career | |||
| 1995 | Italy U-18 | 1 | (0) |
| 1998–2000 | Italy U-21 | 19 | (1) |
| 2001–2004 | Italy | 17 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2013–2014 | AC Pisa (youth) | ||
| 2014–2015 | Prato (youth) | ||
| 2015–2016 | Pietrasanta Calcio | ||
| 2016–2017 | Carrarese (youth) | ||
| 2017–2018 | Massese | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Cristiano Zanetti (born 10 April 1977) is a former Italian footballer who played as a midfielder. He is also a football coach. He was most recently in charge of Massese.
Zanetti played for many Italian clubs during his career. He won important titles with Fiorentina, Roma, Inter, and Juventus. He also played for the Italy national football team in big international tournaments. These included the 2000 Summer Olympics, the 2002 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2004.
Contents
Club Career
Early Days as a Player
Cristiano Zanetti started his football journey with Fiorentina from 1993 to 1996. During this time, he helped them win the Coppa Italia in 1996. After Fiorentina, he played for Venezia (1996–97) and Reggiana (1997–98).
In 1998, when he was 21, he joined Inter Milan. At Inter, he played alongside another famous player with the same last name, Javier Zanetti, who was from Argentina. Cristiano Zanetti made his first appearance for Inter in August 1998. After a short time, he moved to Cagliari on loan.
Playing for Roma
In the summer of 1999, Zanetti joined Roma. He quickly became a regular player in the team under coach Fabio Capello. He helped Roma win the Scudetto (the Italian league title) in the 2000–01 season. This was a big achievement for him and the club.
Back at Inter Milan
In June 2001, Zanetti returned to Inter Milan. He was a key player for Inter under coach Héctor Cúper. During this period, Inter reached the semi-finals of the 2001–02 UEFA Cup and the 2002–03 UEFA Champions League. They also came very close to winning the Serie A title in both of those seasons.
The 2003–04 season was a bit tougher for him due to injuries. Also, new midfielders like Edgar Davids and Esteban Cambiasso joined the team. However, in his last two seasons at Inter, he won more trophies. He won two Coppa Italia cups in 2005 and 2006. He also won the Supercoppa Italiana in 2005. In 2006, Inter was awarded the Serie A title after a big football scandal, which meant Zanetti added another league title to his collection.
Time with Juventus
In 2006, Zanetti moved to Juventus for free. This happened even though Juventus had faced a scandal and was moved down to a lower league. Zanetti helped Juventus win the Serie B title in 2007. This win allowed Juventus to return to Serie A.
The next season, he helped Juventus finish third in Serie A, which meant they could play in the UEFA Champions League in 2008. Juventus reached the round of 16 in the Champions League and the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia. They also finished second in Serie A that season.
Return to Fiorentina
On 10 August 2009, Zanetti signed with his first professional club, Fiorentina. The club was getting ready to play in the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League play-off round. He made his debut for Fiorentina on 29 September 2009 against Liverpool in the Champions League group stage. He provided an assist for Fiorentina's first goal, which was scored by Stevan Jovetić. Fiorentina won that match 2–0.
Final Club: Brescia
On 31 January 2011, Zanetti signed a two-year contract with Brescia. However, he decided to retire from playing before the end of the 2011–12 Serie B season. He cancelled his contract with the club and ended his playing career.
International Career
Cristiano Zanetti played for the Italian Under-21 team 19 times. He won the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with them. He also played for Italy at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where the team reached the quarter-finals.
Later, he played for the Italian senior national team. He represented Italy in the 2002 FIFA World Cup and at UEFA Euro 2004. In total, he played 17 games for the national team between 2001 and 2004. He scored one goal for Italy in a friendly match against Switzerland on 30 April 2003, helping Italy win 2–1.
How He Played
Zanetti was known as a very hardworking and strong defensive midfielder. He had good vision, technique, and was good at passing the ball. He was important in the midfield because he could win the ball back from opponents and then start new attacks for his team. This also meant he could play as a central midfielder or even a deep-lying playmaker in front of the defense. Sometimes, he also played on the left side as an offensive-minded central midfielder, a role called mezzala in Italian football. Even though he was very talented, he often had injuries during his career.
Life After Playing
After he stopped playing football, Cristiano Zanetti became a coach. In 2013, he started coaching the youth team (Under-16) at Pisa. In 2014, he completed his coaching studies and earned a special coaching license called the UEFA Pro Licence. In 2014, he also became a youth coach at Prato. He later coached other teams, including Massese.
Trophies and Awards
Fiorentina
- Coppa Italia: 1995–96
Roma
- Serie A: 2000–01
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2005–06
- Coppa Italia: 2004–05, 2005–06
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2005
Juventus
- Serie B: 2006–07
Italy U21
See also
In Spanish: Cristiano Zanetti para niños
