Demetrio Albertini facts for kids

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Demetrio Albertini

Albertini in 2016

Personal information

Full name

Demetrio Albertini

Date of birth

23 August 1971 (age 53)

Place of birth

Besana in Brianza, Italy

Height

1.80 m

Playing position

Midfielder

Youth career

AC Milan

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

1988–2002

AC Milan

293

(21)

1990–1991

→ Padova (loan)

(5)

2002–2003

Atlético Madrid

(2)

2003–2004

Lazio

(2)

2004–2005

Atalanta

(1)

2005

Barcelona

(0)

Total

393

(31)

National team

1989

Italy U18

(0)

1990–1992

Italy U21

(0)

1992

Italy Olympic Team

(2)

1991–2002

Italy

(3)

Honours

Men's Football

Representing Italy
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner	1992
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up	1994
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up	2000

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

† Appearances (Goals).

Demetrio Albertini (born August 23, 1971) is a famous Italian football player who used to play as a midfielder. He is known as one of the best players for AC Milan and the Italian national team in the 1990s.

Albertini spent most of his career with AC Milan in Italy's top league, Serie A. He won many important trophies with them, including five Serie A titles and two UEFA Champions League titles. He also played for Barcelona in his final season, where he won the Spanish League before he retired.

He was a very important player for the Italian national team. He played in the World Cups in 1994 and 1998, and the European Championships in 1996 and 2000. Italy reached the finals of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000 with him on the team.

Playing for Clubs
Playing for Italy
After Retirement
- Working with the Italian Football Federation
- Other Roles
How He Played
Personal Life
Honours
Images for kids
See also

Playing for Clubs

A young Albertini playing for Padova

Demetrio Albertini was born in Besana in Brianza, near Milan. He started playing football in AC Milan's youth team. He joined the main AC Milan team when he was just 17 years old, in the 1988–89 season.

To get more experience, he played on loan for Padova Calcio in the 1990–91 season. He played 28 games and scored 5 goals there. After this, he became a regular player for AC Milan in the 1991–92 season. He wore the number 4 shirt and helped Milan win the league title without losing a single game that season.

Albertini celebrates winning the 1991–92 Serie A title with AC Milan

Albertini won many titles with Milan. He helped them win three Serie A titles in a row from 1992 to 1994. He also won two more league titles in 1996 and 1999.

He played in the Champions League 41 times. He helped Milan reach three Champions League finals in a row from 1993 to 1995, winning the trophy in 1994. He also won two UEFA Super Cups, three Italian Super Cups, and one Intercontinental Cup. Albertini stayed with Milan until 2002.

After leaving Milan, Albertini played for a few different teams. In the 2002–03 season, he played for Atlético Madrid in Spain. He scored 2 goals in 28 games for them.

He then moved to Lazio in Italy for the 2003–04 season. There, he finally won the Coppa Italia, a trophy he hadn't won with Milan. He scored 2 goals in 23 games for Lazio.

He started the 2004–05 season with Atalanta, playing 14 matches and scoring a goal. In January, he moved to FC Barcelona in Spain. He joined his former coach, Frank Rijkaard, and helped Barcelona win the Spanish League title that season. He played 5 games for Barcelona before retiring.

Playing for Italy

Albertini played for the Italian national team 79 times between 1991 and 2002, scoring 3 goals. He played his first game for Italy on December 21, 1991, when he was 20 years old.

In 1992, he played for Italy at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He also won the 1992 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with the Italian Under-21 team. He played for his country in the 1994 and 1998 World Cups, and the Euro 96 and Euro 2000 tournaments.

He was supposed to play in the 2002 World Cup, but he got injured a few months before the competition. His last game for Italy was in March 2002, against England. Albertini was captain of Italy 6 times.

World Cup 1994

Albertini's first big tournament for Italy was the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the USA. He was a key part of the Italian midfield, along with his Milan teammate Roberto Donadoni and Dino Baggio.

In the semi-final against Bulgaria, Albertini played a fantastic game. He helped set up Roberto Baggio's second goal, which led Italy to a 2–1 victory and a spot in the final.

In the final against Brazil, the game ended 0–0 after extra time, so it went to a penalty shoot-out. Albertini scored his penalty, but Italy lost the final because some of his teammates missed theirs.

Euro 1996

Italy went to the European Championship in England. Many people thought Italy could win, and Albertini was seen as a very important player, even wearing the number 10 shirt. However, Italy was knocked out in the first round.

Italy lost to the Czech Republic and then drew 0–0 with Germany. Even though Italy played well against Germany, they couldn't score, and Gianfranco Zola missed a penalty.

World Cup 1998

Albertini played a big part in helping Italy qualify for the 1998 World Cup. He set up important goals in the play-off games against Russia, which helped Italy get to the tournament.

At the 1998 World Cup, Albertini was still a key central midfielder for Italy. In the quarter-final against France, the game went to penalties. Albertini missed his penalty, and Italy lost. During extra time, he made a great pass to Roberto Baggio, who almost scored the winning goal. France went on to win the World Cup.

Euro 2000

Albertini's Euro 2000 Italy jersey in the Football Museum in Florence

At Euro 2000, Albertini was the clear leader of Italy's midfield. He helped control the game and create chances for his team. He gave two assists during the tournament.

Italy reached the final without losing a game. They beat Romania in the quarter-finals and the Netherlands in the semi-finals on penalties. In the final, Italy lost to France 2–1 after a "golden goal" in extra time. Albertini's great performances earned him a spot in the Team of the Tournament.

Missing the 2002 World Cup

Even though he was a key player for Italy, Albertini missed the 2002 World Cup. He got an injury to his Achilles tendon in April 2002, just before the tournament. This injury also meant he couldn't play for AC Milan anymore, ending his international career at age 30.

After Retirement

On December 5, 2005, Albertini announced he was retiring from professional football. He said he wanted to become a football manager one day.

On March 15, 2006, a special match was played between Milan and Barcelona to celebrate Albertini's career. Many famous players, both old and new, took part. Milan won 3–2, and Albertini scored the first goal. After the match, the fans gave him a big cheer.

In 2006, Albertini started a project to create a football academy called "Scuola calcio Demetrio Albertini." It helped over 1000 young players learn football.

Working with the Italian Football Federation

In 2006, Albertini became the vice-commissioner of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), which runs football in Italy. He later became the vice-president of the FIGC in 2007 and was re-elected in 2013.

In 2014, Albertini tried to become the president of the FIGC, but he lost the election.

Other Roles

After Parma FC went bankrupt, Demetrio Albertini joined the club's board as a football advisor. He also works as a researcher for Football Manager, a popular football management video game.

How He Played

Albertini was a very complete and experienced midfielder. He had great stamina, power, and technique. He was known for his excellent vision, understanding of the game, and ball control. Most importantly, he had an amazing passing range, which made him a key player for Milan and Italy.

He was also known for his powerful and accurate shots from far away, which helped him score goals and create chances. He was very good at taking penalty kicks and free kicks, often curling the ball or hitting it with power.

Albertini was a hardworking and smart central midfielder or deep-lying playmaker. He improved his defensive and attacking skills throughout his career. His wide range of skills meant he could play in different midfield positions, even on the wing, because he was good at crossing the ball.

Many people compare Albertini to Andrea Pirlo, another famous Italian midfielder. Both were deep-lying playmakers with excellent technique, vision, and passing. They were also good at set-pieces and scoring from distance. Besides his football skills, Albertini was known for his good behavior on the field and was seen as a leader for his teams.