Gianluca Zambrotta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gianluca Zambrotta

Zambrotta in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Gianluca Zambrotta
Date of birth	(1977-02-19) 19 February 1977 (age 48)
Place of birth	Como, Italy
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Full-back, Wing-back
Youth career
1992–1994	Como
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1994–1997	Como	48	(6)
1997–1999	Bari	59	(6)
1999–2006	Juventus	217	(7)
2006–2008	Barcelona	58	(3)
2008–2012	AC Milan	80	(2)
2013–2014	Chiasso	10	(2)
Total		472	(26)
International career
1998–2000	Italy U21	13	(1)
1999–2010	Italy	98	(2)
Managerial career
2013	Chiasso (assistant)
2013–2015	Chiasso
2016	Delhi Dynamos
2017–2018	Jiangsu Suning (assistant)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Italy FIFA World Cup Winner 2006 Germany UEFA European Championship Runner-up 2000 Belgium-Netherlands
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gianluca Zambrotta, born on February 19, 1977, is a famous Italian football player. He used to play as a defender or a midfielder, on both the left and right sides of the field. He was known for his speed, strength, and ability to help both in defense and attack.

Zambrotta played for several Italian clubs during his career. He started with his hometown club Como in 1994. He became well-known while playing for Bari, which led to him joining Juventus in 1999. With Juventus, he won two Serie A titles and two Supercoppa Italiana titles in 2002 and 2003. He also reached the 2003 UEFA Champions League final.

Later, he played for Barcelona in Spain, where he won the 2006 Supercopa de España. He then returned to Italy to play for AC Milan, winning another Serie A and Supercoppa Italiana title in 2011. He finished his playing career with the Swiss club Chiasso in 2014.

For the Italian national team, Zambrotta played in 98 matches. He took part in three FIFA World Cups and three UEFA European Championships. He was a key player when Italy reached the Euro 2000 final. Most famously, he was a vital part of the Italian team that won the World Cup in 2006. He was also chosen for the Team of the Tournament for his great performances.

Club Career Highlights

Starting with Como

Gianluca Zambrotta began his football journey at age 17 with his local club, Como, in 1994. In his first season, he played only one match. When Como moved down to a lower league, Zambrotta started playing more often. He played as a winger or a wide midfielder. Between 1995 and 1997, he played 47 games and scored 6 goals for Como.

Time at Bari

In 1997, Zambrotta joined Bari, a team in Italy's top league, Serie A. He made his Serie A debut on August 31, 1997. In his first year, he played on the left wing and scored 2 goals in 27 games. In the 1998–99 season, Zambrotta really started to shine. He scored important goals and showed his skills and ability to play in different positions.

On February 10, 1999, when he was 22, Zambrotta played his first game for the senior Italian national team. This was a friendly match against Norway. He became the first Bari player in 50 years to play for the national team. After his strong performances, Juventus signed him in 1999.

Playing for Juventus

After joining Juventus on July 1, 1999, Zambrotta continued to improve. In his first season, he played 32 league games and scored one goal. In the 1999–2000 season, Juventus narrowly missed winning the league title on the last day.

Zambrotta won his first Serie A title with Juventus in the 2001–02 season. He played 32 league games and scored one goal. After he got injured during the 2002 World Cup, his coach, Marcello Lippi, moved him to play as a left-back. Zambrotta quickly adapted to this new role. He showed his speed, energy, and ability to help both in attack and defense.

Juventus won their second straight Serie A title in the 2002–03 season. They also reached the 2003 UEFA Champions League final, but lost to AC Milan in a penalty shootout. Zambrotta won four Serie A titles with Juventus in total. He played 217 league games and scored seven goals over six seasons. In 2006, after Juventus faced issues, he decided to leave the club. He joined Barcelona for €14 million.

During his seven years at Juventus, Zambrotta was part of one of the best teams in the world. He played alongside many great defenders. Overall, he played 297 games for Juventus and scored ten goals.

Time at Barcelona

Zambrotta training with Barcelona

On August 4, 2006, Zambrotta joined his new club, Barcelona, after the 2006 World Cup. He signed a four-year contract. He made his official debut for Barcelona on August 17 against Espanyol.

On March 17, 2007, he scored his first goal for Barcelona in a league game. He also scored against Atlético Madrid and Gimnàstic de Tarragona. He is remembered for his strong performance against Manchester United in the Champions League semi-final. In two seasons with Barcelona, Zambrotta played 58 league games and scored three goals. After this, he returned to Italy.

Moving to AC Milan

Zambrotta warming up with AC Milan before a UEFA Cup match

On May 31, 2008, Zambrotta signed a three-year contract with AC Milan. Milan paid €9 million for him. In the 2008–09 season, Zambrotta played more games than any other Milan player.

On September 21, 2008, he scored his first goal for Milan from a long distance in a game against Lazio. In the 2009–10 season, he mainly played as a left-back. For the 2010–11 season, Zambrotta was used in different positions. He played an important part in Milan winning their 18th Serie A title. Later that year, he also won the Supercoppa Italiana with Milan.

Zambrotta extended his contract with Milan for another year, until the summer of 2012. Milan decided not to renew the contracts of several older players, and Zambrotta was one of them. He played his last game for Milan on May 13, 2012.

Final Playing Days at Chiasso

After leaving Milan, Zambrotta started training with his hometown club, Como, in December 2012. He had been named the club's honorary president in 2007. In 2013, he began studying to become a football coach.

On July 19, 2013, Zambrotta signed with the Swiss club Chiasso. He also had the option to become a player-assistant manager. He made his debut for Chiasso on August 11, 2013. In November, he became the player-manager for Chiasso. He helped the team avoid being moved to a lower league by May 2014, and then he announced the end of his playing career. He continued to manage Chiasso for another season.

International Career for Italy

Early Years with Italy

Zambrotta quickly caught the attention of the Italian national side. He first played for the Italy under-21 team on March 25, 1998. In his second game, he scored a goal, helping Italy win.

He earned his first game for the senior Italian team on February 10, 1999, just before his 22nd birthday. This was a friendly match against Norway. Because of his strong performances, he was chosen for Italy's team at UEFA Euro 2000. Italy reached the final, but Zambrotta missed the final match after being sent off in the semi-final.

Zambrotta also played for the under-21 team at the 2000 Olympic Games. Italy reached the quarter-finals. Under a new coach, Giovanni Trapattoni, Zambrotta also played for Italy at the 2002 World Cup. Italy was eliminated in the round of 16.

Euro 2004 Performance

In 2003, Zambrotta became the first-choice left-back for the national team. On May 30, 2004, he scored his first international goal in a warm-up game against Tunisia. Italy won the game 4–0.

At Euro 2004, Italy did not perform well and was eliminated early. However, Zambrotta was praised for his play and was chosen for the Team of the Tournament. He helped set up a goal in Italy's final group match.

Winning the 2006 World Cup

Zambrotta during the 2006 World Cup

The new coach, Marcello Lippi, who had coached Zambrotta at Juventus, moved him to play as a right-back. Zambrotta became a key player in the qualifying games for the 2006 World Cup.

He got a small injury before the tournament, but he recovered quickly. Zambrotta made his World Cup debut in the second group match against the United States. In the quarter-final on June 30, Italy played against Ukraine. Zambrotta scored the first goal after just six minutes with a powerful shot. This was his second goal for Italy. He also made a great save on the goal-line and later helped set up another goal for Luca Toni.

Zambrotta played in Italy's semi-final win against Germany. He also played in Italy's winning final match against France. Throughout the tournament, Zambrotta's ability to play in different positions was very important for the Italian team. He was chosen for the 23-man 2006 World Cup All-Star squad.

Later International Appearances

Zambrotta played for Italy at UEFA Euro 2008. Italy was eliminated by Spain in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout. He also played in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, where Italy did not make it past the first round.

Zambrotta was chosen for the 2010 World Cup by coach Lippi. He was the captain for Italy in a friendly game before the World Cup. Italy struggled in the tournament and was eliminated in the first round.

Zambrotta played his last match for Italy on October 12, 2010, against Serbia. This was his 98th and final game for Italy, making him one of the most capped players for his country. In total, he scored two goals for Italy between 1999 and 2010.

How Zambrotta Played

Experts consider Zambrotta one of Italy's best attacking full-backs or wing-backs. Even though he was naturally right-footed, he could use both feet well. This made him very flexible, allowing him to play on both the left and right sides of the field. He could play as a defender, a wing-back, or even a winger or wide midfielder.

His main strengths were his speed, ability to mark players, tackle, strength, and stamina. He was also good at running forward with the ball after winning it back. Zambrotta was a dynamic, energetic, and hard-working player. He also had good ball control, excellent crossing ability, and a powerful shot from outside the penalty area. This helped him contribute to his team's attacks.

Coaching Career

Zambrotta being unveiled as Delhi Dynamos head coach in 2016

After his time as manager for Chiasso, Zambrotta became the head coach of Indian Super League club Delhi Dynamos in June 2016. His former teammate, Simone Barone, was his assistant.

On June 14, 2017, Delhi Dynamos announced that Zambrotta was leaving the club. He took on a new role as an assistant manager for the Chinese club Jiangsu Suning.

Personal Life

Gianluca Zambrotta was born in Como, Italy. In 2005, he married Valentina Liguori, an Italian model. They welcomed their first son, Riccardo, in August 2012.

Zambrotta was named honorary president of his hometown club, Como, in 2007. In 2012, he worked as a football expert for a Swiss-Italian TV station. In 2014, he opened a fitness center in Como called the Eracle Sports Centre.

In 2015, Zambrotta took part in and won a reality TV show in Italy. He is also featured in the EA Sports video game FIFA 20 as one of the special "Ultimate Team Icons."

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

Zambrotta in the Match Against Poverty in Bern, March 2014

International Appearances

Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Zambrotta goal.

List of international goals scored by Gianluca Zambrotta

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	30 May 2004	Stade Olympique de Radès, Radès, Tunisia	Tunisia	4–0	4–0	Friendly
2	30 June 2006	Volksparkstadion, Hamburg, Germany	Ukraine	1–0	3–0	2006 FIFA World Cup

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Awards

Juventus

• Serie A: 2001–02, 2002–03
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2003
• UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999
• UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2002-03

Barcelona

• Supercopa de España: 2006

AC Milan

• Serie A: 2010–11
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2011

Italy National Team

• FIFA World Cup: 2006
• UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2000

Individual Awards

• UEFA Euro 2004: Team of the Tournament
• UEFA Team of the Year: 2006
• FIFPro World XI: 2006
• 2006 FIFA World Cup: All-Star Team

Special Recognitions

• Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic: 2000
• Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic: 2006
• CONI: Golden Collar of Sports Merit: 2006

See also

In Spanish: Gianluca Zambrotta para niños