Graziano Pellè facts for kids
Pellè with Southampton in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Graziano Pellè | ||
| Date of birth | 15 July 1985 | ||
| Place of birth | San Cesario di Lecce, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.94 m | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2004 | Lecce | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2004–2007 | Lecce | 12 | (0) |
| 2005 | → Catania (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2006 | → Crotone (loan) | 17 | (6) |
| 2006–2007 | → Cesena (loan) | 38 | (10) |
| 2007–2011 | AZ | 78 | (14) |
| 2011–2013 | Parma | 12 | (1) |
| 2012 | → Sampdoria (loan) | 16 | (4) |
| 2012–2013 | → Feyenoord (loan) | 29 | (27) |
| 2013–2014 | Feyenoord | 28 | (23) |
| 2014–2016 | Southampton | 68 | (23) |
| 2016–2020 | Shandong Luneng | 106 | (52) |
| 2021 | Parma | 14 | (2) |
| Total | 433 | (162) | |
| National team | |||
| 2004–2005 | Italy U20 | 10 | (7) |
| 2005–2007 | Italy U21 | 11 | (0) |
| 2008 | Italy Olympic | 5 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Italy | 20 | (9) |
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Graziano Pellè (Italian pronunciation: [ɡratˈtsjaːno pelˈlɛ]; born on 15 July 1985) is a former professional footballer from Italy. He played as a striker, which is a player whose main job is to score goals.
Pellè started his football journey at his local club, Lecce, in Italy. He was loaned to a few smaller teams before moving to the Dutch club AZ in 2007. There, he helped his team win the Eredivisie title, which is the top football league in the Netherlands.
After playing in Italy again for a short time, he returned to the Netherlands. He became a consistent goal scorer for Feyenoord, another Dutch team. His great performance there led to a big move to Southampton in England in 2014. After two seasons in the Premier League, he moved to Shandong Luneng in China in 2016.
Graziano Pellè also represented Italy in international football. He played for the under-20 and under-21 teams. He made his debut for the senior Italian team in 2014. He was part of the Italian squad for UEFA Euro 2016, where he scored two goals.
Club Career Highlights
Early Years at Lecce
Graziano Pellè was born in San Cesario di Lecce, Italy. When he was younger, he was also a national champion in ballroom dancing with his sister! But he chose football. He joined the youth teams of his local club, Lecce. His father, Roberto, was also a striker for Lecce.
Pellè won two youth league titles and a youth cup with Lecce. He played his first game in Serie A, Italy's top league, in 2004. He then spent time on loan at other Italian clubs like Catania, Crotone, and Cesena. At Cesena, he had a great season, scoring ten goals.
Moving to AZ Alkmaar
In 2007, Pellè decided to leave Italy and join AZ in the Netherlands. He wanted to play for a club that gave chances to young players. His first season was a bit tough, but he slowly found his rhythm.
In 2009, he helped AZ win the Eredivisie title. This was a big achievement for the club. He stayed with AZ for four seasons before leaving in 2011.
Return to Italy with Parma
In 2011, Pellè signed with Parma in Italy. He scored his first goal for Parma against his old club, Lecce. Later, he was loaned to Sampdoria in the second division. He scored four goals there, helping them get promoted back to Serie A.
Success at Feyenoord
For the 2012–13 season, Pellè went back to the Netherlands, joining Feyenoord. He was the first Italian player to ever play for the club. He started incredibly well, scoring 11 goals in his first ten games! This included important goals against rival teams like Ajax.
In January 2013, Pellè signed a permanent four-year contract with Feyenoord. He continued to score many goals, finishing the season with 27 league goals. This was more goals than any other Italian player had scored in a foreign league in recent times.
Pellè became very popular with Feyenoord fans, partly because of his unique "retro" haircut! Many fans even copied his hairstyle. He scored several hat-tricks (three goals in one game) for Feyenoord, showing his strong scoring ability.
Joining Southampton in England
In July 2014, Pellè moved to England to play for Southampton in the Premier League. He joined his former coach, Ronald Koeman, there. He quickly made an impact, scoring his first goal for the club in August.
He scored two goals in a big 4–0 win against Newcastle United. He also scored a fantastic overhead kick against Queens Park Rangers, which was called "world class." Because of his great performances, he won the Premier League Player of the Month award for September 2014. He continued to score important goals for Southampton throughout his time there.
Move to China with Shandong Luneng
In July 2016, Pellè left Southampton to join the Chinese club Shandong Luneng. He made his debut for the club soon after and scored his first goal a few days later. During his time in China, he became one of the highest-paid footballers in the world. He played for Shandong Luneng for four years, scoring many goals and helping them win the Chinese FA Cup in 2020.
Back to Parma
In February 2021, Pellè returned to Parma for a six-month period. He scored a memorable goal with an overhead kick in March, almost 10 years after his last goal in Serie A.
International Career
Youth Teams and Olympics
Graziano Pellè played for Italy's youth national teams. He scored four goals for the Italy under-20 team in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. He also played for the Italian under-21 team and helped them qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He was part of the training squad for the Olympics but was not chosen for the final team.
Playing for the Senior Italian Team
On 4 October 2014, Pellè was called up to the senior Italian team for the first time. He made his debut on 13 October 2014, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win against Malta. He scored another goal in a friendly match against England in 2015.
Pellè was included in Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2016. In Italy's first game, he scored a goal in a 2–0 win against Belgium. In the next round, he scored another goal in a 2–0 win against Spain. In the quarter-finals, Italy played against Germany. The game went to a penalty shootout, and Pellè missed his penalty. Italy lost the game. After the match, he apologized to Italian fans.
In September 2016, Pellè was called up again for international matches. He scored in a friendly against France and in a World Cup qualifier against Israel. However, he was later left out of a match after he was substituted and did not shake the coach's hand.
Style of Play
Graziano Pellè is known as a "target-man" striker. This means he is a big, strong player who is good at holding the ball up for his teammates. Because of his height and strength, he is excellent in the air, scoring many goals with his head.
He is also known for his powerful and accurate shots with both feet. He can score with volleys and is good at taking penalty kicks. Pellè is also praised for his hard work and for chasing down opponents to win the ball back. His playing style has been compared to another Italian striker, Luca Toni.
Honours
AZ
- Eredivisie: 2008–09
Shandong Luneng Taishan
- Chinese FA Cup: 2020
Italy U21
- Toulon Tournament: 2008
Individual Awards
- Voetbal International Player of the Year: 2012–13
- Premier League Player of the Month: September 2014
- Chinese Super League Team of the Year: 2019
Images for kids
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Pellè (far left) celebrating AZ's Eredivisie win in 2009
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Pellè training with Feyenoord in 2013
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Pellè playing for Italy against Azerbaijan in 2015.
See also
In Spanish: Graziano Pellè para niños
