Graziano Pellè facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Graziano Pellè

Pellè with Southampton in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Graziano Pellè
Date of birth	(1985-07-15) 15 July 1985 (age 40)
Place of birth	San Cesario di Lecce, Italy
Height	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Position(s)	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)
International career
2004–2005	Italy U20	10	(7)
2005–2007	Italy U21	11	(0)
2008	Italy Olympic	5	(0)
2014–2016	Italy	20	(9)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Graziano Pellè is an Italian former professional footballer. He was born on July 15, 1985. He played as a striker, which means he was mainly responsible for scoring goals.

Pellè started his football journey at his local club, Lecce, in Italy. He then played for a few other Italian teams on loan. In 2007, he moved to the Dutch club AZ, where he helped them win the Eredivisie title. After playing for Parma and Sampdoria in Italy, he returned to the Netherlands to play for Feyenoord. His great goal-scoring there led to a move to Southampton in England in 2014. In 2016, he moved to Shandong Luneng in China.

Graziano Pellè also played for Italy's national teams. He represented Italy at the under-20 and under-21 levels. He made his debut for the senior Italian national team in 2014. He was part of the Italian squad for UEFA Euro 2016, where he scored two goals.

Graziano Pellè's Club Career

Starting at Lecce

Graziano Pellè was born in San Cesario di Lecce, Italy. When he was younger, he was also a talented ballroom dancer! He even became a national champion in the under-12 category with his sister. But he chose football, following in his father's footsteps, who was also a striker for Lecce.

Pellè played for Lecce's youth teams and won some important youth titles. He made his first appearance in Italy's top league, Serie A, in 2004. He played a few games for Lecce before being loaned out to other teams.

In 2005, he played for Catania in Serie B, which is Italy's second division. He played regularly but didn't score any goals there. Later, he was loaned to Crotone and then Cesena, both in Serie B. At Cesena, he had a great season, scoring ten goals.

Moving to AZ in the Netherlands

In July 2007, Pellè moved to the Netherlands to play for AZ. He chose AZ because he felt they gave young players a good chance to play. His first season was a bit tough, and he only scored 3 goals in 27 games.

However, he continued to work hard. In December 2008, he scored the winning goal in a 1–0 game against NEC. He also scored twice in a 3–0 win against Groningen. Even though he didn't play all the time, he was part of the AZ team that won the Eredivisie title in 2009.

Pellè (far left) celebrating AZ's Eredivisie win in 2009.

Brief Return to Italy with Parma

In July 2011, Pellè signed a contract with Parma in Italy. He scored one goal for Parma, which was his first goal in Serie A. This goal came in a 3–3 draw against his old club, Lecce.

In January 2012, he joined Sampdoria on loan. He scored 4 goals in 16 games, helping Sampdoria 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 this club. He started incredibly well, scoring 11 goals in his first ten games! This included a goal in the last minute against Ajax.

Pellè training with Feyenoord in 2013.

In January 2013, Pellè signed a four-year contract to stay with Feyenoord permanently. He continued to score many goals, including two hat-tricks (scoring three goals in one game). By the end of the season, he had scored 27 league goals, which was the second-highest in the league. He even scored more goals than famous Italian players like Luca Toni and Christian Vieri had in foreign leagues.

Pellè became very popular with Feyenoord fans, partly because of his unique "retro" haircut! Many fans even copied his hairstyle.

Playing in the Premier League for Southampton

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 scored his first goal for the club in a League Cup match. A few days later, he scored his first Premier League goal against West Ham United.

He continued to score important goals, including two goals in a big 4–0 win over Newcastle United. In September 2014, he scored an amazing overhead kick against Queens Park Rangers, which was called "world class" by the opposing manager.

Pellè's great performance earned him the Premier League Player of the Month award for September. He scored two more goals in an 8–0 victory against Sunderland. He also scored twice in a League Cup win against Stoke City, helping Southampton reach the quarter-finals.

In the 2015–16 season, Pellè scored Southampton's first goal in a European competition since 2003. He scored twice against Manchester United and also scored in a 3–1 win against Chelsea at their home stadium, Stamford Bridge.

Moving to China with Shandong Luneng

On July 11, 2016, Pellè left Southampton to join the Chinese club Shandong Luneng. He became one of the highest-earning footballers in the world at that time. He made his debut for the club a few days later and scored his first goal in a 4–1 victory. He played for Shandong Luneng for several years, scoring many goals.

Final Return to Parma

In February 2021, Pellè returned to Parma for a six-month deal. On March 19, he scored a fantastic overhead kick goal in a match against Genoa. This was almost 10 years after his last goal in Serie A.

Graziano Pellè's International Career

Playing for Italy's Youth Teams

Graziano Pellè played for Italy's national youth teams. He scored four goals for the Italy under-20 team at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. He even scored two goals in a 4–1 win against Canada.

He also played for the Italian under-21 team. In a playoff match against Portugal, he scored a "Panenka"-style penalty kick in a shootout, which helped Italy win and qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. He was part of the team's preparation but was not chosen for the final Olympic squad.

Playing for the Senior Italian Team

On October 4, 2014, Pellè was called up to the Italy senior side for the first time. He made his debut on October 13, 2014, against Malta, and scored the only goal of the game. He scored his second goal for Italy in a friendly match against England in March 2015.

He continued to score important goals for Italy in their Euro 2016 qualifying matches, helping them finish at the top of their group. He was Italy's top scorer during the qualifying campaign with three goals.

In May 2016, Pellè was chosen for Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2016. In Italy's first game against Belgium, he scored a goal in added time, helping Italy win 2–0. In the next round, he scored another goal against Spain, giving Italy a 2–0 win.

However, in the quarter-finals against Germany, Pellè missed a penalty kick in the shootout, and Italy lost the game. After the match, he apologized to the Italian fans, saying he was "just sad" and wanted to apologize to "all Italians."

Even after moving to China, Pellè was called back to play for Italy by the new coach, Gian Piero Ventura. He scored in friendly matches against France and Israel in September 2016. However, he was later removed from the team after refusing to shake the coach's hand when he was substituted during a game against Spain.

Graziano Pellè's Playing Style

Graziano Pellè was known as a traditional "target-man" striker. This means he was a big, strong player who was excellent at heading the ball because of his height. He was also good at holding up the ball with his back to the goal, which helped his teammates create chances.

Pellè was known for his powerful and accurate shots with both his head and feet. He was also good at taking penalty kicks. People often compared his playing style to another Italian striker, Luca Toni. Pellè was also praised for working hard and pressing opponents when they had the ball.

Graziano Pellè's Personal Life

In the summer of 2022, Graziano Pellè married Hungarian fashion model Viktória Varga. They had been partners for many years. The couple separated on December 3, 2024, after two years of marriage.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances and Goals

International Appearances and Goals

International Goals for Italy

Italy score listed first, score column indicates score after each Pellè goal.

International goals by date, venue, opponent, score, result and competition

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	13 October 2014	Ta' Qali National Stadium, Mdina, Malta	Malta	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
2	31 March 2015	Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy	England	1–0	1–1	Friendly
3	3 September 2015	Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy	Malta	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
4	13 October 2015	Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy	Norway	2–1	2–1
5	29 May 2016	Ta' Qali National Stadium, Mdina, Malta	Scotland	1–0	1–0	Friendly
6	13 June 2016	Parc Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon, France	Belgium	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2016
7	27 June 2016	Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France	Spain	2–0	2–0	UEFA Euro 2016
8	1 September 2016	Stadio San Nicola, Bari, Italy	France	1–1	1–3	Friendly
9	5 September 2016	Sammy Ofer Stadium, Haifa, Israel	Israel	1–0	3–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours and Awards

AZ

• Eredivisie: 2008–09 (Dutch top league title)

Shandong Luneng Taishan

• Chinese FA Cup: 2020

Italy U21

• Toulon Tournament: 2008 (a youth football tournament)

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

See also

In Spanish: Graziano Pellè para niños