Melissa Bettoni facts for kids
Bettoni before the RWC 2021 qualification match against Spain
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| Date of birth | 7 May 1991 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Borgosesia, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 87 kg (192 lb; 13 st 10 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Melissa Bettoni, born on May 7, 1991, is a famous former rugby player from Italy. She played as a "Hooker" for the Italian national team and for a French club called Stade Rennais before she stopped playing.
Melissa's Rugby Journey
Melissa was born in Borgosesia, Italy. She started playing rugby when she was 17 years old, in 2008. Her first team was a small club called Valsesia in Piedmont. Later, she joined the Red & Blu Rugby club, which played in a top Italian league called Serie A.
On February 12, 2012, Melissa played her first international match for Italy. It was a tough game against England during the Six Nations Championship. In the same year, she also played for the Grenoble club in France. She even spent some time playing rugby in New Zealand!
After returning to Italy, Melissa became a very important player for the national team. In the 2014 Six Nations tournament, she helped Italy win against Wales. She scored a try in the 61st minute, which helped her team come back from being behind and win the game.
In 2014, Melissa moved back to France to play for Stade Rennais. While playing rugby, she also worked as a babysitter. She was chosen to be part of the Italian team for the 2017 Women's Rugby World Cup in Ireland. Italy finished ninth in that competition.
On September 9, 2022, Melissa had a special moment. She became the captain of the Italian team for the first time during a warm-up match against France. This game was in preparation for the Rugby World Cup. She took on the captain's role because the usual captain, Manuela Furlan, was injured.
After the World Cup, Melissa decided to retire from playing rugby. She had already announced this at the end of her last season in France. She retired to open an Italian restaurant with her French husband. Melissa played a total of 76 international matches for Italy and scored 14 tries.
Coaching Role
In 2023, Melissa Bettoni returned to the Italian national rugby team, but this time as a coach! She became the forwards coach for the Italy women’s Under-20 team, helping new, young players develop their skills.
