Nicolás Burdisso facts for kids
![]() Burdisso with Argentina in 2011
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Nicolás Andrés Burdisso | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date of birth | 12 April 1981 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Place of birth | Altos de Chipión, Córdoba, Argentina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position(s) | Defender | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1997–1999 | Boca Juniors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
1999–2004 | Boca Juniors | 78 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2004–2009 | Inter Milan | 120 | (4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2009–2014 | Roma | 115 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2014–2017 | Genoa | 93 | (1) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
2017–2018 | Torino | 24 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total | 419 | (17) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2003–2011 | Argentina | 49 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2018–2019 | Boca Juniors (sporting director) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2021–2024 | Fiorentina (technical director) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Nicolás Andrés Burdisso (born 12 April 1981) is a former professional football player from Argentina. He played as a defender, mostly in the center of the defense. After his playing career, he became a football manager and director.
Burdisso started his career at Boca Juniors in Argentina. There, he won many important titles, including three Copa Libertadores cups. In 2004, he moved to Italy to play for Inter Milan. With Inter, he won four Serie A titles, which are the top league championships in Italy. He also played for Roma, Genoa, and Torino.
Nicolás also played for the Argentina national team 49 times. He played in two FIFA World Cups and two Copa America tournaments. He was part of the team that won a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. After retiring from playing, he worked as a sporting director for Boca Juniors and later as a technical director for Fiorentina.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting at Boca Juniors
Nicolás Burdisso grew up playing football in the youth system of Boca Juniors, a famous club in Argentina. He began playing professionally for them in 1999 when he was 18 years old.
During his time at Boca Juniors, he helped the team win many big trophies. They won two Argentine Championships in 2000 and 2003. They also won the Copa Libertadores three times (in 2000, 2001, and 2003). These are the most important club competitions in South America. Boca Juniors also won the Intercontinental Cup twice, in 2000 and 2003.
Moving to Inter Milan
In 2004, Burdisso moved to Italy to join Inter Milan, a top club in Serie A. He signed a four-year contract with them. During his first season, he had to return to Argentina to support his daughter, Angela, who was very ill. He came back to play in October 2005.
The 2006–07 season was one of his best for Inter. He scored four goals in the Coppa Italia (Italy's main cup competition), making him one of the top scorers. He scored two goals in one game against Messina and two more against Sampdoria. Inter reached the Coppa Italia final but lost to Roma. He also scored two goals in the league that season, which Inter won.
In 2007, during a Champions League match against Valencia, there was a fight between players. Burdisso got a broken nose. He was banned from European club games for six matches because of his part in the incident. He returned to Champions League play in March 2008 but was sent off in a game against Liverpool.
Burdisso played for Inter Milan for five years. He played 139 matches and helped the team win nine trophies, including four Serie A titles.
Time at Roma
In August 2009, Burdisso joined Roma on a loan deal. He quickly became an important player for them. He scored his first goal for Roma in December 2009 in a 2–0 win against Parma.
Roma then signed him permanently in August 2010. He signed a four-year contract with the club. In November 2011, he suffered a serious injury to his left knee, which kept him from playing for several months.
Later, in the 2012–13 season, Burdisso played less often for Roma. He was often on the bench as other players were chosen ahead of him.
Playing for Genoa and Torino
In January 2014, Burdisso moved to Genoa. He played for Genoa for four seasons and appeared in 113 matches for the club.
His last club as a player was Torino, which he joined in August 2017. He played 25 games for Torino before announcing his retirement from football on 10 October 2018.
International Career for Argentina

Nicolás Burdisso was a key player for the Argentina under-20 team. He played alongside future stars like Javier Saviola. Together, they won the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship, a major tournament for young players.
He made his debut for the senior Argentina team in 2003. In 2006, he was chosen to play in the 2006 FIFA World Cup and played in all three group matches. He also played for Argentina in the Copa América 2007, where his team reached the final.
Burdisso scored his second goal for Argentina in June 2008 during a friendly game against Mexico. He was also part of the Argentina squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the Copa América 2011.
In November 2011, he injured his left knee during a World Cup qualifying match. This injury kept him out of action for a long time.
Personal Life
Nicolás Burdisso has a younger brother named Guillermo Burdisso, who is also a professional football player. Guillermo has also played for Roma, just like Nicolás. The Burdisso brothers have Italian passports because their grandparents were born in Italy.
After Retirement from Playing
After he stopped playing football in the summer of 2018, Nicolás Burdisso took on new roles in the sport. In December 2018, he was named the sporting director of his former club, Boca Juniors. He worked in this role until the end of 2019.
In July 2021, Burdisso became the technical director for Fiorentina, another Italian club. He held this position until the end of the 2023-24 season.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
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Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Boca Juniors | 2000 | Argentina Primeira División | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | ||
2001 | Argentina Primeira División | 1 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | ||
2002 | Argentina Primeira División | 23 | 1 | — | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 31 | 2 | ||
2003 | Argentina Primeira División | 24 | 2 | — | 14 | 0 | — | 38 | 2 | |||
2004 | Argentina Primeira División | 30 | 0 | — | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 1 | ||
Total | 78 | 3 | — | — | 43 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 124 | 6 | ||
Inter | 2004–05 | Serie A | 35 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 42 | 2 | |
2005–06 | Serie A | 16 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 26 | 0 | ||
2006–07 | Serie A | 24 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | 36 | 6 | ||
2007–08 | Serie A | 24 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 1 | |
2008–09 | Serie A | 21 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 1 | |
Total | 120 | 8 | 30 | 4 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 170 | 12 | ||
Roma | 2009–10 | Serie A | 33 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0 | — | 44 | 2 | |
2010–11 | Serie A | 27 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — | 39 | 2 | ||
2011–12 | Serie A | 10 | 1 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 12 | 1 | |||
2012–13 | Serie A | 25 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 1 | |||
2013–14 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 | |||
Total | 115 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 16 | 0 | — | — | 145 | 6 | ||
Genoa | 2014–15 | Serie A | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 0 | ||
2015–16 | Serie A | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 29 | 0 | |||
2016–17 | Serie A | 35 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 38 | 0 | |||
Total | 93 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 98 | 0 | ||
Torino | 2017–18 | Serie A | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||
Total | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||
Career total | 419 | 17 | 50 | 4 | 77 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 551 | 24 |
International Goals
Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first.
# | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
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1 | 26 March 2008 | Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt | ![]() |
2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
2 | 4 June 2008 | Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, United States | ![]() |
1–0 | 4–1 | Friendly |
Honours and Achievements
Boca Juniors
- Primera División: 2000 Apertura, 2003 Apertura
- Copa Libertadores: 2000, 2001, 2003
- Intercontinental Cup: 2000, 2003
Inter Milan
- Serie A: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09
- Coppa Italia: 2004–05, 2005–06
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2005, 2006, 2008
Argentina U20
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: 2001
Argentina U23
- Summer Olympics: 2004 (Gold Medal)
- CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament: 2004
Argentina National Team
- Copa América runner-up: 2007
Individual Awards
- Coppa Italia top-scorer: 2006–07
See also
In Spanish: Nicolás Burdisso para niños