Nicola Legrottaglie facts for kids
Legrottaglie in 2010
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 20 October 1976 | ||
| Place of birth | Gioia del Colle, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.90 m | ||
| Playing position | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1996 | Bari | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1996–1998 | Bari | 0 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | → Pistoiese (loan) | 31 | (3) |
| 1997–1998 | → Prato (loan) | 26 | (0) |
| 1998–2003 | Chievo | 66 | (6) |
| 2000 | → Reggiana (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2000–2001 | → Modena (loan) | 32 | (1) |
| 2003–2011 | Juventus | 114 | (8) |
| 2005 | → Bologna (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | → Siena (loan) | 28 | (0) |
| 2011 | AC Milan | 1 | (0) |
| 2011–2014 | Catania | 75 | (8) |
| Total | 386 | (27) | |
| National team | |||
| 1994 | Italy U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2002–2010 | Italy | 16 | (1) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 2014–2015 | Bari U17 | ||
| 2015–2016 | Akragas | ||
| 2017 | Cagliari (assistant) | ||
| 2019–2020 | Pescara U19 | ||
| 2020 | Pescara | ||
| 2023–2024 | Sampdoria (technical director) | ||
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Nicola Legrottaglie (born 20 October 1976) is a former Italian footballer. He played as a centre back, which is a defensive position in football.
He played for many teams during his 20-year career. He played 259 matches and scored 22 goals in Serie A, which is Italy's top football league. Some of the famous clubs he played for include Chievo, Juventus, AC Milan, and Catania. In 2011, he won the national championship with AC Milan.
Legrottaglie also played for the Italian national team 16 times. He even played in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out: Bari and Loans
Nicola Legrottaglie was born in Gioia del Colle, Italy. He started his football journey with A.S. Bari as a young player. During his early career, he was loaned out to other teams like A.C. Pistoiese and A.C. Prato to gain experience.
After returning to Bari, he was sold to A.C. ChievoVerona in 1998. Chievo was playing in Serie B at the time. He had a few more loan spells, including with Modena FC, where he played regularly.
Becoming a Star at Chievo
When Legrottaglie returned to Chievo, the team was promoted to Serie A for the first time in the 2001–02 season. He played 15 games in their first season in the top league.
In his second Serie A season (2002–03), he became a key player for Chievo. He scored four goals in 32 league games. His strong performances helped Chievo finish well in the league.
Playing for Juventus
In 2003, Legrottaglie joined Juventus FC, one of Italy's biggest clubs. Juventus paid a lot of money to bring him to their team.
In his first season (2003–04), he played 21 games and scored two goals. However, he also received an award called the "Bidone d'Oro" in 2004. This award is given to the player who is considered the "worst" in Serie A that season.
After a new coach, Fabio Capello, arrived, Legrottaglie didn't play as much. So, he was loaned out to Bologna FC 1909 in 2005. Later, he was also loaned to AC Siena for the 2005–06 season. He played regularly for Siena, helping them avoid being relegated to a lower league.
Returning to Juventus and Success
In 2006, Juventus was involved in a big scandal called Calciopoli. Because of this, they were moved down to Serie B. Legrottaglie returned to Juventus to help them get back to Serie A. They won the Serie B title in 2006–07 and were promoted back to the top league.
Under a new coach, Claudio Ranieri, Legrottaglie became a very important player for Juventus. In the 2007–08 season, he became a regular starter after another player got injured. He played alongside Giorgio Chiellini in defense. They formed a strong partnership, and the team let in very few goals. Because of his great form, he signed a new contract with Juventus.
He continued to be a first-choice defender in the 2008–09 season, playing 27 league matches. He signed another contract extension until 2011. In the 2009–10 season, he played 19 league games and scored one goal.
Short Time at AC Milan
In January 2011, Legrottaglie moved to AC Milan, another big club in Italy. He signed a six-month contract. However, he only played one league game for Milan because he got a serious head injury.
Even though he played only one game, AC Milan won the Serie A championship that season. After his contract ended in June, he left the club.
Final Years at Catania
On 24 August 2011, Legrottaglie joined Calcio Catania on a two-year contract. He scored a goal in his very first game for the team.
At Catania, he played very well and helped the team achieve their best points total in Serie A for four seasons in a row. He played 35 games and scored six goals in the 2011–12 season.
Playing for Italy
Legrottaglie played his first game for the Italian national team on 20 November 2002. It was a friendly match against Turkey. He played six more matches in the next year. He scored his only goal for Italy in April 2003, in a 2–1 win against Switzerland.
After playing very well for Juventus, he was called back to the national team in 2008. He played in a friendly game against Austria.
In 2010, he was considered for the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad, but he was not chosen for the final team. His only major international tournament was the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, where Italy did not make it past the group stage.
International Match Statistics
Here's a summary of his games and goals for the Italian national team:
| National team | Year | Games | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | |||
| 2002 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 1 | |
Here is the detail of his only goal for Italy:
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 April 2003 | Stade de Genève, Lancy, Switzerland |  Switzerland |
1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Life After Playing: Coaching Career
Nicola Legrottaglie stopped playing football at the end of the 2013–14 season, when he was almost 38 years old. After retiring, he returned to AS Bari, his first club, to manage their under-17 team.
In July 2015, he became a head coach for the first time, managing Akragas, a team in a lower Italian league. He later resigned in January 2016.
In 2017, he became an assistant coach at Cagliari Calcio in Italy's top division. He also managed the under-19 team for Delfino Pescara 1936 in 2019, and then became the head coach of their main team in January 2020.
In 2023, Legrottaglie joined UC Sampdoria as a "head of performance," working with the technical side of the club.
How He Played
Nicola Legrottaglie was known for being strong and good in the air, which means he was good at heading the ball. This made him a threat to score goals, especially from corner kicks and free kicks. He was also good at tackling and organizing his team's defense.
He had good technical skills, could pass the ball well, and could see the game clearly. He was also able to play in different tactical setups and had a powerful shot from far away.
Sometimes, he was criticized for not always being consistent in his play or for making mistakes when marking other players.
Personal Life
Nicola Legrottaglie is married. He is also a member of the Italian Evangelical Alliance, which is a Christian group. He is part of the Athletes of Christ, a group for Christian athletes.
Honours and Achievements
Legrottaglie won several titles during his career:
Modena
- Serie C1: 2000-01 (a lower league title)
- Supercoppa di Serie C: 2001
Juventus
- Serie A: 2004–05 (This title was later taken away due to the Calciopoli scandal)
- Coppa Italia runner-up: 2003–04 (His team finished second in the Italian Cup)
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2003 (He won the Italian Supercup)
- Serie B: 2006–07 (His team won the second division title)
AC Milan
- Serie A: 2010–11 (He won the Italian top league title)
See also
In Spanish: Nicola Legrottaglie para niños
