Thiago Motta facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Thiago Motta

Motta in 2023
Personal information
Full name	Thiago Motta
Date of birth	(1982-08-28) 28 August 1982 (age 42)
Place of birth	São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil
Height	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1997–1999	Juventus-SP
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2002	Barcelona B	84	(12)
2001–2007	Barcelona	96	(6)
2007–2008	Atlético Madrid	6	(0)
2008–2009	Genoa	27	(6)
2009–2012	Inter Milan	55	(11)
2012–2018	Paris Saint-Germain	166	(8)
Total		434	(43)
International career
2003	Brazil	2	(0)
2011–2016	Italy	30	(1)
Managerial career
2018–2019	Paris Saint-Germain U19
2019	Genoa
2021–2022	Spezia
2022–2024	Bologna
2024–2025	Juventus
Medal record Men's Football Representing  Brazil South American U-17 Championship Winner 1999 Uruguay CONCACAF Gold Cup Runner-up 2003 United States–Mexico Representing  Italy UEFA European Championship Runner-up 2012 Poland–Ukraine
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Thiago Motta is a well-known football manager and former player. He was born on August 28, 1982. He recently coached the famous Juventus club.

Thiago Motta played as a defensive midfielder. He started his career in Spain with Barcelona. There, he won two La Liga titles and the UEFA Champions League. He faced many injuries during this time. After playing for Atlético Madrid and Genoa, Motta joined Inter Milan in 2009.

At Inter Milan, he was part of the team that won a "treble" in 2010. This means they won three major trophies in one season: Serie A, Coppa Italia, and the Champions League. In 2012, he moved to Paris Saint-Germain in France. He won 18 trophies there, including five Ligue 1 titles, before he stopped playing in 2018.

Thiago Motta was born and grew up in Brazil. He also has Italian family roots and holds Italian citizenship. He played two games for Brazil in 2003. Later, he played 30 times for Italy from 2011 to 2016, scoring one goal. He helped Italy reach the finals of UEFA Euro 2012. He also played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2016.

After retiring as a player, he became a coach. He coached PSG's under-19 team. In 2019, he became the manager of Genoa, but left after a short time. He then managed Spezia for one season. In September 2022, he became the manager of Bologna. He led Bologna to qualify for the Champions League in his second season. In June 2024, Motta became the head coach of Juventus. He was sacked in March 2025 after some difficult results.

Early Life and Football Start

Thiago Motta was born in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil. His family has Italian roots.

Joining Barcelona

Motta joined Barcelona in 1999 when he was 17. He came from a Brazilian team called Juventus-SP. He first played for Barcelona's B-team. In 2001, he moved up to the main team. His first game was on October 3, against Mallorca, which Barcelona won 3–0.

In the 2001–02 Champions League, Motta played seven games. He helped Barcelona reach the semi-finals. In the 2002–03 season, he played 21 league games and scored three goals. This was his best season for games played.

Motta also had many injuries while at Barcelona. One serious injury in September 2004 kept him out for seven months. He needed surgery on his left knee. He made a great comeback in April 2005. Fans cheered loudly when he returned to the field. Barcelona won the league that season.

Time at Atlético Madrid

In August 2007, Motta signed a one-year deal with Atlético Madrid. He started the season injured again. In a cup game against Valencia, he was sent off early. His team lost that game.

Motta got more chances to play when other players were injured or left. But in March, his knee problems returned. His season ended early, and he had surgery. After leaving Atlético, he tried out for Premier League team Portsmouth, but did not sign with them.

Playing for Genoa

In September 2008, Motta joined Genoa for free. He played very well in his first season and was a regular starter.

On April 11, 2009, Motta scored two goals against Juventus. Genoa won the game 3–2. He finished the season with six goals, which was his personal best. His team then qualified for the Europa League.

Moving to Inter Milan

Motta training with Inter in 2010

On May 20, 2009, Thiago Motta and his teammate Diego Milito moved to Inter Milan. Motta's transfer cost Inter €10.2 million.

Motta's first game for Inter was a 1–1 draw against Bari. He scored his first goal in the next game, the "Derby della Madonnina" against A.C. Milan. Inter won that game 4–0. He scored two goals in a single game for Inter in a 3–0 win over Bologna in April 2010.

Motta played in eight games during Inter's Champions League winning season. In a semi-final game against Barcelona, he was sent off. This happened after he seemed to hit Sergio Busquets in the face.

In October 2011, Motta scored a header from a corner kick. This goal gave Inter a 1–0 win against Chievo. It was Inter's first home win in the 2011–12 season.

Time at Paris Saint-Germain

Motta at PSG in 2013

On January 31, 2012, Motta signed with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in France. The transfer fee was about €10 million. He said he had always dreamed of playing for PSG, like other Brazilian stars such as Raí and Ronaldinho. He also mentioned he was not happy at Inter.

Four days after joining, Motta played his first game for PSG. They won 3–1 against Evian. He scored his first goal in Ligue 1 on April 22, 2012, in a big 6–1 win over Sochaux.

In February 2014, Motta extended his contract with PSG until June 2016. In August, he suffered a broken nose. This happened after a player from Bastia headbutted him in the tunnel. The other player was suspended for six months.

Motta announced he would retire at the end of the 2017–18 season. He also became the new coach of PSG's under-19 team. During his six and a half years at PSG, he played 232 games and won 19 trophies. His last game was on May 19, 2018, against Caen.

International Football Career

Playing for Brazil

Motta first played for Brazil in the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup. He missed a tournament in 2004 due to injuries. He played for Brazil's under-23 team in November 2003. Later, there were talks about him playing for Italy because he had dual citizenship. His great-grandfather was Italian. FIFA rules allow players with dual nationality to change which country they play for, but not if they have already played in a competitive "A" match.

Playing for Italy

Motta lining up for Italy at Euro 2012

Motta leaving the field during the Euro 2012 final

On February 6, 2011, Motta was called up to play for Italy for the first time. This was for a friendly game against Germany. FIFA approved his switch two days later. He played his first game for Italy on February 9, a 1–1 draw.

On March 25, 2011, in only his second international game, Motta scored the only goal. This was in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Slovenia. He was chosen for the Euro 2012 finals in Poland and Ukraine. He started in three group games and came on as a substitute twice. In the final against Spain, he got a hamstring injury after only five minutes. He had to leave the field, leaving Italy with ten players, as they had already used all their substitutes. Italy lost the final 0–4.

Motta was also part of Italy's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He played his first World Cup game at almost 32 years old. This was in Italy's 2–1 win over England.

In May 2016, Motta was named to Italy's squad for Euro 2016. He was given the number 10 shirt, which caused some discussion. His teammate Daniele De Rossi defended the choice, saying Motta was a "master" technically. He played four games in the tournament. He was suspended for the quarter-final match against Germany. His last game for Italy was his 30th cap, a 2–0 win over Spain. Italy was later knocked out of the tournament.

Playing Style

Thiago Motta was a strong and smart player. He usually played as a defensive or central midfielder. He could play in different midfield roles because he understood tactics well. For the Italian national team, he sometimes played as a deep-lying playmaker. This meant he helped control the game's speed with his passes.

Motta was known for his excellent ball control, skill, vision, and passing. He was also good at tackling and winning the ball. He was strong in the air and could score with headers. He also had a powerful long-range shot. However, he was sometimes criticized for being aggressive and for not being very fast. He also had many injuries during his career.

Coaching Career

In August 2019, after coaching PSG's under-19 team, Motta started training to get his UEFA Pro Licence. He successfully got the license in September 2020.

Coaching Genoa

On October 21, 2019, his old club Genoa hired him as their new manager. The team was near the bottom of the Italian league. In his first game, five days later, he led Genoa to a 3–1 home win against Brescia. However, he was fired on December 28, as the team was in last place.

Coaching Spezia

On July 5, 2021, Motta became the head coach of Spezia, another Serie A club. Many people thought Spezia would be relegated (moved down to a lower league). Despite a tough start, Motta helped Spezia improve a lot by January. He even won the Serie A Coach of the Month award after three wins in a row.

On May 15, 2022, Spezia won a game against Udinese. This win meant Motta had successfully kept Spezia from being relegated for the second season in a row. Motta left Spezia by agreement on June 28, 2022.

Coaching Bologna

On September 12, 2022, Motta was named the new head coach of Bologna. He was named Coach of the Month in February 2023. He led Bologna to finish ninth in the league in 2022–23, which was a new record for the team.

In his full season in charge, 2023–24, he won Coach of the Month in February and March. He then guided Bologna to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 1964–65. This meant they finished in the top five in Serie A.

On May 23, 2024, Bologna announced that Motta would not extend his contract. He left the club after setting a new record of 68 points for Bologna.

Coaching Juventus

On June 12, 2024, Motta was appointed as the head coach of Juventus. He signed a three-year contract.

On March 23, 2025, Motta was sacked by Juventus. This happened after a series of bad results, including a 4–0 loss to Atalanta and a 0–3 defeat to Fiorentina. Igor Tudor took over as his replacement.

Tactics and Coaching Ideas

After retiring as a player in May 2018, Motta became the coach of Paris Saint-Germain's under-19 team. In an interview, he talked about his ideas for football. He wanted to use a 4–3–3 formation that could sometimes look like a 2–7–2.

He explained: "My idea is to play offensively. A team that stays close together and controls the game. We should press high and move a lot with and without the ball. I want the player with the ball to always have three or four options and two teammates nearby to help. The hard part in football is often doing simple things well, like passing and getting free. I don't like using numbers for formations because they can trick you. You can be very attacking with a 5–3–2 and defensive with a 4–3–3. It depends on the players. For me, the attacker is the first defender, and the goalkeeper is the first attacker. The goalkeeper starts the play, and the attackers are the first to try and win the ball back."

He has also been known to use an attacking 4–2–3–1 formation.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Motta goal.

List of international goals scored by Thiago Motta

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	25 March 2011	Stadion Stožice, Ljubljana, Slovenia	Slovenia	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying

Managerial Statistics

Honours and Awards

Player Achievements

Barcelona

• La Liga: 2004–05, 2005–06
• Supercopa de España: 2006
• UEFA Champions League: 2005–06

Inter Milan

• Serie A: 2009–10
• Coppa Italia: 2009–10, 2010–11
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2010
• UEFA Champions League: 2009–10
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2010

Paris Saint-Germain

• Ligue 1: 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18
• Coupe de France: 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18
• Coupe de la Ligue: 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2016–17
• Trophée des Champions: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017

Brazil

• South American Under-17 Football Championship: 1999

Italy

• UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2012

Individual Awards

• Don Balón Award – Breakthrough player in La Liga: 2002–03
• Serie A Team of the Year: 2010–11
• Ligue 1 Team of the Year: 2013–14

Manager Achievements

Individual Awards

• Serie A Coach of the Month: January 2022, February 2023, February 2024, March 2024

Images for kids

• 

  Motta (back row, third from right) lining up for Barcelona during the 2005–06 season

See also

In Spanish: Thiago Motta para niños