- Nicola Legrottaglie
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"Legrottaglie" redirects here. For the town, see Grottaglie.
Nicola Legrottaglie 
Personal information Full name Nicola Legrottaglie Date of birth 20 October 1976 Place of birth Gioia del Colle, Italy Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) Playing position Centre back Club information Current club Catania Number 6 Youth career Bari Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1994–1998 Bari 17 (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 (co-ownership) 32 (1) 2003–2011 Juventus 114 (8) 2005 → Bologna (loan) 9 (0) 2005–2006 → Siena (loan) 28 (0) 2011 Milan 1 (0) 2011– Catania 6 (1) National team 2002–2009 Italy 16 (1) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2 October 2011.
† Appearances (Goals).Nicola Legrottaglie (born 20 October 1976) is an Italian footballer who plays for Calcio Catania in Serie A, as a central defender.
Contents
Club Career
Early years
Born in Gioia del Colle, Province of Bari, Legrottaglie began his career with A.S. Bari, having loan spells at A.C. Pistoiese and A.C. Prato. In two years, he made 17 total appearances for his hometown club.
Chievo
Following his return to Bari in June 1998, Legrottaglie was sold to A.C. ChievoVerona in the Serie B.[1] He appeared rarely in his second season with the team and, in January 2000, moved on loan to A.C. Reggiana 1919 in the third division. With his new club, he also found playing opportunities hard to come by and, after his return to Verona, moved to the same level and in the same predicament, now with Modena FC.
In his season on loan at Modena, Legrottaglie was a regular fixture in the starting XI, subsequently returning to ChievoVerona for the club's first ever season in the Serie A. In his first year, he only appeared in 15 games, as the club qualified to the UEFA Cup. In his second season, the defender established himself as top division player, netting four goals in 32 league appearances, with Chievo again finishing comfortably in mid-table (seventh).
Juventus
In the 2003 off-season, Legrottaglie was rewarded with a move to Serie A powerhouse Juventus FC.[2] Juve paid €7.55million for his services Chievo, €0.45 million being used in selling 50% of the rights to Giuseppe Sculli, Matteo Paro and Daniele Gastaldello.[3]
Legrottaglie was a full member of the squad in the 2003–04 season, playing 21 games and scoring twice, under coach Marcello Lippi. However, new coach Fabio Capello did not provide him with any playing time the following year, and he made just two appearances in five months. Subsequently, he moved on loan to Bologna F.C. 1909 in the 2005 January transfer window, appearing 11 times - twice in the promotion playoffs - with the Emilia-Romagna side.
Legrottaglie returned to Juventus in the summer of 2005, but was instantly loaned out to A.C. Siena for the 2005–06 season, alongside teammate Igor Tudor and some youth players. While at Siena, he was again a first-team regular, appearing in nearly 30 matches as his club finally avoided relegation. He again returned to Juventus in the summer of 2006 and, as an experienced player, was expected to play a role in the club's attempt to return to the top level following the Calciopoli scandal. However, he would only feature in ten games out of 42, with the addition of a red card, with the Turin outfit eventually gaining promotion, as champions.
New Era at Juventus
Upon promotion to Serie A, Legrottaglie was heavily linked with a transfer away from Turin, however no move materialised, and under new coach Claudio Ranieri, Legrottaglie started the season on the substitutes' bench. He was behind Jorge Andrade, Domenico Criscito, and Jean-Alain Boumsong in the pecking order. After the serious injury suffered by the aforementioned, new signing, Jorge Andrade, he was promoted to the starting eleven for the game against Reggina Calcio on September 26, 2007, scoring the opener in a 4–0 routing. The veteran defender remained in the first team and Juventus allowed just nine goals in 14 games. Following the season ending injury to Andrade and the January departures of Criscito and Boumsong, Legrottaglie paired with Giorgio Chiellini in central defense for the remainder of the season, as Juventus allowed only 37 goals the entire season, finishing the campaign in third place. His contract ran originally run until the summer of 2008 but, in October 2007, due to his excellent form, he was awarded a two-year extension.
In the following seasons, Legrottaglie was used mostly as backup. In late May 2010, he was injured during club training, missing Juventus' United States tour.[4]
AC Milan
On 31 January 2011, after Juventus signed Andrea Barzagli, who played in his position, 34-year old Legrottaglie left on a free transfer for fellow top division team A.C. Milan, signing a six-month contract,[5] but was only able to make one league appearance due to injury, before being released in June.
Calcio Catania
On 24 August 2011, he joined Sicilian outfit Calcio Catania on a two-year contract. He scored the opening goal on his official debut, in a 3–3 away draw against Novara Calcio.[6]
International career
On 20 November 2002, Legrottaglie made his Italy debut, in a friendly match with Turkey in Pescara, and went on to appear in a further six matches in a one-year span, mostly friendlies.
Following solid performances at Juventus, he received his first cap in four years, appearing in a friendly against Austria, filling in for injured teammate Chiellini in an 18 August 2008 contest held in Nice. His former Juventus coach Lippi was then in charge of the national team.
On 2 May 2010, 33-year old Legrottaglie was included in a 29-men provisional list for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, attending training camp in Rome,[7] being then dropped from the 30-player list submitted to FIFA on the 11th, with Villarreal CF's Giuseppe Rossi and A.S. Roma's Daniele De Rossi taking his place.[8]
Legrottaglie's only major international tournament was the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, with Italy exiting in the group stage.
International goals
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 30 April 2003 Geneva, Switzerland 
Switzerland2–1 Win Friendly Honours
- Juventus:
- Second Division: 2006–07
- Italian Supercup: 2003
- Italian Cup: Runner-up 2003–04
- Milan:
- Italian League: 2010–11
Personal
Legrottaglie is an Evangelical Christian, quoting the Bible as his favorite book, which he credits with having him helped rediscover the joy of living and love for his fellow man.
He has come out strongly against homosexuality, calling it a "sin".[9]
References
- ^ Carlo Laudisa (5 June 1998). "Bologna: passi avanti per Esposito e Morfeo [Bologna: moves for Esposito and Morfeo]" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it/1998/giugno/05/Bologna_passi_avanti_per_Esposito_ga_0_9806059313.shtml. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ^ Legrottaglie relishing Juve move; UEFA.com, 19 June 2003
- ^ Juventus Football Club: Accordo con la società A.C. Chievo Verona per l’acquisizione del calciatore Nicola Legrottaglie (Juventus Football Club: Deal with A.C. Chievo Verona for acquisition of footballer Nicola Legrottaglie); Juventus' official website, 19 June 2003 (Italian)
- ^ "Juventus land in New York". Juventus FC. 20 May 2010. http://www.juventus.com/site/eng/NEWS_newsseriea_33B5B4B1579B41E9B42DA0156E394B5E.asp. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
- ^ "Legrottaglie joins Milan". Juventus FC. 31 January 2011. http://www.juventus.com/site/eng/NEWS_newsseriea_E9ECFAC7927D49668543A6FB21DD457D.asp. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
- ^ "Novara 3-3 Catania". ESPN Soccernet. 2 October 2011. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/report/_/id/327149?cc=5739. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
- ^ "Verso il Mondiale. Ventinove Azzurri convocati per lo stage di Roma [Towards the World Cup. 29 Azzurri called to training camp in Roma]" (in Italian). FIGC. 2 May 2010. http://www.figc.it/it/204/24432/2010/05/News.shtml. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
- ^ "Ufficializzata la lista dei 30: C’è Giuseppe Rossi al posto di Legrottaglie [List of 30 players official: Giuseppe Rossi for Legrottaglie]" (in Italian). FIGC. 11 May 2010. http://www.figc.it/it/204/24545/2010/05/News.shtml. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
- ^ Nicola Legrottaglie insists 'Homosexuality is a sin'; Goal.com, 18 March 2009
External links
- Juventus profile (Italian)
- National team data (Italian)
- Nicola Legrottaglie at National-Football-Teams.com
- Fan club (Italian)
Calcio Catania – current squad 1 Košický · 2 Potenza · 3 Spolli · 4 Almirón · 5 Paglialunga · 6 Legrottaglie · 7 Lanzafame · 8 Ledesma · 9 Suazo · 10 Lodi · 11 M.López · 12 Marchese · 13 Izco · 14 Bellusci · 15 Keko · 16 Llama · 17 Gómez · 18 Bergessio · 19 Ricchiuti · 20 Sciacca · 21 Andújar · 22 Álvarez · 24 Delvecchio · 27 Biagianti (c) · 28 Barrientos · 29 Terraciano · 30 Campagnolo · 32 Catellani · 33 Capuano · 34 Donnarumma · Head Coach: Montella
Italy squad – 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup 1 Buffon • 2 Santon • 3 Grosso • 4 Chiellini • 5 Cannavaro (c) • 6 Legrottaglie • 7 Pepe • 8 Gattuso • 9 Toni • 10 De Rossi • 11 Gilardino • 12 De Sanctis • 13 Gamberini • 14 Amelia • 15 Iaquinta • 16 Camoranesi • 17 Rossi • 18 Palombo • 19 Zambrotta • 20 Montolivo • 21 Pirlo • 22 Dossena • 23 Quagliarella • Coach: Lippi
Categories:- 1976 births
- Living people
- People from the Province of Bari
- Italian Protestants
- Italian footballers
- Association football defenders
- Serie A footballers
- Serie B footballers
- A.S. Bari players
- A.C. Pistoiese players
- A.C. Prato players
- A.C. ChievoVerona players
- A.C. Reggiana 1919 players
- Modena F.C. players
- Juventus F.C. players
- Bologna F.C. 1909 players
- A.C. Siena players
- A.C. Milan players
- Calcio Catania players
- Italy international footballers
- 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup players
- Juventus:
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