Alessandro Birindelli
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 12 November 1974 | ||
Place of birth | Pisa, Italy | ||
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
Position(s) | Full-back | ||
Youth career | |||
San Frediano | |||
Empoli | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1992–1997 | Empoli | 118 | (1) |
1997–2008 | Juventus | 196 | (2) |
2008–2009 | Pisa | 37 | (0) |
2009–2010 | Valle Giovenco | 27 | (0) |
Total | 378 | (3) | |
International career | |||
1991 | Italy U17 | 0 | (0) |
1997 | Italy U23 | 3 | (0) |
2002–2004 | Italy | 6 | (0) |
Managerial career | |||
2010–2011 | Zambia (assistant) | ||
2011 | Pistoiese | ||
2012 | Dinamo București (assistant) | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Alessandro Birindelli (Italian pronunciation: [alesˈsandro birinˈdɛlli]; born 12 November 1974) is an Italian retired footballer who played as a full-back or as a wide midfielder. Equally at ease on both the left and the right flanks,[1] he was best known for his 11-year spell with Juventus, during which time he won several accolades and appeared in nearly 300 official games.
Club career
Early years
Born to Paolo and Erminia Birindelli in Pisa as the second of two children, Birindelli started playing football at the age of eight for the local team of San Frediano (an area of Pisa not far from his boyhood home and the church of the same name).
A longtime
Juventus
After nearly 150 official matches, Birindelli ended his career with Empoli and moved to Juventus in 1997, managed at the time by
In his first season Birindelli won the Scudetto over Inter Milan, by five points. He was an unused substitute as the club lost the UEFA Champions League for the second consecutive time, now to Real Madrid.[3]
Birindelli won two more leagues with Juventus, in
In the summer of 2005, while playing a friendly against
Birindelli and Juventus initially started 2006–07 with a 30-point deduction as a further punishment for their role in the match-fixing scandal, but it was ultimately reduced to nine, which allowed for another Cadetti conquest for the player and the subsequent promotion. He contributed with 37 league appearances to this feat, while also becoming vice-captain.
Claudio Ranieri took over as coach for the 2007–08 season, and Birindelli only played seven times in the league. On 17 May 2008 he left the club after 11 years, claiming that he wished to continue playing for another year or two.[5]
Late career
On 22 July 2008, Birindelli was announced as
In August 2009, Birindelli signed a two-year contract with lowly AS Pescina Valle del Giovenco.[7] He found himself a free agent in June 2010, after the club was excluded from football due to heavy debts.
On 19 September 2011, Birindelli was appointed head coach at US Pistoiese 1921 in Serie D, leaving his post the following month.
International career
Birindelli represented Italy's under-17s at the 1991 FIFA World Championship, but did not start in any of the team's three games. His first start in a national jersey was as part of the Marco Tardelli-led under-23 squad that competed in the 1997 Mediterranean Games, held in Bari: the nation went on to win the gold medal, with him featuring in three of the four matches including the final against Turkey.
Birindelli's full debut came with Giovanni Trapattoni on 20 November 2002, a 1–1 friendly draw with Turkey. He went on to gain a further five caps in nearly two years, the last being the 0–2 loss in Iceland, and was not summoned for UEFA Euro 2004.
In July 2010 Birindelli retired from active football, immediately being named assistant coach in the Zambia national team led by countryman Dario Bonetti. He resigned from his position in February 2011, due to misunderstandings.[8]
Style of play
Birindelli was a hard-working, tenacious, and versatile player, who was capable of playing as a full-back or wide midfielder on either flank, although he often played on the right side of the pitch. He was mainly known for his speed, stamina, and consistency, as well as his sportsmanship, which enabled him to cover the flank effectively.[1][2][9][10][11]
Personal life
Birindelli married childhood sweetheart Silvia, with whom he had two children, Samuele and Matteo.[2] Samuele Birindelli made his professional debut as a defender for Pisa in December 2016.[12]
Club statistics
Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Empoli | 1992–93 | Serie C1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||
1993–94 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 23 | 0 | |||
1994–95 | 30 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 0 | ||||
1995–96 | 30 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 0 | ||||
1996–97 | Serie B | 35 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 38 | 1 | ||
Total | 118 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | 122 | 1 | |||
Juventus | 1997–98 | Serie A | 29 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 46 | 2 |
1998–99 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 34 | 2 | ||
1999–00 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 34 | 0 | ||
2000–01 | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 25 | 0 | ||
2001–02 | 10 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 26 | 1 | ||
2002–03 | 17 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 34 | 1 | ||
2003–04 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 27 | 0 | ||
2004–05 | 12 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 0 | ||
2005–06 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
2006–07 | Serie B | 37 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 40 | 1 | ||
2007–08 | Serie A | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||
Total | 196 | 2 | 38 | 2 | 61 | 3 | 295 | 7 | ||
Pisa | 2008–09 | Serie B | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
Career total | 351 | 3 | 42 | 2 | 61 | 3 | 454 | 8 |
Honours
Club
- Empoli
- Coppa Italia Lega Pro: 1995–96
- Juventus
- Serie A: 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03
- Supercoppa Italiana: 1997, 2002, 2003; Runner-up 1998, 2005
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999
- Serie B: 2006–07
- Coppa Italia: Runner-up 2001–02, 2003–04
- UEFA Champions League: Runner-up 1997–98, 2002–03
International
- Italy U23
References
- ^ a b "Champions' League final: How the old trafford teams shape up". The Independent. 27 May 2003. Archived from the original on 15 May 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
- ^ a b c "Alessandro Birindelli" (in Italian). Juventus F.C.
- ^ "Juventus 0–1 Real Madrid". UEFA. 20 May 1998. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- ^ "Milan lift European crown". UEFA. 28 May 2003. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
- ^ "Birindelli al passo d'addio: "Grazie Juve"" [Birindelli on the brink of goodbye: "Thanks Juve"] (in Italian). Juventus F.C. 9 May 2008. Archived from the original on 15 April 2009.
- ^ "Birindelli, Masiero, Pit e Greco: Un poker d'assi per il Pisa di Mister Ventura" [Birindelli, Masiero, Pit and Greco: Poker of aces for coach Ventura's Pisa]. Pisa Calcio (in Italian). 21 July 2008. Archived from the original on 23 July 2008.
- ^ "Ecco le prime parole di Birindelli in biancoverde" [First words of Birindelli in white-and-green] (in Italian). Valle del Giovenco. 19 August 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011.
- ^ "Zambia: Bonetti's right hand man quits". Lusaka Times. 3 February 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
- ^ Stefano Bedeschi (12 November 2017). "Gli eroi in bianconero: Alessandro Birindelli" [The heroes in black and white: Alessandro Birindelli]. Tutto Juve (in Italian). Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ Giorgio Dell'Arti (5 April 2014). "Biografia di Alessandro Birindelli" [Biography on Alessandro Birindelli] (in Italian). cinquantamila.it. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- ^ Richard Williams (1 March 1999). "Football: Greatness has a last flowering in Baggio". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
- ^ "There is another Birindelli in Pisa: Samuel, fullback like Dad". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 25 December 2016.
- ^ "Alessandro Birindelli". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
External links
- Alessandro Birindelli at TuttoCalciatori.net (in Italian)
- National team data (in Italian) [dead link]
- Alessandro Birindelli at National-Football-Teams.com