Massimo AmbrosiniCavaliere OMRI (Italian pronunciation:[ˈmassimoambroˈziːni]; born 29 May 1977) is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a defensive midfielder. At club level, he is mostly known for his successful time at Italian team AC Milan, where he spent eighteen years of his career, winning several titles, and captained the side from 2009 to 2013 following the retirement of Paolo Maldini. Ambrosini retired from professional football in 2014, after a season with Fiorentina.
In 2005–06, he again suffered a series of injuries which limited him to just 13 Serie A appearances and one goal, thus making him out of contention for the Italian squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Ambrosini with Milan in May 2007
Unlike the previous seasons,
Atalanta, both with his head. He was also a key member to Milan's victory over Bayern Munich and Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League, balancing the game for Milan through his vision and leadership skills; his long pass from his team's half of the pitch to an unmarked striker Alberto Gilardino
helped ensure Milan's eventual 3–0 victory as Gilardino scored a goal that drastically reduced Manchester United's chances of a comeback. This game also prompted Ambrosini to change his mind about leaving Milan due to lack of playing time and extend his contract until June 2010.
and played a strong game in Milan's eventual 2–1 win over Liverpool. He was also the last player to touch the ball seconds before the final whistle.
In
Ambrosini was Milan captain in the absence of Paolo Maldini throughout the
Empoli, and played very well in the home leg of the Milan derby against Internazionale on 4 May 2008, setting up the second goal for teammate Kaká and putting in an excellent performance throughout the game, which Milan won 2–1. However, Milan had failed to earn 3 points in each single game leading up to a 4–1 win against Udinese on the final day of the season, thus finishing only in fifth place and qualifying for 2008–09 UEFA Cup
instead of the desired Champions League.
During the
Man of the Match as he netted twice to secure a Milan victory. His second goal was a superb effort into the roof of the net, past a bewildered Alex Manninger
.
This season was also memorable for him as he had managed a season total of eight goals (one in the UEFA Cup), more than he has scored in any season in his career with Milan. The goals included a brilliant header off
yellow card
.
On 6 July 2009, as the Milan team reunited for
Napoli
, securing a spot in the next season's Champions League qualification play-off.
On 11 June 2013, Milan CEO Adriano Galliani confirmed that the club had decided not to extend Ambrosini's expiring contract, thus ending his eighteen-year stay at Milan.
Fiorentina
On 4 July 2013 Fiorentina confirmed on their official website that they had won the race to sign Ambrosini on a one-year deal, beating West Ham United who were also looking to sign him.[7] He made 30 appearances for Fiorentina in his first season with La Viola, helping the club to fourth place in Serie A. Massimo Ambrosini would announce on 21 May 2014 that he would be leaving Fiorentina after one season.
On 16 August 2006, Ambrosini earned his 23rd cap for Italy after almost two years of absence from the squad in a 2–0 friendly home defeat to Croatia; for this match, he was given the captain's armband by coach Roberto Donadoni in the absence of regular contenders for the armband.[14][15] He was then called up by the national side's manager to Italy's squad for UEFA Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland,[16] appearing in all four of his nation's matches throughout the tournament, as Italy were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the tournament by eventual champions Spain, following a penalty shootout.[17] After Donadoni's dismissal, however, Lippi was put back in charge, and Ambrosini was no longer called up for Italy, despite putting in battling displays for Milan.[13] In total he made 35 appearances for Italy.[18]
Style of play
A physically strong, tenacious, energetic, and hardworking box-to-box, central, or defensive midfielder, with a wide range of skills, Ambrosini was well regarded for his ability in the air, and was capable of being a goal-threat, in particular from set-pieces, due to his height, elevation, ability to make attacking runs into the area, and his heading accuracy, as well as his powerful striking ability from distance, which even led manager Carlo Ancelotti to deploy him as a centre forward on occasion. Throughout his career, he stood out for his leadership, as well as his stamina, versatility, tactical intelligence, and aggressive tackling. Although Ambrosini primarily served as a ball winner, he was also known for his ability to start attacking plays after winning back possession, courtesy of his vision and passing range, despite his lack of notable technical skills.[19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26] Despite his ability as a midfielder, he often struggled with injuries throughout his career.[13]
Personal life
Massimo Ambrosini is married to an Italian woman, Paola Ambrosini.[27] Ambrosini has two children with his wife, his son Federico Ambrosini was born on 11 May 2009,[28] and his daughter Angelica Ambrosini was born on 21 November 2011.[29]
Career statistics
Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[30][31]
^John Ley (9 June 2000). "Italy Team Details". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
^Carlo Laudisa (19 December 2003). "Samp consolati Ecco Ambrosini" [Samp, console yourself Here's Ambrosini]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 25 May 2016.
^Andrea Masala (29 October 1999). "Ambrosini e Gattuso, il Milan che corre" [Ambrosini and Gattuso, the Milan that runs]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 25 May 2016.