Cristiano Zanetti



D.O.B: 14/04/1977 in Carrara (MS)
Position: Defensive midfielder
Nationality: Italian
Height: 1.80m (5'11")
Weight: 75kg
Nickname(s): Zanna Bianca, Martello, Tampone

Serie A debut Foggia 2-1 FIORENTINA, 14/5/95

International debut Japan 1-1 ITALY, 7/11/01

1994-95 Fiorentina A 2 -
1995-96 Fiorentina A 2 -
1996-97 Venezia B 21 -
1997-98 Reggiana B 31 -
1998-99 Inter A - -
Nov 1998 Cagliari A 18 -
1999-00 Roma A 11 -
2000-01 Roma A 27 -
2001-02 Inter A 26 1
2002-03 Inter A 17 -
2003-04 Inter A 19 1
2004-05 Inter A 23 -
2005-06 Inter A 14 -
2006-07 Juventus B 25 2
2007-08 Juventus A 26 -
2008-09 Juventus A 12 2
2009-10 Juventus A - -

Honours

2 Scudetti (2000-01, 2005-06 revoked)
2 Coppa Italia (2005, 2006)
1 SuperCoppa Italiana (2005)
1 Cadetti (2006-07)

Cristiano Zanetti was born on the 10th of April 1977 in Carrara. His mum is called Nerina and his dad Umberto. He has a brother, Giuseppe, and a sister, Giulia, 13 years his junior, to whom he is very close.

Cristiano is a true sportsman: he loves windsurfing – which he began when he was very young – , skiing, which he can't do as much as he'd like for professional reasons, and rally racing, which for him is the apex of motor racing sports, and he's really into all of them. Hence his favourite sports personality is Valentino Rossi.
He listens to plenty of music in his spare time. He enjoys the biggest Italian and international hits of all time (Pink Floyd's “Wish You were here”, U2's “Numb”, Queen's “We are the Champions” and “Certe Notti” by Ligabue), but also appreciates the latest ones he catches on the radio.
He doesn't watch television much. He adores Fiorello though, whom he considers the most talented all-round entertainer in Italy. But he much prefers watching a film on DVD, and if he had to suggest the title of a good movie, he wouldn't hesitate in recommending Roberto Benigni's “Life is beautiful”.

Like all athletes, he's very careful about what he eats and about his physical condition, but when he goes home, he cannot resist a plate of pasta with fresh tomato sauce, washed down, obviously, with a nice glass of wine from Tuscany.

Cristiano began playing football when he was 5, in the Poggioletto team. He was almost always employed as a number 10 behind the strikers, like his all-time idol Maradona. Only when he became an adult (i.e. in his first year as a pro) did he become a central midfielder. He's already had an excellent career so far, but the crowning achievement for him was taking part in the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. He hopes to play professional football for many years to come and one of his aims is to win the Champions League one day.

One of the most underrated players in calcio, if not in Europe. Midfield general who dictates the play. It'll be interesting if we get into the CL next season to see how he fairs up against Europe's best and some of these younger players but he has a great football brain and I think he has some years left yet.

We should find out today how long he is out for, hope it's not long

Zanetti has a first degree thigh strain and will be out for 25 days

GDS rating so far: 6.41

It seems certain that Zanetti will miss the CL qualifier with Artmedia.

We won't see Zanetti again until next season, so he has missed pretty much all of this one. You can't help but wonder how much we have missed his through balls and general passing range.

It's good to have Zanetti back ahead of schedule. His range of passing and cool head are vital in a pretty rookie Serie A midfield. Hopefully he can stay injury free for a long time because he is still the best creative force from midfield on a regular basis and we have missed him greatly this year.

2008-09 Serie A stats

Games / Minutes: 12 / 679
Goals: 2
Shots / off target / saved: 5 / 2 / 2
Assists / Completed: 3 / 0
Crosses / Successful: 3 / 1
Passes / Successful: 400 / 315
Interceptions / Successful: 5 / 4
Tackles / Won: 11 / 2
Balls stolen: 13
Challenges / Won: 21 / 18
Offsides: 0
Fouls: 14
Fouls suffered: 12
Cautions: 2
Expulsions: 0

Will Zanetti be playing much next season now that we have Melo? I feel like he is behind Melo, Sissoko and Marchisio while we also have De Ceglie who can play as a Defensive Mid.

I think if we can get a decent offer for him we should take it.

I think he is behind Felipe as regista as he isn't really mobile enough to replace Marchisio, Sissoko, Camo, Tiago etc. I do love him though, his passing is superb and even in those few games he played at the end of the season he created 6 or 7 genuine goal chances and scored two nice goals himself. He is quality, but along the same lines as Del Piero where he doesn't quite have the condition to match anymore. We will use a lot of the squad, and he will play a part.

Poulsen will be the one sold, he is worth a lot more and Zanetti is at least as good.

Agent confirms Zanetti-Viola deal

Cristiano Zanetti's agent has confirmed the Juventus midfielder is heading to Fiorentina on a three-year contract.

“Fiorentina have got him,” said Carlo Pallavicino on violanews. “The two clubs have an agreement, so does the player.

“I can say this is a good signing for the Tuscans, seeing as I am certain Cristiano is 100 per cent fit and can give a big hand to the Viola.”

It is believed Juventus will receive £1.5m for the 32-year-old and the transfer will be completed later today.

Zanetti started his career in Tuscany and makes his return here, accepting a large pay cut from his current £2m wages at Juve.

Reports state he'll sign a three-year contract worth just £1m per season and will be registered for the Champions League preliminary round against Sporting Lisbon.

Other newspaper claims in La Nazione suggest a pay-as-you-play contract linked to the number of appearances he makes for the Viola.

http://www.football-italia.net/aug10g.html

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I'm surprised by this! I'll be sad to see him go, I love his passing and he is always useful when he plays. It looks like Poulsen will remain then, as Juve surely won't sell both unless Ferrara is going to promote Marrone full time.

http://it.violachannel.tv/dettaglio-ultimo...no-zanetti.html

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Thanks for everything Il Cobra, the killer passes and long range screamers especially.

Claudio Marchisio:




Cristiano Zanetti:



He came through the Fiorentina youth system and is from Tuscany, he obviously thinks he is not guarenteed a game which is true, although he would have played some, and Fiorentina obviously is a special place for him.

Good luck in Florence, Cristiano, just not too much.

Wow, Fiorentina essentially got €23m and Zanetti for Felipe Melo. They've done very well there, and he'll obviously count towards their home-grown quota for the CL too.

Zanetti is a classy playmaker but his physical condition has deteriorated quite a lot the last two years. Fiorentina wanted him for free so Secco did well there.

I was very surprised when I read this but I see where Juventus and Zanetti are coming from.

On the Juventus end it was clear that we had too many mid-fielders. We are trying everything we can to get rid of Poulsen but he turned down a few offers and other teams dont want to pay his wages.

As for Zanetti, clearly he has a special bond with Fiorentina and when he got the offer he could not turn it down. With Melo in and Marchisio ready to step up a level combined with a wonderful pre-season from Tiago I dont think he would be playing too much this season.

I wish him good luck. I never rated him as highly as you do Jay, but he is better then Poulsen. I still hope to sell him but I doubt it now.

I agree with everything you posted AlexRossi, thanks for saying out for me!

It's worth remembering that we have Almiron as well, he still hasn't been sold He cost €8m so the club won't let him go for nothing, hopefully a team in France will follow up their interest.

Secco reveals Zanetti truth



Sporting director Alessio Secco has defended Juventus’ decision to sell Cristiano Zanetti. “It was a necessity,” he claimed.

The 32-year-old was sold to Fiorentina yesterday for just £1.5m in a move which has left many fans scratching their heads.

But Secco, not immune to questionable decision-making on the transfer market, insists it was a good deal given the numerous factors behind it.

“We need to look at this by taking into account everything that Juventus have done on the market this summer,” Secco told Tuttosport.

“Juve have perhaps worked harder than any other club in Italy, and like few others in Europe, at bringing new players in,” he said.

“At that point there was a need to release a midfielder and when the opportunity to sell Zanetti arrived we took it.

“It was also our last chance to make some money from his sale as he would have been available on a free next summer.

“We had to do something economically as a sale also means one less salary to pay.”

Zanetti signed a three-year deal with the Viola yesterday, terms which he had unsuccessfully asked Juventus for.

“We couldn’t give him a new contract like that,” Secco revealed. “We invested a lot of money on Felipe Melo in that role and, given his age, he is the future.

“We also have Claudio Marchisio. It is significant that on the day that we sold Zanetti, Marchisio experienced his first day with the national side. We believe a lot in him.”

The Bianconeri official also underlined the point that Zanetti’s personal wishes were an important factor in his switch south.

“He asked us to be sold,” added Secco. “And we don’t keep any players who are not 100 per cent sure that they want to stay.”

Following Zanetti’s departure, Christian Poulsen will now stay at the club after refusing a number of clubs this summer.

http://www.football-italia.net/aug11d.html

Zanetti isn't happy:



GDS stirring shit nice and early this year I see. Secco did not say that Zanetti asked for a three year contract, he said Juve couldn't offer him a contract like that. The quotes are above. He also didn't say selling him for €2m was a 'bargain', he said that it was the last chance to make money on an injury-prone player who was in the last year of his contract and who played in a packed position, add in that he was on big wages and it makes sense from an economical point of view. Zanetti has his ideal move now so why he should be unhappy? Let's leave it at that.