Cristiano Piccini

Cristiano Piccini
Piccini with Valencia in 2021
Personal information
Date of birth (1992-09-26) 26 September 1992 (age 32)
Place of birth Florence, Italy
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Position(s) Defender
Team information
Current team
 Atlético San Luis
Number 2
Youth career
1997–2002 Sporting Arno
2002–2011 Fiorentina
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2010–2015 Fiorentina 1 (0)
2011–2012 → Carrarese (loan) 32 (1)
2012–2013 → Spezia (loan) 30 (0)
2013–2014 → Livorno (loan) 20 (0)
2014–2015 → Betis (loan) 12 (0)
2015–2017 Betis 39 (2)
2017–2018 Sporting CP 24 (0)
2018–2022 Valencia 34 (2)
2020–2021 → Atalanta (loan) 1 (0)
2022 Red Star Belgrade 10 (0)
2022–2024 1. FC Magdeburg 30 (5)
2024 Sampdoria 10 (0)
2024– Atlético San Luis 0 (0)
International career‡
2011 Italy U19 5 (1)
2011–2012 Italy U20 7 (0)
2013 Italy U21 1 (0)
2018–2019 Italy 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 May 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 March 2019

Cristiano Piccini (Italian pronunciation: [kriˈstjaːno pitˈtʃiːni]; born 26 September 1992) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Liga MX club Atlético San Luis.

Club career

Fiorentina

Born in Florence, Piccini joined Fiorentina's youth setup in 2002, aged ten, after starting it out at Sporting Arno. On 5 December 2010, he made his first team – and Serie A – debut, coming on as a substitute for Manuel Pasqual in a 1–0 home win against Cagliari.[2]

On 30 August 2011, Piccini was loaned to third division club Carrarese, in a season-long deal.[3] He scored his first professional goal on 4 April of the following year, netting the first in a 3–1 home loss against Virtus Lanciano.[4]

The following season, Piccini joined Spezia of Serie B on loan until the end of the season.[5] After being an undisputed starter, he was loaned to the top level's Livorno, with a buyout clause.[6]

Betis

Piccini with Betis in 2015

On 27 August 2014, Piccini moved to Spanish Segunda División side Real Betis.[7] He made his debut on 7 September, starting in a 4–1 away loss against SD Ponferradina in which he played a part in Jorge Molina's goal,[8] and made 11 more appearances as they won the title.

Piccini signed a permanent four-year deal with the Verdiblancos on 9 July 2015, with Fiorentina holding a buyback option.[9] He made his La Liga debut on 23 August, starting in a 1–1 home draw against Villarreal CF.[10]

On 8 January 2017, Piccini scored his first top-flight goal to conclude a 2–0 win over CD Leganés at the Estadio Benito Villamarín,[11] and followed it two months later to open a 1–1 draw at Deportivo de La Coruña.[12] He was also sent off twice over the course of the season, the first coming after 16 minutes of a 3–1 loss at SD Eibar for a foul on Takashi Inui.[13]

Sporting CP

On 18 May 2017, Piccini signed a five-year contract with Sporting CP.[14] He made his debut for the club on 6 August, as the Primeira Liga season began with a 2–0 away win against C.D. Aves.[15]

Piccini played four games as Sporting won the Taça da Liga. This included the final on 27 January 2018, in which he played all 120 minutes of a 1–1 draw before defeating Vitória F.C. on penalties.[16] On 31 March, he was sent off in a 1–0 loss away to S.C. Braga.[17]

Valencia

On 23 July 2018, Piccini returned to La Liga, signing for Valencia for a fee of around €10 million.[18] In his debut season, he made 37 appearances, mostly as a starter, and scored a last-minute winner in a 2–1 home win over SD Huesca on 23 December.[19] Seven of these games were in the victorious Copa del Rey run, including 18 minutes as a substitute for Kévin Gameiro in the 2–1 final win over FC Barcelona on 25 May 2019; the result was Valencia's first honour since 2008.[20]

In August 2019, just two games into the new season, Piccini suffered a fractured kneecap while in training, an injury that would leave him out of the squad until the end of year.[21] He remained sidelined for the whole season, undergoing another operation in May 2020.[22]

Loan to Atalanta

On 9 September 2020, Piccini joined Italian Serie A club Atalanta on loan with an option to buy.[23] The recovery from his kneecap injury delayed his debut until 21 November, when he played in a 0–0 away draw to Spezia. This turned out to be his only appearance for the Bergamo side, as Valencia reached an agreement for his early return in January 2021.[24]

Red Star Belgrade

On 15 January 2022, Piccini was released from Valencia and signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with Serbian club Crvena Zvezda.[25]

1. FC Magdeburg

In September 2022 Piccini joined German club 1. FC Magdeburg of the 2. Bundesliga as a free agent.[26] On 29 January 2024, Piccini's contract with Magdeburg was terminated by mutual consent.[27]

International career

Piccini was given his first senior call-up for Italy in October 2018 by manager Roberto Mancini, following injuries to several players in the team.[28] He made his senior debut for the national team on 10 October, coming on as an 84th-minute substitute for Alessandro Florenzi in a 1–1 friendly draw against Ukraine in Genoa.[29]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 May 2024[30]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Fiorentina 2010–11 Serie A 1 0 0 0 — — 1 0
Carrarese (loan) 2011–12 Lega Pro Prima Divisione 32 1 0 0 — — 32 1
Spezia (loan) 2012–13 Serie B 30 0 0 0 — — 30 0
Livorno (loan) 2013–14 Serie A 20 0 1 0 — — 21 0
Real Betis (loan) 2014–15 Segunda División 12 0 3 0 — — 15 0
Real Betis 2015–16 La Liga 16 0 2 0 — — 18 0
2016–17 23 2 2 1 — — 25 3
Total 39 2 4 1 — — 43 3
Sporting CP 2017–18 Primeira Liga 24 0 2 0 4 0 10[a] 0 40 0
Valencia 2018–19 La Liga 23 1 7 0 — 8[b] 0 38 1
2019–20 2 0 0 0 — — 2 0
2020–21 3 0 0 0 — — 3 0
2021–22 6 1 2 0 — — 8 1
Total 34 2 9 0 — 8 0 51 2
Atalanta (loan) 2020–21 Serie A 1 0 0 0 — — 1 0
Red Star Belgrade 2021–22 Serbian SuperLiga 10 0 2 0 — 2[c] 0 14 0
1. FC Magdeburg 2022–23 2. Bundesliga 17 4 — — — 17 4
2023–24 13 1 2 0 — — 15 1
Total 30 5 2 0 — — 32 5
Sampdoria 2023–24 Serie B 10 0 — — 1[d] 0 11 0
Career total 243 10 23 1 4 0 21 0 291 11
  1. ^ Appearances in the Champions League
  2. ^ Three appearances in the UEFA Champions League and five in UEFA Europa League
  3. ^ Appearances in the UEFA Europa League
  4. ^ Appearance in promotion play-off

International

As of match played 23 March 2019[31]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Italy 2018 2 0
2019 1 0
Total 3 0

Honours

Betis

Sporting CP

Valencia

Red Star Belgrade

References

  1. ^ "Cristiano Piccini | Site oficial do Sporting Clube de Portugal". Archived from the original on 2 June 2018. Retrieved 2 June 2018.
  2. ^ "Fiorentina 1–0 Cagliari" (in Italian). Lega Serie A. 5 December 2010. Archived from the original on 9 January 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  3. ^ "Ufficiale, Piccini e Rosaia in prestito alla Carrarese" [Official, Piccini and Rosaia on loan to Carrarese] (in Italian). Firenze Viola. 30 August 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  4. ^ "Carrarese–Lanciano 1–3: Pavoletti stende i toscani" [Carrarese–Lanciano 1–3: Pavoletti extends Tuscans run] (in Italian). TuttoSport 24 Ore. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  5. ^ "Ufficiale, Spezia: dalla Fiorentina arriva in prestito Piccini" [Official, Spezia: from Fiorentina arrives on loan Piccini] (in Italian). Calcio News 24. 4 July 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  6. ^ "Livorno, presi Bardi, Benassi e Piccini" [Livorno, takes Bardi, Benassi and Piccini] (in Italian). Tuttosport. 9 July 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
  7. ^ "Piccini, un refuerzo llegado de Italia" [Piccini, an addition arriving from Italy] (in Spanish). Betis' official website. 27 August 2014. Archived from the original on 31 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  8. ^ "Chaparrón en El Toralín" [Showers in El Toralín]. Estadio Deportivo (in Spanish). 7 September 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  9. ^ "El Betis hace oficial el fichaje del lateral italiano Cristiano Piccini" [Betis turns official the signing of Italian full back Cristiano Piccini] (in Spanish). Marca. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Rubén Castro llega justo a tiempo" [Rubén Castro arrives just in time] (in Spanish). Marca. 24 August 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  11. ^ "El Betis descorcha a un Leganés sin gas" [Betis uncork a flat Leganés]. Marca (in Spanish). 8 January 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Un punto de polémica" [A controversial point]. Marca (in Spanish). 8 March 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  13. ^ "La expulsión de Piccini hunde al Betis" [Piccini's expulsion sinks Betis]. ABC (in Spanish). 25 December 2016. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  14. ^ "Cristiano Piccini assina pelo Sporting CP" [Cristiano Piccini signs for Sporting CP] (in Portuguese). Sporting CP. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2017.
  15. ^ "Gelson bisa na estreia vitoriosa do Sporting no Campeonato Português" [Gelson scores a brace in Sporting's victorious start to the Portuguese Championship] (in Portuguese). SAPO. 6 August 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  16. ^ a b "Vitória de Setúbal - Sporting, Final da Taça da Liga" (in Portuguese). Rádio e Televisão de Portugal. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  17. ^ "Resumo – SC Braga vence Sporting e luta pelo terceiro lugar fica ao rubro" [Summary – SC Braga beat Sporting and fight for third place is red hot]. O Minho (in Portuguese). 31 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  18. ^ Iacobellis, Giacomo (23 July 2018). "UFFICIALE: Valencia, preso Cristiano Piccini dallo Sporting CP" [OFFICIAL: Valencia, signed Cristiano Piccini from Sporting CP] (in Italian). Tutto Mercato Web. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  19. ^ "Piccini's last-minute goal secures Valencia's 2-1 win over Huesca in La Liga". EFE. 23 December 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  20. ^ a b Law, Matt (25 May 2019). "Result: Valencia beat Barcelona to land Copa del Rey title". Sports Mole. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  21. ^ "Italia, Piccini dà forfait: frattura alla rotula" [Italy, Piccini withdraws: fractured kneecap]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 28 August 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  22. ^ "Piccini vuelve a ser operado de la rodilla" [Piccini will have a knee operation again] (in Spanish). Levante EMV. 18 May 2020. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  23. ^ "UFFICIALE: Atalanta, Piccini nuovo rinforzo per Gasperini. Arriva in prestito".
  24. ^ "Official statement Cristiano Piccini". Valencia CF. 23 January 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
  25. ^ "Кристијано Пићини ново појачање" (in Serbian). crvenazvezdafk.com. 15 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Piccini und Bockhorn: Zwei neue Verteidiger für Magdeburg". kicker (in German). 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  27. ^ "CRISTIANO PICCINI VERLÄSST DEN 1. FC MAGDEBURG" [CRISTIANO PICCINI IS LEAVING 1. FC MAGDEBURG] (in German). 1. FC Magdeburg. 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  28. ^ "Uncapped Tonelli and Piccini called up by Italy after trio drop out". FourFourTwo. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  29. ^ "Piccini: 'Italy dream come true'". Football Italia. 10 October 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  30. ^ Cristiano Piccini at Soccerway. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
  31. ^ "Piccini, Cristiano" (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 10 October 2018.