 Amauri playing for Juventus | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Amauri Carvalho de Oliveira | ||
| Date of birth | (1980-06-03)3 June 1980 (age 45) | ||
| Place of birth | Carapicuíba, Brazil | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1999–2000 | Santa Catarina | ||
| 2000 | Bellinzona | 5 | (1) |
| 2000–2003 | Parma | 0 | (0) |
| 2001 | →Napoli (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2001–2002 | →Piacenza (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2002 | →Empoli (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | →Messina (loan) | 23 | (4) |
| 2003–2006 | Chievo | 90 | (17) |
| 2006–2008 | Palermo | 52 | (23) |
| 2008–2011 | Juventus | 71 | (17) |
| 2011 | →Parma (loan) | 11 | (7) |
| 2012 | Fiorentina | 13 | (1) |
| 2012–2014 | Parma | 57 | (16) |
| 2014–2016 | Torino | 21 | (1) |
| 2016 | Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 13 | (5) |
| 2017 | New York Cosmos | 3 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2010 | Italy | 1 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 9 August 2017 | |||
Amauri Carvalho de Oliveira (born 3 June 1980), known asAmauri, is a formerfootballer who played as astriker.
His previous clubs includeBellinzona,Parma,Napoli,Piacenza,Empoli,Messina,Chievo,Palermo,Juventus,Fiorentina andFort Lauderdale Strikers.[1]
Although he was born in Brazil, he representedItaly once at international level in 2010, after acquiringItalian citizenship.
Amauri was trained atPalmeiras,[2] the club of his place of birth,São Paulo state, but failed to impress. At the age of 19, he went toSanta Catarina state to work[3] and played for a local clubSanta Catarina atSanta Catarina State League 2nd Division. The club was invited to2000 Torneo di Viareggio in Italy,[2][3][4][5] at which he showed his talent to scouts; he was signed by a club from the Italian-speaking region of Switzerland,Bellinzona.[3][5] He scored once in five appearances.[3][6]
After half a season in the SwissNationalliga B and Nationalliga A/B playoffs, Amauri played forNapoli in 2000–01 due to the abolishment of the non-EU quota.[7] In aLega Nazionale Professionisti record, Amauri joined Parma from Napoli in summer 2001 on free transfer, but Parma also paid Harold McKenzie $3.5 million, apparently the "true owner" of Amauri's playing rights.[8] Officials from Parma also argued that Amauri was Parma-owned player since 2000, but that he was loaned to Napoli in 2001[9] in order to register the player. This was made public in the hearing of Caso Parmalat in 2010.
Amauri made hisSerie A debut on 14 April 2001 in a league match againstBari. He played as one of the starting XI and was replaced byFrancesco Moriero in the 69th minute. He then played forPiacenza in Serie A for the2001–02 season (on loan from Parma, alongsideMatuzalém),[10] and forMessina inSerie B in2002–03.[11] He was also loaned from Parma toEmpoli of Serie A in June 2002, along with teammateGaetano Grieco,[11][12] but left the club after the start of the2002–03 Coppa Italia on 13 September, for Messina, before the start of Serie B (which was delayed[13]). Amauri made his Messina club debut on 21 September 2002 in a 3–3 draw withCatania; he replacedEmanuele Calaiò in the 76th minute.
In mid-2003, Amauri joinedChievo on a co-ownership deal, withSimone Barone's loan becoming permanent. WithSergio Pellissier andFederico Cossato, Amauri first played as a backup then as a second-striker. In June 2005, Chievo bought the remaining 50% of Amauri's registration rights from Parma. During his time with Chievo—particularly during the2005–06 season, which ended in qualification to the preliminary phase of theUEFA Champions League (also favoured by the2006 Serie A scandal)—Amauri showed most of his potential, becoming one of the key players of the team.
On 31 August 2006, the last day of the 2006 summer transfer period, Amauri was sold toPalermo[14] for €7 million cash plusDenis Godeas (valued at €700,000)[15] after having scored two goals in the return match of the third qualifying round againstLevski Sofia. Palermo had not had a prolific centre-forward since the departure ofLuca Toni in 2005, and were in search for a viable partner forDavid Di Michele, asAndrea Caracciolo andStephen Makinwa were not making a significant impact.
Immediately after his debut with Palermo, Amauri became a fan favourite and a key player for theRosanero, scoring eight goals in 18 league matches until December 2006. However, a serious knee injury in a league match againstSiena prevented him from playing for seven months.[16] He recovered in time for the start of the2007–08 season, immediately featuring in the starting lineup for Palermo's first league match againstRoma. He scored his first goal in the new season in the next match, a 4–2 away win toLivorno.
On 30 May 2008, Amauri completed a €22.8 million move toJuventus,[17] in which part of the fee was paid via player transfer (Antonio Nocerino, tagged for €7.5 million[17] and half of the registration rights toDavide Lanzafame, tagged at €2.5 million).[18]
Towards the end of 2008, Amauri began to play more regularly underClaudio Ranieri and ended the year with 11 Serie A goals, the second-highest goal-total for Juventus.
Amauri chose the number 11 jersey for the2009–10 season while his former number 8 went to midfielderClaudio Marchisio. The season turned out to be a disaster, as it coincided with his goal droughts and a Juve squad decimated by injuries.[19][20] He came under much criticism from fans for his yield of only six goals in 30 matches.
On 30 June 2010, due to irregularities of his transfer to Juventus and Palermo andthird-party ownership, Amauri was fined along with his agents and numbers of staff of Juventus, Palermo and Chievo.[21][22] It involved the irregularity of agents Stanislao Grimaldi and his son Mariano (representing both Amauri and Chievo at the same time, thus a conflict of interest), verbal agreement of Amauri with Palermo to waive some bonus of the 2007–08 season as part of the transfer; requesting Chievo to pay the agent 8% of the future transfer fee and requesting Palermo to pay €2 million in the transfer to Juventus.
The2010–11 season started well for Amauri, as he scored a brace in theUEFA Europa League qualifying rounds againstShamrock Rovers. After that, however, he was benched for most games under new managerLuigi Delneri.
On 31 January 2011, Amauri joined former club Parma on loan until 30 June 2011.[23] He enjoyed an excellent few months at the club, scoring seven times in 11 games and playing a significant role in Parma securing their place in Serie A for another year, as he formed an attacking tandem with former Juve teammateSebastian Giovinco.
Amauri returned to Juventus after his loan deal expired. Despite much talk that he was to be "offloaded", no concrete deal was ever made. However, Juventus write-down the residual value of Amauri's contract (which last until 30 June 2012) backdated to 2010–11 financial year, which worth €5.348 million on 30 June 2011 (~25% of €22.8million).[24] Juventus also wrote in the official translated press release that "unnamed" player "will be free from any obligation vis-à-vis Juventus commencing from January 2012, and who is no longer included in the new technical programme".[1][25] He remained in the squad for the2011–12 season under managerAntonio Conte, but did not receive any call-ups. His number 11 shirt was also given to fullbackPaolo De Ceglie.
After a protracted transfer saga, Amauri finally moved toFiorentina for €500,000 on a permanent deal.[1] Despite making little impact for the struggling Tuscan club, producing only one goal in 13 appearances, this soleViola goal was a memorable one: on 7 April, in an away tie against then-league leadersMilan, Amauri completed his side's unlikely comeback to finish the match 1–2.[26] This upset allowed Juventus to leapfrog Milan to the top of the table, in which they remained until the end of the season.
On 2 July 2012, Amauri returned to Parma, signing a four-year contract.[27] He scored his first two goals in his third spell at Parma on 21 October 2012, netting from the penalty spot and from open play as Parma defeatedSampdoria 2–1.[28] Amauri helped fire the Ducali side to another victory in the club's next match, a 3–1 defeat ofTorino, on 28 October.[29] In Parma's first game following theSerie A winterbreak on 6 January 2013, Amauri came off the bench and scored a 90th-minute winner, helping Parma overcome his former club Palermo, 2–1.[30] He powered his side to victory on 10 March, scoring three goals in 13 minutes as Parma came from behind to defeat Torino 4–1, snapping an eight-game losing streak.[31]
On 1 September 2014, the last day of the summertransfer window, Amauri signed with Torino.[32] On 23 October, he scored his first goal for theGranata in a 2–0 home win againstHJK Helsinki, the third match during the group stage of theEuropa League.[33] On 1 February 2015, he scored his first goal for Torino in Serie A play in a 5–1 win against Sampdoria.[34]
In the2015–16 season, he was excluded from the team by the managerGiampiero Ventura, having only played two matches between the league andCoppa Italia. On 11 February 2016, his contract was mutually rescinded, making him a free agent.[35]
On 9 August 2016, theFort Lauderdale Strikers of theNorth American Soccer League announced the signing of Amauri.[36]
On 21 February 2017, New York Cosmos announced that they had come to terms with Amauri "pending a physical and league approval".[37] On 1 August 2017, Amauri was released by New York.[38]
Following his impressive performances when at Palermo, Amauri was suggested to be a potential call-up of the thenItaly coachRoberto Donadoni, who stated he might be interested in calling him to the Italian squad.[39] Amauri, who has not appeared at international level forBrazil, would have been indeed eligible in the future to play for the Italian national team[40] because he was eligible to acquireItalian nationality by marriage to a Brazilian–Italian woman. According to Italian law, however, Amauri was forced to wait for at least one year from the day of the proclamation of his wife as an Italian citizen, which did not happen before April 2009.
On 31 January 2009, Brazilian coachDunga selected Amauri, who was still ineligible to play for Italy at the time, as a replacement for injured strikerLuís Fabiano in an international friendly ironically against Italy.[41] A few hours later, however, in the aftermath of a Juventus league game on the same day, Juventus ChairmanGiovanni Cobolli Gigli stated the club's intention not to allow the player to respond to Brazil's call-up.[42]
In November 2009, Amauri himself confirmed his decision to play for Italy instead of Brazil following remarks by Italian strikerGiampaolo Pazzini, who was critical about the possibility of having a non-Italian-born player within theAzzurri squad.[43]
After receiving Italian citizenship in April 2010, Amauri finally became eligible to play for theAzzurri. Italy was scheduled to play twoWorld Cup warm-upfriendlies in June,[44] who would feature players from a 30-men preliminary squad to be announced on 11 May,[45] thus making Amauri unable to be featured in any of such friendly games without receiving a call-up to join such preliminary squad.[46]Marcello Lippi, the Italy coach, said Amauri would be followed like all the other players and no certainly inclusion. Which Lippi did not ruled out a call-up to the foreign born player completely.[47]
He [Amauri] will be followed like all the other players. I am taking this month to evaluate and take decisions that have to be made exclusively for the good of the national team.
Lippi later expressed that he had confirmed 18 out of 23 players in his squad to the World Cup,[50] and excluded Amauri from the 29-man squad of the training camp inRome on 3–5 May.[51] Amauri said he expected his exclusion as there were better players than him that season.[52]
On 6 August 2010, Amauri received his first call-up for the Italian national team as part of the squad announced by new head coachCesare Prandelli for a friendly match againstIvory Coast, the first match after the 2010 World Cup.[53] On 10 August, he started the match alongside fellow debutantMario Balotelli, andAntonio Cassano, the latter making his first appearance in two years, in a new-look line-up. The Ivorians, however, won 1–0 atUpton Park,London.[54]
Amauri has been described as a physically strong player with good technique, who excels in the air, and who is capable of taking advantage of chances and finishing well in the penalty area. He is a hardworking and opportunistic player, who is known for his offensive movement and ability to score goals or create space for teammates. Although he is usually deployed in thecentre as a mainstriker, he is also capable of playing off of anotherforward as asecond striker.[55]
Amauri is married to fellow Brazilian Cynthia,[56] whom he first met during his spell at Napoli.[2] They have a daughter, Cindy, and a son, Hugo Leonardo.[2][56] Cynthia received Italian nationality in March 2009,[57] making Amauri eligible to obtain Italian nationality from March 2010.[58] Amauri finally received his Italian citizenship on 12 April 2010 during a ceremony inTurin.[59]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bellinzona | 2000–01 | Nationalliga B | 5 | 1 | – | 5 | 1 | |||
| Napoli | 2000–01 | Serie A | 6 | 1 | – | – | 6 | 1 | ||
| Piacenza | 2001–02 | Serie A | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 11 | 0 | |
| Messina | 2002–03 | Serie B | 23 | 4 | – | 23 | 4 | |||
| Chievo | 2003–04 | Serie A | 29 | 4 | 1 | 0 | – | 30 | 4 | |
| 2004–05 | Serie A | 24 | 2 | – | 24 | 2 | ||||
| 2005–06 | Serie A | 37 | 11 | 3 | 3 | – | 40 | 14 | ||
| 2006–07 | Serie A | – | – | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |||
| Total | 90 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 96 | 22 | ||
| Palermo | 2006–07 | Serie A | 18 | 8 | 1 | 0 | – | 19 | 8 | |
| 2007–08 | Serie A | 34 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 15 | |
| Total | 52 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 57 | 23 | ||
| Juventus | 2008–09 | Serie A | 32 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 44 | 14 |
| 2009–10 | Serie A | 30 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 40 | 7 | |
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 16 | 3 | |
| Total | 71 | 17 | 5 | 0 | 24 | 7 | 100 | 24 | ||
| Parma | 2010–11 | Serie A | 11 | 7 | – | – | 11 | 7 | ||
| Fiorentina | 2011–12 | Serie A | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | 13 | 1 | |
| Parma | 2012–13 | Serie A | 33 | 10 | 1 | 0 | – | 34 | 10 | |
| 2013–14 | Serie A | 31 | 8 | 2 | 2 | – | 33 | 10 | ||
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 76 | 25 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 27 | ||
| Torino | 2014–15 | Serie A | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 28 | 3 |
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 21 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 30 | 3 | ||
| Fort Lauderdale Strikers | 2016 | NASL | 13 | 5 | – | – | 13 | 5 | ||
| Career total | 378 | 96 | 21 | 5 | 35 | 11 | 426 | 108 | ||
| Italy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals | ||
| 2010 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 1 | 0 | ||
