 Pellè withSouthampton in 2015 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Graziano Pellè[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1985-07-15)15 July 1985 (age 40) | ||
| Place of birth | San Cesario di Lecce, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2004 | Lecce | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2004–2007 | Lecce | 12 | (0) |
| 2005 | →Catania (loan) | 15 | (0) |
| 2006 | →Crotone (loan) | 17 | (6) |
| 2006–2007 | →Cesena (loan) | 38 | (10) |
| 2007–2011 | AZ | 78 | (14) |
| 2011–2013 | Parma | 12 | (1) |
| 2012 | →Sampdoria (loan) | 16 | (4) |
| 2012–2013 | →Feyenoord (loan) | 29 | (27) |
| 2013–2014 | Feyenoord | 28 | (23) |
| 2014–2016 | Southampton | 68 | (23) |
| 2016–2020 | Shandong Luneng | 106 | (52) |
| 2021 | Parma | 14 | (2) |
| Total | 433 | (162) | |
| International career | |||
| 2004–2005 | Italy U20 | 10 | (7) |
| 2005–2007 | Italy U21 | 11 | (0) |
| 2008 | Italy Olympic | 5 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Italy | 20 | (9) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Graziano Pellè (Italian pronunciation:[ɡratˈtsjaːnopelˈlɛ]; born 15 July 1985) is an Italian former professionalfootballer who played as astriker.
Pellè began his career at localSerie A clubLecce, and was loaned to three lower-division sides before moving to the Dutch clubAZ in 2007. He won theEredivisie title in his second of four seasons at the club. After brief spells back in Italy withParma andSampdoria, he returned to the Dutch top flight, where his consistent scoring forFeyenoord earned Pellè an£8 million transfer toSouthampton in July 2014. In July 2016, after two seasons in thePremier League, Pellè moved toShandong Luneng for an estimated transfer fee of £12 million.[3]
Pellè represented Italy atunder-20 andunder-21 level. He also played for the nation's Olympic team in 2008, but was not selected forthe tournament. He scored on his senior international debut in 2014 and was part of the Italian squad atUEFA Euro 2016, where he scored two goals before being eliminated in the quarter-final.
Born inSan Cesario di Lecce,Province of Lecce, Pellè is fromMonteroni di Lecce.[4] He could have chosen ballroom dancing as his profession after becoming national under-12s champion in partnership with his sister Fabiana.[4] He started playing for local clubLecce's youth teams; his father Roberto was a striker for Lecce inSerie C.[4] Graziano won twoCampionato Primavera titles and the 2002Coppa Italia Primavera. He made hisSerie A debut on 11 January 2004 in 1–2 home defeat againstBologna, making a total of two appearances inthe season.
In January 2005, Pellè was loaned out toCatania inSerie B, being regularly used but failing to find the net. In the summer, he participated in the2005 FIFA World Youth Championship with theunder-20 team, scoring four goals in an eventual quarter-final exit,[5] and returned to Lecce for the2005–06 campaign, only to be loaned again in the wintertransfer window, again to the second division, now toCrotone.
In2006–07 Pellè was yet again loaned to a level two club, this time toCesena, where he had a breakthrough year with ten goals.
In July 2007, Pellè lost all ties to Lecce and signed forEredivisie outfitAZ. He stated in an interview that he had a choice of staying at Lecce, who would loan him toPalermo, but chose theAlkmaar club instead because of its willingness to give chances to young players. His debut season, however, was largely unfruitful, as he struggled to replacePSV-boundDanny Koevermans, and finishedhis first season with just 3 goals in 27 games (16 starts).[6]
On 28 December 2008, Pellè scored the winning goal in a 1–0 win againstNEC.[7] In February of the following year, he netted twice in a 3–0 home success overGroningen,[8] but was overall sparingly used by theNorth Holland side over the course of four Eredivisie seasons, being released in June 2011.
In early July 2011,Parma confirmed through its official website that Pellè had signed a multi-year contract with the club.[9] He scored one goal during his time at Parma, netting its second goal in a come from behind 3–3 draw with his former club Lecce on 18 December 2011; this was his first goal inSerie A.[10] On 31 January 2012, Pellè joinedSampdoria on loan in the second division, scoring 4 goals in 16 appearances for the club to help it earn promotion back to Serie A for2012–13.[11]
For the2012–13 season, still owned by Parma, Pellè returned to the Netherlands, joiningFeyenoord to become the first Italian to play for the club.[12] He scored 11 goals in his first ten games, including alast-minute strike in a 2–2 home draw againstAjax[13] and both goals in a 2–0 success overRKC Waalwijk, also atDe Kuip.[14] On 23 December, he scored twice more as Feyenoord beat Groningen 2–1 in the last game of theEredivisie season before thewinter break.[15]
On 5 January 2013, Pellè signed a four-year contract with theRotterdam club, to be effective 1 July.[16] His first goal since securing a permanent move to Feyenoord came on 30 January, scoring on a pass fromJean-Paul Boëtius as Feyenoord eventually fell to a 2–1 defeat to PSV.[17] On 28 April, he scored a first-half brace as Feyenoord notched an impressive 6–0 victory overHeracles.[18] At the end of the campaign, he had netted 27 league goals, ranking second in the domestic charts[19] and also surpassing the recent records of Italian scorers in a foreign league –Luca Toni (Bayern Munich) andChristian Vieri (Atlético Madrid) – in the process.[20]
Pellè was also famous for his "retro" haircut among Feyenoord fans. In home games, many fans showed the same haircut as Pellè and there are still some tutorials onYouTube that teach how to arrange his hairstyle.[21]
Pellè netted all three goals for Feyenoord on 25 August 2013, notching a 3–1 win overNAC Breda, and securing the club's first points of the newEredivisie season.[22] He opened the scoring for Feyenoord in the seventh minute of theirUEFA Europa League second leg play-off match againstKuban Krasnodar to bring the sides level at 1–1 on aggregate, but the Dutch side conceded twice and fell to a 3–1 aggregate defeat.[23] He scored anotherhat-trick for Feyenoord on 29 September 2013, scoring with each foot and from the penalty spot as the Rotterdam side defeatedADO Den Haag 4–2.[24] He scored twice more on 1 December, netting in either half as Feyenoord defeatedrivals PSV 3–1.[25]
On 8 February 2014, Pellè scored twice and also missed a penalty as Feyenoord came from a goal down to defeat NEC 5–1.[26] On 2 March, he opened the scoring with a header from aBruno Martins Indi cross, but retrospectively received a red card for an elbow to the face ofJoël Veltman and a four-match ban as Feyenoord fell 2–1 to rivals Ajax.[27][28] After sitting out the ban, Pellè returned to the team on 6 April and scored a brace in Feyenoord's 2–0 win over RKC Waalwijk.[29] His 15th and last league goal for Feyenoord came on 27 April, nodding in aRuud Vormer corner as Feyenoord defeatedCambuur 5–1.[30]
Pellè signed a three-year deal for £8 million withPremier League sideSouthampton in July 2014, reuniting him with his former AZ and Feyenoord coachRonald Koeman.[31][32] Pellè made his competitive debut for the club on 17 August in its first game of the newleague season, playing the full 90 minutes of a 2–1 defeat atLiverpool.[33] On 26 August, he scored his first competitive goal for the club in a 2–0 victory overMillwall in the Second Round of theLeague Cup.[34] His first league goal for the club came four days later in a 3–1 away win overWest Ham United.[35] He scored twice more in Southampton's next match, a 4–0 home win overNewcastle United on 13 September, to secure its second league win in as many games.[36] On 27 September, Pellè won a match for Southampton againstQueens Park Rangers with anoverhead kick, which was later deemed "world class" by opposing managerHarry Redknapp.[37]
Pellè won thePremier League Player of the Month award for September, with Koeman named the Manager of the Month,[38] and he followed this up with two goals in an 8–0 victory overSunderland on 18 October.[39] He scored another brace in a League Cup victory overStoke City on 29 October, helping his side reach the quarter-finals of the competition for the first time in ten years. These were his 8th and 9th goals in his last 12 games.[40]
On 11 April 2015, Pellè scored his first Premier League goal of the year in a 2–0 win overHull City atSt. Mary's Stadium, ending a run of 15 league matches without scoring.[41] Two weeks later, in a 2–2 draw againstTottenham Hotspur, Pellè scored both goals for his team; a strike after overpoweringBen Davies, and a header from a cross byShane Long.[42]
Pellè scored Southampton's first goal in a European competition since 2003 when he opened a 3–0 Europa Leaguethird qualifying round home leg win overVitesse on 30 July 2015.[43] A week later, it took him four minutes to open a 2–0 win in the away leg.[44] In Southampton's first match of the league season, away to Newcastle, he headed in right-backCédric's cross to open a 2–2 draw.[45] He scored twice againstManchester United on 20 September, albeit in a 2–3 home loss.[46] Pellè then scored his fifth of the season againstChelsea in a 3–1 win atStamford Bridge, scoring Southampton's third goal of the match from a tight angle.[47]
Pellè left Southampton for Chinese clubShandong Luneng on 11 July 2016,[48] for an estimated fee of £12 million.[3] He became the world's seventh-highest paid footballer, earning £350,000 per week.[49] Pellè made his debut for the club in a 1–1 draw withLiaoning Whowin on 16 July 2016. Four days later, he scored his first goal in a 4–1 victory overHangzhou Greentown.[50]
On 5 February 2021, Pellè agreed to a return toParma on a six-month deal.[51] On 19 March, almost 10 years since his last goal in Serie A, Pellé scored with anoverhead kick in Parma's match againstGenoa.[52]
Pellè scored four goals forItaly under-20 at the2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands, including a brace in their 4–1 group stage win overCanada.[53] He also netted an extra-time equaliser for a 2–2 draw withMorocco in the quarter-finals, and converted in thepenalty shootout which his team lost nonetheless.[54]
After a successful loan spell with Cesena, Pellè earned a call-up to theItalian under-21 side at the2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, where he collected three appearances, all as asubstitute. In the fifth-place playoff match againstPortugal, he scored the firstpenalty kick in theshootout win, with aPanenka-style penalty.[55] The win secured Italy the final European spot at the2008 Olympic Games inBeijing.[55] He was part of the preparation for the tournament but was ultimately not selected to the final 22-man squad for the Olympics.[56]
On 4 October 2014, Pellè received his first call up to theItaly senior side for theAzzurri'sUEFA Euro 2016 qualifying matches againstAzerbaijan andMalta.[57] He made his debut as a starter away to Malta on 13 October 2014, scoring the only goal of the game from close range after a corner in the 29th minute.[58] He netted a second goal in the 29th minute on his third appearance on 31 March 2015, heading Italy into the lead in a 1–1 friendly draw againstEngland atJuventus Stadium inTurin.[59] On 3 September 2015, he finishedAntonio Candreva's cross for the only goal of the home qualifier against Malta inFlorence.[60] He scored the match-winning goal in Italy's 2–1 home win overNorway on 13 October, which allowed Italy to top their Euro 2016 qualifying group and extended their unbeaten run in European qualifying to 50 matches; Pellè was also Italy's top scorer during the qualifying campaign, with three goals.[61]
On 31 May 2016, Pellè was included in Italy managerAntonio Conte's 23-man squad forEuro 2016.[62] In Italy's opening game, on 13 June against Europe's top-ranked teamBelgium inLyon, Pellè played the full match and volleyed a strike into the back of the net in added time for a 2–0 win.[63] In the round of 16 atStade de France inParis on 27 June, he struck a volley in the 91st minute to give theAzzurri a 2–0 win over defending championsSpain.[64] On 2 July, he missed a penalty in a 6–5 shoot-out defeat to defending World Cup championsGermany in the tournament quarter-finals.[65] In the events after the match, Pellè issued an apology to the fans of the national team stating, "Does my European Championship remain positive? I couldn't care less right now, I am just sad and want to apologise to all Italians. If I had scored that penalty, I'd have become a phenomenon, but instead... I arrived here as a nobody and I leave as a nobody." He also denied provoking Germany goalkeeperManuel Neuer by making the "chip" gesture.[66]
Although moving his football career to China over the summer, new coachGian Piero Ventura called Pellè back for international duty for a friendly againstFrance and a2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier againstIsrael on 1 and 5 September 2016,[67] scoring in both matches, as Italy suffered a 3–1 home defeat to France but defeated Israel away, 3–1.[68] He was called again for World Cup qualifying matches againstSpain andMacedonia on 6 and 9 October, however he was later excluded from the Macedonia match after being substituted in the 59th minute during the Spain game and refusing to shake the hand of coach Ventura.[69]
Described as a traditional "target-man" with an eye for goal,[70] Pellè is a large, strong and hard-workingstriker who excels in the air due to his height and physical attributes.[71] As acentre-forward, he is known for his powerful and accurate finishing ability with his head and feet, as well as his accurate volleys and penalty-kick taking; he is also capable of using his strength and solid first touch to hold up the ball with his back to goal, and either link-up with other players or create chances for teammates.[71][72][73] Labelled as a "late bloomer" by sportswriterJames Horncastle,[74] Pellè's playing style and characteristics have led him to be compared to compatriotLuca Toni in the Italian media.[75] Pellè has also drawn praise in the media for his work-rate off the ball, and has been described as a mobile forward, who chases down and presses his opponents.[76]
In the summer of 2022, he married Hungarian fashion model Viktória Varga, his partner for several years. On 3 December 2024, the couple separated after two years of marriage and ten years of engagement.[citation needed]
| Club | Season | League | Cup[nb 1] | League Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lecce | 2003–04 | Serie A | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Serie A | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | |||
| Total | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 0 | ||||
| Catania (loan) | 2004–05 | Serie B | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 0 | ||
| Crotone (loan) | 2005–06 | Serie B | 17 | 6 | — | — | — | 17 | 6 | |||
| Cesena (loan) | 2006–07 | Serie B | 38 | 10 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 40 | 11 | ||
| AZ | 2007–08 | Eredivisie | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | — | 4[a] | 1 | 32 | 4 | |
| 2008–09 | Eredivisie | 20 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 23 | 4 | |||
| 2009–10 | Eredivisie | 13 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 5[b] | 0 | 19 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Eredivisie | 18 | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 | ||
| Total | 78 | 14 | 7 | 1 | — | 9 | 1 | 94 | 16 | |||
| Parma | 2011–12 | Serie A | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 13 | 2 | ||
| 2012–13 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 12 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 14 | 2 | ||||
| Sampdoria (loan) | 2011–12 | Serie B | 16 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 4 | ||
| Feyenoord (loan) | 2012–13 | Eredivisie | 29 | 27 | 4 | 2 | — | — | 33 | 29 | ||
| Feyenoord | 2013–14 | Eredivisie | 28 | 23 | 3 | 2 | — | 2[c] | 1 | 33 | 26 | |
| Total | 57 | 50 | 7 | 4 | — | 2 | 1 | 66 | 55 | |||
| Southampton | 2014–15 | Premier League | 38 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | — | 44 | 16 | |
| 2015–16[78] | Premier League | 30 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4[d] | 2 | 37 | 14 | |
| Total | 68 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 81 | 30 | ||
| Shandong Luneng | 2016 | Chinese Super League | 13 | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 2[e] | 0 | 15 | 5 | |
| 2017 | Chinese Super League | 24 | 6 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 26 | 6 | |||
| 2018 | Chinese Super League | 26 | 16 | 6 | 0 | — | — | 32 | 16 | |||
| 2019 | Chinese Super League | 25 | 17 | 5 | 3 | — | 8[e] | 7 | 40 | 27 | ||
| 2020 | Chinese Super League | 18 | 8 | 4 | 1 | — | — | 22 | 9 | |||
| Total | 106 | 52 | 17 | 4 | — | 10 | 7 | 133 | 63 | |||
| Parma | 2020–21 | Serie A | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 13 | 1 | ||
| Career total | 432 | 161 | 39 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 27 | 11 | 500 | 188 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | |||
| 2014 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2015 | 8 | 3 | |
| 2016 | 10 | 5 | |
| Total | 20 | 9 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 October 2014 | Ta' Qali National Stadium,Mdina, Malta |  Malta | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 2 | 31 March 2015 | Juventus Stadium,Turin, Italy |  England | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |
| 3 | 3 September 2015 | Stadio Artemio Franchi,Florence, Italy | Malta | 1–0 | 1–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying |
| 4 | 13 October 2015 | Stadio Olimpico,Rome, Italy |  Norway | 2–1 | 2–1 | |
| 5 | 29 May 2016 | Ta' Qali National Stadium, Mdina, Malta |  Scotland | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 6 | 13 June 2016 | Parc Olympique Lyonnais,Lyon, France |  Belgium | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 |
| 7 | 27 June 2016 | Stade de France,Saint-Denis, France |  Spain | 2–0 | 2–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 |
| 8 | 1 September 2016 | Stadio San Nicola,Bari, Italy |  France | 1–1 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| 9 | 5 September 2016 | Sammy Ofer Stadium,Haifa, Israel |  Israel | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
AZ
Shandong Luneng Taishan
Italy U21
Individual
 | ||
