 Legrottaglie in 2010 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1976-10-20)20 October 1976 (age 48)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Gioia del Colle, Italy[1] | ||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Centre back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1996 | Bari | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1996–1998 | Bari | 0 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | →Pistoiese (loan) | 31 | (3) |
| 1997–1998 | →Prato (loan) | 26 | (0) |
| 1998–2003 | Chievo | 66 | (6) |
| 2000 | →Reggiana (loan) | 4 | (1) |
| 2000–2001 | →Modena (loan) | 32 | (1) |
| 2003–2011 | Juventus | 114 | (8) |
| 2005 | →Bologna (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | →Siena (loan) | 28 | (0) |
| 2011 | AC Milan | 1 | (0) |
| 2011–2014 | Catania | 75 | (8) |
| Total | 386 | (27) | |
| International career | |||
| 1994 | Italy U18 | 1 | (0) |
| 2002–2010 | Italy | 16 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2014–2015 | Bari U17 | ||
| 2015–2016 | Akragas | ||
| 2017 | Cagliari (assistant) | ||
| 2019–2020 | Pescara U19 | ||
| 2020 | Pescara | ||
| 2023–2024 | Sampdoria (technical director) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Nicola Legrottaglie (Italian pronunciation:[niˈkɔːlaleɡrotˈtaʎʎe]; born 20 October 1976) is an Italian former professionalfootballer who played as acentre back.
In a senior career that lasted two full decades, he amassedSerie A totals of 259 matches and 22 goals over 12 seasons, representing in the competitionChievo,Juventus,Bologna,Siena,AC Milan andCatania. Hewon the 2011 national championship with the fifth club.
Legrottaglie earned 16caps forItaly, appearing for the nation at the2009 Confederations Cup.
Born inGioia del Colle,Province of Bari, Legrottaglie began his career withAS Bari, having loan spells atAC Pistoiese andAC Prato. Following his return in June 1998 he was sold toAC ChievoVerona of theSerie B,[2] appearing rarely inhis second season with the team and, in January 2000, moved on loan toAC Reggiana 1919 in thethird division; with his new club he also found playing opportunities hard to come by and, after his return toVerona, moved to the same level and also on loan, now withModena FC.
Legrottaglie was ever-present in the starting XI during his spell at Modena, subsequently returning to Chievo for theirfirst-ever season inSerie A. He only appeared in 15 games as the teamqualified for theUEFA Cup; inhis second season, the defender established himself as a top division player, scoring four goals in 32 league appearances to help to another comfortable mid-table finish (seventh).
In the 2003 off-season, Legrottaglie was rewarded with a move toJuventus FC.[3] The club paid€7.55million for his services to Chievo, €0.45 million being used in selling 50% of the rights toGiuseppe Sculli,Matteo Paro andDaniele Gastaldello.[4]
Legrottaglie was a full member of the first-team squad in the2003–04 season, taking part in 21 games and netting twice under coachMarcello Lippi. However, his poor performances during his debut season saw him win the 2004Bidone d'Oro Award, which is given to the worst Serie A player in a particular season.[5] Following the appointment of new managerFabio Capello he fell down the defensive pecking order, making just two appearances in five months; he thus moved on loan toBologna FC 1909 in the 2005 Januarytransfer window, playing 11 matches – including twice in the promotion playoffs – for theEmilia-Romagna side.[6]
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Legrottaglie returned to Juventus in the summer of 2005, but was instantly loaned out toAC Siena for the2005–06 campaign,[6] alongside teammateIgor Tudor and some youth players. While at the latter he was again a regular, as his team finally avoided relegation.
Back atJuve, and as an experienced player, Legrottaglie was expected to play a role in the club's attempt to return to the top level following the2006 Calciopoli scandal. However, he would only take the field in ten fixtures out of 42 – also being shown ared card – in apromotion as champions.
Subsequently, Legrottaglie came very close to complete a transfer toBeşiktaş J.K. on a three-year contract, worth£1.1 million per season. The Turkish were set to pay £1.6 million to acquire his services, but negotiations broke down at the last minute and hence, the player remained inTorino; underClaudio Ranieri he started thenew season right where he left off, on thesubstitutes' bench, being fourth-choice behindJorge Andrade,Jean-Alain Boumsong andDomenico Criscito.[7]
Just four matches into the season, however, a seriousknee injury sidelined Andrade for several months,[7] and Legrottaglie was promoted to the starting eleven for the game againstReggina Calcio on 26 September, scoring the opener in a 4–0 rout.[8] Criscito was loaned out toGenoa CFC in January 2008 and, from then onwards, he paired withGiorgio Chiellini in central defence as the side allowed just nine goals in the first 14 matches following Andrade's injury (37 overall), finishing in third place; his contract ran originally until 30 June 2008, but in October 2007, due to his excellent form, he was awarded a two-year extension.[9]
In2008–09, Legrottaglie continued to be first-choice despite the arrival ofOlof Mellberg fromAston Villa (Andrade also was expected to return to first-team action, but he suffered a second serious knee injury).[10] In September 2008, one month shy of his 32nd birthday, he signed another deal until June 2011, and played 27 league matches in a runner-up finish, thusqualifying for theUEFA Champions League for the second consecutive year; veteranFabio Cannavaro returned to the club following his spell withReal Madrid, and this relegated him to the bench for parts of the2009–10 campaign – he ended with 19 league appearances, netting once.[11]
Legrottaglie was injured during training in late May 2010, and thus missed out on theUnited States tour.[12]
On 31 January 2011, after Juventus signed central defenderAndrea Barzagli, the 34-year-old Legrottaglie – who made just eight appearances in all competitions comprised during the first half ofthe season, under new managerLuigi Delneri – left on afree transfer for fellow league sideAC Milan, signing a six-month deal.[13] However, he was only able to make one league appearance for the eventual champions due to a serious head injury suffered during a 0–0 draw withSS Lazio.[14][15]
Legrottaglie was released on 30 June, following the expiration of his contract.
On 24 August 2011, Legrottaglie joinedCalcio Catania on a two-year contract. He scored on his official debut, a 3–3 away draw againstNovara Calcio.[16]
Legrottaglie revived his career overall underVincenzo Montella. He finished2011–12 with 35 official games and six goals, helping theSicilians to a fourth successive season in which they broke their record points total in Serie A, finishing 11th.[17][18][19][20]
Legrottaglie made his debut forItaly on 20 November 2002, in afriendly match withTurkey inPescara,[21] and went on to appear in a further six matches in a one-year span, mostly friendlies. He scored his only goal in April 2003, in a 2–1 victory overSwitzerland.[22]
Following solid performances at Juventus, Legrottaglie received his firstcap in four years, appearing in a friendly againstAustria while filling in for injured teammate Chiellini in an 18 August 2008 contest held inNice. His former Juventus coach Lippi was in charge of the national team.
On 2 May 2010, 33-year-old Legrottaglie was included in a 29-man provisional list for the2010 FIFA World Cup, attending the training camp inRome,[23] but was subsequently dropped from the 30-player list submitted toFIFA on the 11th, withVillarreal CF'sGiuseppe Rossi andAS Roma'sDaniele De Rossi taking his place.[24] His only major international tournament was the2009 FIFA Confederations Cup inSouth Africa,[25] with Italy exiting in the group stage.[26]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | |||
| 2002 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2003 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2008 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2009 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2010 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 16 | 1 | |
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 April 2003 | Stade de Genève,Lancy, Switzerland |  Switzerland | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
Legrottaglie retired at the end of the2013–14 campaign as Catania suffered top-flight relegation, aged nearly 38. He then returned to Bari after 18 years, being appointed under-17 team manager.[28]
Legrottaglie took his first role as a head coach in July 2015, accepting an offer from SicilianLega Pro clubAkragas.[29] He resigned the following January due to poor results[30] and, on 9 January 2017, was named new assistant toMassimo Rastelli atCagliari Calcio in theItalian top division;[31] in October, as the latter was dismissed, he too left.[32]
On 24 June 2019, Legrottaglie was announced as the new under-19 manager ofDelfino Pescara 1936, replacingLuciano Zauri after the latter's promotion as first-team manager.[33] On 21 January 2020, he was promoted to head coach after Zauri's resignation from his post.[34]
On 28 June 2023, Legrottaglie was officially unveiled as the new "head of performance" (technical area director) ofSampdoria after the club's takeover by a consortium led byAndrea Radrizzani, working alongside first team head coach and former Juventus teammateAndrea Pirlo.[35]
Legrottaglie was praised by pundits for his physical attributes and his ability in the air, making him a goal threat from set pieces.[36] A strong yet elegant player, he excelled in sliding challenges and at organising high defensive lines, also being gifted with good technical ability, passing range and vision, which allowed him to advance into the midfield. He was also tactically versatile, excelling at reading the game and possessing a powerful shot from distance.
Despite his reputation, Legrottaglie was also criticised at times for inconsistency and lapses in man-marking.[36]
Legrottaglie attracted controversy when he condemnedhomosexuality in his 2009 autobiography, calling it a "sin" according to his Christian beliefs.[37] He is a member of the Italian Evangelical Alliance (an offspring of theWorld Evangelical Alliance), a Protestant charismatic denomination, and of the Athletes of Christ.[38] Also for reasons of faith, he did not have sexual intercourses with his wife Erika for the five years before their marriage.[39]
As of 6 July 2020
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Akragas |  | 23 July 2015 | 17 January 2016 | 23 | 9 | 4 | 10 | 039.13 |
| Pescara | | 21 January 2020 | 6 July 2020 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 033.33 |
| Total | 35 | 13 | 5 | 17 | 037.14 | |||
Modena[40]
Juventus[40]
AC Milan[40]
 | ||
