 Sorrentino in 2012 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stefano Sorrentino | ||
| Date of birth | (1979-03-28)28 March 1979 (age 46) | ||
| Place of birth | Cava de' Tirreni, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1996–1997 | Lazio | ||
| 1997–1998 | Juventus | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2005 | Torino | 89 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | →Juve Stabia (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | →Varese (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2005–2009 | AEK Athens | 50 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | →Recreativo (loan) | 38 | (0) |
| 2008–2009 | →Chievo (loan) | 32 | (0) |
| 2009–2013 | Chievo | 131 | (0) |
| 2013–2016 | Palermo | 117 | (0) |
| 2016–2019 | Chievo | 103 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | F.C. Cervo | ||
| 2020–2021 | Torinese | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 9 February 2020 | |||
Stefano Sorrentino (born 28 March 1979) is an Italian formerfootballer. A professionalgoalkeeper for his whole career, he is currently afootball agent.
Sorrentino played for several Italian clubs throughout his career, being mainly known for his time withTorino,Chievo andPalermo, winning aSerie B title and promotion toSerie A with the latter side in the2013–14 season. Abroad, he representedAEK Athens in Greece andRecreativo in Spain.
Born inCava de' Tirreni,Campania, Sorrentino started playing football withS.S. Lazio, finishing his youth training withJuventus FC in 1997 and failing to collect any official first-team appearances during hisone-season spell. In the summer of 1998 he joinedTorino FC inSerie B, only playing once in the league.
In the next two years, Sorrentino played inSerie C1, representingS.S. Juve Stabia andA.S. Varese 1910 on loan. He returned to Torino in the 2001 off-season, being a backup in the top division (twelve games) and an undisputed starter in the second level during his tenure; inhis final campaign he made 43 league appearances forToro, who finished second and promoted via the playoffs, only to be denied due to financial irregularities.[1]
In the 2005 off-season, however, theTurin-based club declared bankruptcy and released all its players. Sorrentino then signed withAEK Athens[2] but, after the birth of his daughter, he asked presidentDemis Nikolaidis to let him return to Italy, because his wife was not feeling comfortable enough in Greece. However, no ideal offer was made, and the player made it clear that if he had to stay in the country, he would be 100% professional; on 21 November 2006 he had a top-notch performance in a 1–0 home win againstAC Milan forthe group stage of theUEFA Champions League, also being namedPlayer of the match.[3]
In July 2007, after failing to win any silverware in two seasons, Sorrentino was loaned toRecreativo de Huelva, with the Spanish side having the option to sign him on a full basis at the end ofthe campaign.[4] He made hisLa Liga debut on 26 August in a 1–1 home draw toReal Betis,[5] and eventually appeared in all league games as theAndalusians eventually avoided relegation, ranking 16th.[6]
After Recreativo did not exercise the buying option, Sorrentino returned to his country and signed withA.C. ChievoVerona –freshly promoted to the top flight – initially on loan. He played in 32 league games duringthe season as the team retained their newly found status, and the move was made permanent on 12 June 2009.
On 30 June 2010, Chievo was reported to have agreed withGenoa C.F.C. to swap Sorrentino forRiccardo Meggiorini,[7] as well as signing BrazilianRubinho as their new goalkeeper. However, the deal collapsed as Meggiorini moved toBologna FC 1909; in the following campaigns, he continued to perform solidly.[8]
On 25 January 2013, after a long negotiation, Sorrentino signed a3+1⁄2-year contract withU.S. Città di Palermo for €4 million.[9][10][11][12][a] He made his debut two days later, in a 1–1 draw atCagliari Calcio.[13]
On 1 July 2016, 37-year-old Sorrentino agreed to a two-year deal with former side Chievo for an undisclosed fee. He continued to be first-choice during his second spell at theStadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi.[14]
In April 2019, it was announced that Sorrentino's contract would not be renewed, meaning that he would be leaving after eight seasons.[15][16] He did not appear in any of the final matches, however, as he was left out of the squad once their top-tier relegation had been sealed mathematically, and posted onTwitter before the final fixture: "I would have liked to wear these gloves tomorrow. To say goodbye to my fans and my teammates. 271 appearances with this shirt. I would've imagined a different ending. An ending with the 'Eyes of the Tiger.' But beyond the players, there is the shirt. For this, I will always say: THANK YOU, CHIEVO!" In total, he collected 271 appearances with the club in all competitions,[15][17][18] with his final appearance coming in a 3–1 home loss toSSC Napoli on 14 April, a result which sealed the team's fate.[19] Ahead of their final fixture ofthe campaign, where they finished last,[20] he posted on Twitter: "I wish to whoever will take my place, to whoever will take my locker, to whoever will wear the Chievo shirt after me, to sweat, struggle, and fight. Always with the eyes of the tiger. Because I will always carry this shirt and this changing room in my heart. Thank you to everyone." However, he also later announced that he would not be retiring from football and that he would continue to play and look for a new team after becoming a free agent, in the hope of playing his 400th Serie A match.[15][16]
On 21 January 2020, Sorrentino announced his retirement from professional football onSky Sport's television programCalciomercato.[21] However, on 27 January 2020, Sorrentino announced his transfer toSeconda Categoria side Cervo, coached by his fatherRoberto, and that he would play as a striker.[22]
In June 2021, he retired permanently and fully engaged in his new career as a football agent, representing Palermo goalkeeperAlberto Pelagotti.
In March 2022, he acquired a majority stake of Serie D clubChieri.[23] He left the club in July 2023.[24]
A talented and acrobatic goalkeeper, Sorrentino was known for hispenalty-stopping abilities as well as his extraordinary shot-stopping, reflexes and ability to produce spectacular and decisive saves. Experienced and consistent, he also drew praise for his work-rate, determination, leadership and longevity.[17][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] With 14 stops in 363 appearances between 2001 and 2019, he has parried thejoint–seventh–most penalties in Serie A history, alongsideFrancesco Antonioli.[34]
Sorrentino noted that his position on the pitch tended to change depending on whether he was playing behind a three or four-man back-line; in the former case, he usually played in a deeper position closer to the goal.[35]Antonio Di Natale described him as one of the best Italian goalkeepers of his generation.[36]
Although primarily a goalkeeper, Sorrentino came out of retirement to play as astriker in the lower divisions of Italian football.[22]
Sorrentino played in athree-sided football tournament held in Madrid, in June 2018.[37]
Sorrentino's father,Roberto, was also a goalkeeper, who acted ascaptain forCalcio Catania.[38] He has two brothers.[36]
On 9 June 2002, Sorrentino married Antonella Parrella inTurin – the couple had already been living together for ten months. Together they had three daughters, Carlotta, Matilda and Maria Vittoria; they later separated.[26][39][40]
Sorrentino has been in a relationship with Sara Ruggeri since 2012.[26][41] He and his partner[42] have a daughter, Viola, who was born on 16 September 2013.[43][44] On 31 December 2018, he proposed to her by giving her a pair of his goalkeeping gloves with the text "Sara, mi vuoi sposare?" (Sara, do you want to marry me?). He later announced his engagement on his officialInstagram account by posting a picture of Ruggeri with the gloves and her engagement ring, with the caption "HA DETTO SÌ!!!!" ("She said yes!");[45][46] the couple were wed on 27 May 2019.[47]
In March 2017, Sorrentino released his autobiography:Gli occhi della Tigre ("The eyes of the Tiger," in Italian).[36]
| Club | League | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
| Torino | Serie B | 1998–99 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| Juve Stabia (loan) | Serie C | 1999–00 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 0 | ||
| Varese (loan) | 2000–01 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | |||
| Torino | Serie A | 2001–02 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 10 | 0 | ||||
| Serie B | 2003–04 | 43 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 43 | 0 | |||
| 2004–05 | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | 40 | 0 | |||
| Total | 89 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 100 | 0 | ||
| AEK Athens | Super League Greece | 2005–06 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 28 | 0 | |
| 2006–07 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | – | 34 | 0 | |||
| Total | 50 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 0 | ||
| Recreativo (loan) | La Liga | 2007–08 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 38 | 0 | ||
| Chievo | Serie A | 2008–09 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 38 | 0 | ||||
| 2010–11 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 37 | 0 | ||||
| 2011–12 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 37 | 0 | ||||
| 2012–13 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 21 | 0 | ||||
| Palermo | 2012–13 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 15 | 0 | |||
| Serie B | 2013–14 | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 0 | |||
| Serie A | 2014–15 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 35 | 0 | |||
| 2015–16 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 117 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 0 | ||
| Chievo | Serie A | 2016–17 | 34 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 39 | 0 | ||||
| 2018–19 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 31 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 266 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 271 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 560 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 599 | 0 | ||
Palermo
