Riccardo Montolivo
Encyclopedia
Riccardo Montolivo is an Italian
footballer who plays for Serie A
club Fiorentina
and the Italian national team. He was appointed club captain during the 2009–10 season.
Montolivo is a prototypical "regista" (deep-lying playmaker), similar to Andrea Pirlo
. Though he prefers to play in the middle, he can play anywhere including defensive midfield but he is more comfortable in an attacking role. Montolivo was born to an Italian father and German mother.
. At the age of 18, he made his debut during the 2003–04 season. He played 41 matches and scored four goals, helping Atalanta gain promotion to Serie A
. In his first season in Serie A, he played 32 times and scored three goals. However, his efforts were in vain as Atalanta were relegated back down to Serie B.
in the summer of 2005. Initially Atalanta retained part-ownership of the player but the following summer they relinquished that option as Fiorentina took full ownership.
During the 2006–2007 season Montolivo's first-team chances were limited, partly due to the fact that he was still an inexperienced player and partly because manager Cesare Prandelli
had a relatively stable and reliable squad of players at his disposal. The young man's talents did not go unrecognised though. He became a fixture in Italy's Under-21 team, coached by Pierluigi Casiraghi.
The 2007–2008 season started well for the Viola midfielder: in the first match day he was as one of the best on the field against Empoli, against which he also scored a splendid goal from a lob. The season follows between ups and downs, but Montolivo confirms himself during the course of the championship as one of the best talents in Italian Football.
In early 2010, due to the departures of then-captain Dario Dainelli
and vice-captain Martin Jørgensen
, Montolivo was appointed captain of the Tuscany-based club. At the end of the 2010–11, Montolivo refused to sign a contract extension, which had a year remaining.
2–1 and qualified for 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
. http://www.uefa.com/Competitions/Under21/FixturesResults/Round=2239/match=84941/index.html
On 17 October 2007, Montolivo debuted for the Azzurri in a 2–0 friendly win against South Africa
. He was also called up for Italy's provisional squad before the Euro 2008 tournament. However Coach Roberto Donadoni would eventually omit him from the final list of 23.
Montolivo was summoned by Pierluigi Casiraghi to participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, scoring one goal in the tournament. After playing a bit-part role at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
, he started all 3 games at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
partnering Daniele De Rossi
as a replacement for the injured Andrea Pirlo
. He scored his first senior international goal on 10 August 2011 in a friendly against Spain
. Montolivo scored the opening goal in a match that Italy won by two goals to one.
and his grandparents are from Schleswig-Holstein
. He speaks fluent German and has publicly stated that he is an atheist.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
footballer who plays for Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
club Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
and the Italian national team. He was appointed club captain during the 2009–10 season.
Montolivo is a prototypical "regista" (deep-lying playmaker), similar to Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian World Cup winning footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus, and for the Italian national team. He is usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker for both Juventus and Italy and is regarded as one of best players in this position...
. Though he prefers to play in the middle, he can play anywhere including defensive midfield but he is more comfortable in an attacking role. Montolivo was born to an Italian father and German mother.
Atalanta
Montolivo began his career in Serie B with AtalantaAtalanta B.C.
Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly known as just Atalanta, Atalanta Bergamo or the abbreviation Atalanta BC, is an Italian football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy.They are nicknamed the Nerazzurri and the orobici...
. At the age of 18, he made his debut during the 2003–04 season. He played 41 matches and scored four goals, helping Atalanta gain promotion to Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
. In his first season in Serie A, he played 32 times and scored three goals. However, his efforts were in vain as Atalanta were relegated back down to Serie B.
Fiorentina
Montolivo moved to FiorentinaACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
in the summer of 2005. Initially Atalanta retained part-ownership of the player but the following summer they relinquished that option as Fiorentina took full ownership.
During the 2006–2007 season Montolivo's first-team chances were limited, partly due to the fact that he was still an inexperienced player and partly because manager Cesare Prandelli
Cesare Prandelli
Cesare Claudio Prandelli is an Italian football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of the Italy national football team.-Playing career:...
had a relatively stable and reliable squad of players at his disposal. The young man's talents did not go unrecognised though. He became a fixture in Italy's Under-21 team, coached by Pierluigi Casiraghi.
The 2007–2008 season started well for the Viola midfielder: in the first match day he was as one of the best on the field against Empoli, against which he also scored a splendid goal from a lob. The season follows between ups and downs, but Montolivo confirms himself during the course of the championship as one of the best talents in Italian Football.
In early 2010, due to the departures of then-captain Dario Dainelli
Dario Dainelli
Dario Dainelli is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Genoa.-Early career:Dainelli started his professional career at Empoli...
and vice-captain Martin Jørgensen
Martin Jørgensen
Lars Martin Jørgensen , more commonly known as Martin Jørgensen, is a Danish professional football player, who currently plays for Danish club AGF Aarhus. Jørgensen has played 101 matches and scored 12 goals for the Denmark national football team. He is the only player that has represented Denmark...
, Montolivo was appointed captain of the Tuscany-based club. At the end of the 2010–11, Montolivo refused to sign a contract extension, which had a year remaining.
International career
On 10 October 2006, Montolivo scored the winning goal when Italy's under-21 team beat SpainSpain national under-21 football team
The Spain national under-21 football team, is the national under-21 football team of Spain and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation. The team, nicknamed La Rojita , competes in the biannual European Under-21 Football Championship.Following the realignment of UEFA's youth...
2–1 and qualified for 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 2007 were held from 10 June 2007 to 23 June 2007. It is the 16th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship....
. http://www.uefa.com/Competitions/Under21/FixturesResults/Round=2239/match=84941/index.html
On 17 October 2007, Montolivo debuted for the Azzurri in a 2–0 friendly win against South Africa
South Africa national football team
The South Africa national football team represents South Africa in association football and is controlled by the South African Football Association, the governing body for football in South Africa. South Africa's home ground is Soccer City, known as FNB Stadium due to a naming rights deal, in...
. He was also called up for Italy's provisional squad before the Euro 2008 tournament. However Coach Roberto Donadoni would eventually omit him from the final list of 23.
Montolivo was summoned by Pierluigi Casiraghi to participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, scoring one goal in the tournament. After playing a bit-part role at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup
The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup was the eighth Confederations Cup, and was held in South Africa from 14 June to 28 June 2009 as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on 22 November 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The opening match was played at Ellis Park...
, he started all 3 games at the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
partnering Daniele De Rossi
Daniele De Rossi
Daniele De Rossi, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club Roma. He is the current Roma's vice-captain and nicknamed as Capitan Futuro due to his high probabality as heir-apparent to Francesco Totti's captain armband.With Roma he has won the Coppa Italia...
as a replacement for the injured Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo
Andrea Pirlo, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian World Cup winning footballer who currently plays for Serie A club Juventus, and for the Italian national team. He is usually deployed as a deep-lying playmaker for both Juventus and Italy and is regarded as one of best players in this position...
. He scored his first senior international goal on 10 August 2011 in a friendly against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
. Montolivo scored the opening goal in a match that Italy won by two goals to one.
International goals
- Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first
Goal Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1. 10 August 2011 Stadio San Nicola Stadio San NicolaThe Stadio San Nicola is a multi-use all-seater stadium designed by Renzo Piano in Bari, Italy. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of Associazione Sportiva Bari. It hosted the 1991 European Cup Final, won by Red Star Belgrade. The stadium itself resembles a...
, BariBariBari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
1–0 2–1 Friendly Exhibition gameAn exhibition game is a sporting event in which there is no competitive value of any significant kind to any competitor regardless of the outcome of the competition...
Club statistics
- .
Club Season League Cup Europe UEFAThe Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....Total Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Atalanta Atalanta B.C.Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio, commonly known as just Atalanta, Atalanta Bergamo or the abbreviation Atalanta BC, is an Italian football club based in Bergamo, Lombardy.They are nicknamed the Nerazzurri and the orobici...2003–04 41 4 2 0 — — 43 4 2004–05 32 3 1 0 — — 33 3 Total 73 7 3 0 — — 76 7 Fiorentina ACF FiorentinaACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...2005–06 20 1 0 0 — — 20 1 2006–07 35 2 0 0 — — 35 2 2007–08 34 3 0 0 9 1 43 4 2008–09 34 4 0 0 8 0 42 4 2009–10 2009–10 Serie AThe 2009–10 Serie A was the seventy-eighth season since its establishment. There were three promoted teams from the Serie B, replacing the three teams that were relegated following the 2008–09 season. Nike provided a new match ball - the T90 Ascente - for this season...36 2 3 0 10 1 49 3 2010–11 2010–11 Serie AThe 2010–11 Serie A was the 79th season since its establishment, the first under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 28 August 2010 and ended on 22 May 2011...29 2 0 0 — — 29 2 2011–12 2011–12 Serie AThe 2011–12 Serie A is the eightieth season since its establishment, and the second under a league committee separate from Serie B. It began on 9 September 2011 and will end on 13 May 2012. The league was originally scheduled to start on 27 August, but this was delayed due to a strike by the players...10 0 1 0 — — 11 0 Total 198 14 4 0 27 2 229 16 Career total 271 21 7 0 27 2 305 23
Personal life
Montolivo holds German citizenship – his mother is from KielKiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
and his grandparents are from Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
. He speaks fluent German and has publicly stated that he is an atheist.