Thursday, January 9, 2014

9 January 1978 - Gattuso, A Genuine Article

On 9 January 1978, Gennaro Gattuso, star midfielder for Italy and Milan, was born in Corigliano Calabro.

A classic destroyer-type defensive mid, Gattuso started his career with Perugia (1995-1997), followed by short spells with Glasgow Rangers (1997-1998) and Salernitana (1998-99), before moving to Serie A champions AC Milan in June 1999.

He quickly became a featured player for the Rossoneri, making 28 appearance in his first season, though Milan finished third. Although they failed to win any silverware in the next few seasons, they rebounded with a Champions League and Copa d'Italia double in 2002-03, then reclaimed the Scudetto the following season.

Over the course of thirteen seasons in Milan, Gattuso made 468 appearances, adding another league title (2011), two UEFA Super Cups (2003, 2007), and a Club World Cup (2007) to his silverware collection. Along the way, he earned 73 caps for Italy between 2000 and 2010 and won the World Cup in 2006.

After being released from Milan in 2012 at the age of 32, he spent one season with FC Sion in Switzerland, serving as the club's manager from February to May 2013. He then took charge of Palermo in June 2013, but was there for only about three months before poor performances led to his firing.

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