Andrea Belotti

Andrea Belotti (Italian pronunciation: [anˈdrɛːa beˈlɔtti]; born 20 December 1993) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Torino, for which he is captain, and the Italy national team.

Andrea Belotti
Belotti in 2018
Personal information
Full name Andrea Belotti[1]
Date of birth (1993-12-20) 20 December 1993
Place of birth Calcinate, Italy
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[2]
Position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 Torino
Number 9
Youth career
2003–2006 Grumellese
2006–2012 AlbinoLeffe
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2013 Albinoleffe 39 (14)
2013–2015 Palermo 62 (16)
2015– Torino 195 (90)
National team‡
2011–2012 Italy U19 6 (2)
2012–2013 Italy U20 9 (4)
2013–2015 Italy U21 18 (9)
2016– Italy 31 (10)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 17:00, 6 February 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18 November 2020

Nicknamed Il Gallo (The Rooster), Belotti started his career with Albinoleffe. He was later signed by Palermo, where he won a Serie B title in the 2013–14 season, before being signed by Torino in 2015. He currently ranks as the Torino's eight highest goal scorer of all time.

He is a former Italy under-19, under-20 and under-21 international, and took part in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2015. He was given his senior national team debut in 2016.

Early life

Belotti is nicknamed Il Gallo (The Rooster).[3][4] The nickname comes from the surname of his close childhood friend, who jokingly suggested he celebrate his goals by mimicking a rooster's comb with an open hand to his forehead.[5][6] Belotti was a childhood fan of A.C. Milan.[7]

Club career

AlbinoLeffe

He took his first steps as a footballer in the oratory school of Gorlago,[8] and with Grumellese.[8] After an unsuccessful trial with Atalanta,[9] he was signed by AlbinoLeffe and went through their youth system. He made his debut for the first team in the 2011–12 season, when he played eight matches in Serie B and scored two goals.[10] He also scored 13 goals as team top-scorer for the youth team throughout the 2011–12 season, winning a youth title, the Trofeo Dossena, in June 2012.[11]

The following season, he was fully promoted to the first team, and made 31 appearances in Lega Pro Prima Divisione, scoring 12 goals. He also made an appearance during the 2012–13 Coppa Italia.[12] Given the presence in the squad of the defender Mauro Belotti, Andrea was nicknamed Belottino.[13]

Palermo

On 2 September 2013, he was loaned for a fee of €500,000 (with a buyout clause set at €2.5 million) to Palermo in Serie B.[14] He made his debut with the Sicilians on 24 September 2013, as a substitute for Davide Di Gennaro in a game against Bari, and provided an assist to Kyle Lafferty in a 1–2 loss. He scored his first goal for the Rosaneri on 5 October against Brescia. On 3 May 2014, he was promoted to Serie A after a 1–0 win away to Novara. He closed the season with 10 goals scored in the league. On 18 June 2014, Palermo exercised the right to redeem half of his contract in co-ownership,[15][16] with an option to redeem the other half for €3.5 million.

He made his debut in Serie A on 31 August 2014, at age 20, as a substitute for Paulo Dybala in a 1–1 draw at home to Sampdoria.[17] On 12 September, Palermo announced they had redeemed the remainder of his contract.[18] On 24 September, he scored his first two career goals in Serie A, playing as a starter in a 3–3 draw away to Napoli. On 13 December, he scored the winning goal in injury time against Sassuolo, securing a 2–1 win for Palermo and their seventh consecutive useful result (equalling the record of the 2009–10 season under the coach Delio Rossi). He played in 38 games throughout the season, largely as a substitute, in which he scored six goals.

Torino

On 18 August 2015, he was officially signed by Torino for a reported fee of €7.5 million.[19][20] He scored his first goal for Torino in a 2–0 win against Bologna. On 16 January 2016, he scored his first brace for the club in a 4–2 win over Frosinone.[21] On 20 March, he scored from the penalty spot in the 48th minute to halt Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon's record of longest consecutive minutes not conceded in a 4–1 home defeat.[22] He concluded the 2015–16 season with 12 goals in 35 appearances.

He began the 2016–17 season scoring a header against Milan at the San Siro, but had a penalty saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma in a 3–2 defeat. The following round, on 28 August, he scored his first career hat-trick in a 5–1 home win against Bologna.[23] On 4 December, he extended his contract with Torino until 2021,[24] with a €100 million release clause valid only to foreign clubs.[25] On 5 March 2017, he wore the captain's armband for the first time against Palermo,[26] in which he scored the fastest hat-trick in Serie A since 30 January 2000 (seven minutes and 15 seconds), surpassing the previous record belonging to the Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko.[27][28][29] The following month, he became the first player under the age of 24 to score 24 goals in a single Serie A season since Shevchenko in 1999–00.[30] He ended the season with 26 goals in 35 appearances, and as the third top-scorer in the league behind Edin Džeko of Roma (29) and Dries Mertens of Napoli (28).

After being appointed team captain on a permanent basis,[31] he scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season with a scissor-kick in a 3–0 win against Sassuolo.[32] Often injured, he was unable to repeat his performance of the previous season, scoring 10 goals in Serie A.[33]

On 26 August 2018, Belotti scored his first goal of the 2018–19 season in a 2–2 draw against Inter Milan at the San Siro.[34] On 4 November, he scored his first brace of the season in a 4–1 away win against Sampdoria.[35] On 25 May, he scores the second scissor kick goal of his career, once again against Sassuolo.[32] In virtue of his performance during the season, he was voted as Torino's player of the year (succeeding Nicolas Nkoulou).[36] Belotti concluded the season with 15 goals in Serie A - contributing to Torino's qualification to the 2019–20 UEFA Europa League, after the exclusion of Milan.

On 25 July 2019, Belotti made his debut in UEFA competitions, in the first qualifying round of the Europa League against Debrecen, scoring the opening goal on a penalty kick.[37] On 29 August, Belotti scored with a header against Wolverhampton to record his 77th goal for Torino, entering in Torino's top 10 goalscorers of all-time.[38] On 26 September, he scored his first brace of the season in a 2–1 win over Milan.[32]

On 16 July 2020, Belotti scored in his seventh Serie A match in a row in a 3–0 win over Genoa.[39]

International career

Belotti received his first call-up to the Italy under-19 side in December 2011 against the Lega Pro representative squad; he scored a goal in the match, which the under-19 side won 4–2.[40][41] In the 2012 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship elite qualification round he featured as Italy's centre-forward in the team's 4–2–3–1 formation,[42] scoring once in three appearances.[43]

Belotti made nine appearance for the under-20 (scoring four goals), before making his debut for the under-21 team on 14 August 2013 in a 4–1 friendly victory against Slovakia. On 5 September he featured in the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification 3–1 loss at home to Belgium, later scoring his first goal in the group on 14 November, in a 3–0 win against Northern Ireland. On 5 September 2014 he scored his first brace for the team in a European Championship qualifier against Serbia, which ended in a 3–2 victory for Italy.

Under manager Luigi Di Biagio, Belotti took part in the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in the Czech Republic, scoring the opening goal in a 3–1 defeat of England in Italy's final group match, although the result was not enough to see the Italian under-21 side progress to the semi-finals, as the azzurrini finished third in their group, behind the two eventual finalists Portugal and Sweden.[44]

On 27 August 2016, Belotti was called up to the senior squad for the first time by Gian Piero Ventura for a friendly against France on 1 September and a 2018 World Cup qualification match on 5 September against Israel.[45] He made his senior international debut in the friendly against France, coming on as a substitute in a 3–1 home loss.[46] Belotti scored his first senior goal on 9 October, the opening goal of their third World Cup qualification match, a 3–2 away victory over Macedonia.[47]

Style of play
"He's an example because God didn't bless him with huge talent, but with greater values like generosity, enthusiasm and passion."

—Arrigo Sacchi.[48]

Belotti began his career as a midfielder and winger,[49] but under the guidance of Albinoleffe's youth coach Alessio Pala, he was converted to a forward.[50] Compared to Gianluca Vialli for his athleticism and style of play,[51][52][53] Belotti is a quick[54] and prolific striker,[55][56] who has a strong and powerful shot with either foot.[57][58][59] He is strong in aerial duels,[60][61][62] and stands out for his acceleration,[63] tactical intelligence,[52] positioning,[54] work-rate,[64] and eye for goal,[65][66][67] which, along with his speed, allows him to lose his markers by making attacking runs into the penalty area.[54] Although he is primarily deployed as an out-and-out striker, he is also capable of playing as a second striker, due to his ability to hold up the ball and link-up with teammates, in addition to scoring goals himself.[54][68] An acrobatic player, he has also scored several overhead kick goals in his career.[32]

Personal life

Belotti married Giorgia Duro on 15 June 2017.[69] They have a dog called Angi.[70]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played on 6 February 2021.[71][72]
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
AlbinoLeffe2011–12Serie B8200——82
2012–13Lega Pro Prima Divisione311210——3212
2013–14—10——10
Total 391420——4114
Palermo2013–14Serie B241000——2410
2014–15Serie A38610——396
2015–16—10——10
Total 621620——6416
Torino 2015–16 Serie A 351210——3612
2016–17 352632——3828
2017–18 321033——3513
2018–19 371522——3917
2019–20 36162066—4422
2020–21 20111000—2111
Total 1959012766—213103
Career total 29612016766—318133

    International
    As of 18 November 2020[73]
    Italy
    YearAppsGoals
    201653
    201781
    201871
    201974
    202041
    Total3110
    As of match played on 18 November 2020. Italy score listed first, score column indicates score after each Belotti goal.[73]
    International goals by date, venue, opponent, score, result and competition
    No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
    1 9 October 2016Philip II Arena, Skopje, Macedonia North Macedonia1–03–22018 FIFA World Cup qualification
    2 12 November 2016Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein Liechtenstein1–04–0
    3 4–0
    4 11 June 2017Stadio Friuli, Udine, Italy2–05–0
    5 28 May 2018Kybunpark, St. Gallen, Switzerland Saudi Arabia2–02–1Friendly
    6 5 September 2019Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium, Yerevan, Armenia Armenia1–13–1UEFA Euro 2020 qualification
    7 15 October 2019Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz, Liechtenstein Liechtenstein2–05–0
    8 5–0
    9 15 November 2019Bilino Polje Stadium, Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina3–03–0
    10 18 November 2020Stadion Grbavica, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina1–02–02020–21 UEFA Nations League A

    Honours

    Club
    Palermo[71]

    Individual

    References
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