Simone Rota

Simone Rota (born 6 November 1984) is a Filipino footballer who most recently played as a defender or midfielder for Kaya F.C.-Iloilo and the Philippines national football team.

In this Philippine name, the middle name or maternal family name is Mondiali and the surname or paternal family name is Rota.
Simone Rota
Personal information
Full name Simone Mondiali Rota
Date of birth (1984-11-06) 6 November 1984
Place of birth Parañaque, Philippines[1]
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)[1]
Position(s) Central back, Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Kaya F.C.-Iloilo
Number 23
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2002–2010 Pro Sesto 127 (5)
2006 → Manfredonia (loan) 7 (0)
2008–2009 → Lugano (loan) 17 (6)
2010–2012 Borgomanero 54 (3)
2012–2014 Asti 15 (3)
2014–2016 Stallion 47 (8)
2017 Ceres-Negros 3 (0)
2017–2019 Davao Aguilas 35 (1)
2019- Kaya FC Iloilo 4 (0)
National team‡
2004–2005 Italy U-20 Lega Pro 5
2005 Italy Mediterranean Games 0 (0)
2014– Philippines 40 (2)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 7 August 2018
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 18:22, 22 March 2018 (UTC)

Early life

Rota was left in an orphanage of Buklod Kalinga run by Franciscan sisters in Parañaque when he was a baby and was raised by Sister May Memorial, who he considers a second mom to him.[2] A woman named Sonia Tulay reportedly left Rota in the convent at about two months old in November 1984.[3]

Rota was eventually adopted by Maurizio and Marilena Rota, a couple from Italy who were taxi drivers. Rota has a sister, Valentina, who was also born on the 6 of November and adopted from the Philippines.[2][4]

Italian missionary Mother Flora Zippo, assisted in finding people which would adopt Rota.[3]

Rota spent most of his career in Europe, especially in Italian-speaking region.

Club career

Italy

Rota entered the first team of Pro Sesto in the 2001–02 Serie C2 season, becoming a regular the following year. In 2005, the team was promoted to Serie C1 as the Group A winner of the 2004–05 Serie C2 season. Subsequently, Rota was also selected for the Mirop Cup as a member of Italy U-20 Lega Pro.[5] Their team went up against the youth national teams of Styria, Croatia, Hungary, and Slovenia,[6] and eventually Italy's U-20 Lega Pro team was named the champion of that tournament.[7]

Rota also capped for the Italy U-20 Lega Pro team in the 2005 Trofeo Dossena, which lost to Sport Club Internacional in the final game. He did not suit up for Italy in the final match of that tournament.[8] In January 2006, Rota was transferred from Pro Sesto to Manfredonia.[9] By the end of that season, Manfredonia finished tenth, and Pro Sesto was relegated. Rota returned to Pro Sesto as a regular, though he missed the rest of the season.[10]

In November 2007, Rota returned to Pro Sesto, playing eight games of the season. He was then transferred to Lugano of Swiss Challenge League in 2008.[11] In 2009, Rota returned to Pro Sesto, but the club went bankrupt and it finished last in the 2009–10 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.

Philippines

In October 2013, Rota showed interest in playing in the United Football League to have more chances of being selected by the Philippines national football team. He signed with Stallion FC in January 2014.

In January 2017, Ceres-Negros announced that they had signed Rota, along with few other players, to play for the club.[12] He went on to join Davao Aguilas later in the year.[13]

International career

Rota received his first call up for the Philippines national football team in February 2014,[14] making his international debut in a friendly match against Malaysia on 1 March 2014. He scored his first international goal in the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup group stage match against Laos on 22 May 2014.

In August 2016 Rota suffered a serious ACL tear that would rule him out for the rest of the year, including the 2016 AFF Championship in which the Philippines are the host.[15]

International goals
Scores and results list the Philippines' goal tally first.[16]
#DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
2014
1.22 May 2014Addu Football Stadium, Addu City Laos1–02–02014 AFC Challenge Cup
2.22 November 2014Mỹ Đình National Stadium, Hanoi1–14–12014 AFF Suzuki Cup

Personal life

Since his return to the Philippines in 2014 Rota makes a point of volunteering at the orphanage where he grew up. Rota is an A.C. Milan fan, and although he fluently speaks Italian, he has difficulty speaking English and Filpino.[2][4] Rota has multiple tattoos, including the outline of the Philippines archipelago and the names of his sister, adopted mother and father on his right forearm and a prayer and Sister May's name on his left forearm.[17]

Rota's biography has been depicted in the film Journeyman Finds Home: The Simone Rota Story which was directed by Albert Almendralejo and Maricel Cariaga.[18]

References
  1. "Simone Rota profile". FootballDatabase.eu.
  2. Bob Guerrero (21 April 2014). "Azkal Simone Rota enjoys his long journey back home". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  3. Castillejo, Dyan (18 February 2016). "Azkals' Simone Rota searching for biological parents". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  4. Cedelf P. Tupas (24 May 2014). "Laos goal sweetens Simone Rota's journey". Inquirer.net. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  5. "C.U. No.289: ATTIVITA'DI RAPPRESENTATIVA DI LEGA - STAGIONE SPORTIVA 2004/2005" (PDF). Lega Pro (in Italian). 20 June 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  6. "UNGHERIA UNDER 20- ITALIA "C" UNDER 20 3-1" (PDF). Lega Pro (in Italian). 5 October 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  7. RSSSF.com
  8. "CROAZIA - ITALIA UNDER 20 1-2, MIROP CUP" (PDF). Lega Pro (in Italian). 14 December 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  9. "Ancora un acquisto per il Manfredonia: dalla Pro Sesto arriva Simone Rota". TeleRadioErre (in Italian). 31 January 2006. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  10. "Girone A Sconti ai tifosi dal Padova e dal Venezia". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 28 April 2007. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
  11. "Transferübersicht Dosenbach Challenge League - Saison 2008/09 (Sommer)". Swiss Football League (in German). ca. November 2008. Retrieved 3 May 2011. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. "CERES-NEGROS FC UNVEILS NEW SIGNINGS FOR AFC CUP CAMPAIGN". Ceres FC. 17 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
  13. Duerden, John (8 August 2017). "Younghusband brothers shake up Philippines football with Davao move". ESPN. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  14. "Thomas Dooley Forms 34-man Training team for Azkals". Philippine News. 17 February 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  15. Lorenzo Del Carmen (27 August 2016). "Stallion defender Rota out with knee injuries". Tiebreaker Times. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  16. "Simone Mondiali Rota - Soccerway profile". soccerway.com.
  17. "Azkal Simone Rota: From Italy to Buklod Kalinga Para Sa Kapwa". Farther Further (Weebly). 16 June 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  18. Guerrero, Bob (27 September 2017). "Simone Rota finds his home in 'Journeyman' film". Rappler. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
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