Christian Abbiati
Encyclopedia
Christian Abbiati is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Milan. The provincial territory is highly urbanized, resulting in the third highest population density among the Italian provinces with more than 2,000 inhabitants/km2, just behind the provinces of...
) is an Italian
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 as a goalkeeper 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 Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
.
Milan
His debut in Serie A came on January 17, 1999 as a 92nd-minute substitute for Sebastiano RossiSebastiano Rossi
Sebastiano Rossi is a retired Italian footballer who played as a goalkeeper.During a 21-year professional career, he appeared in 346 Serie A games, most notably representing A.C. Milan , with which he won 12 major titles, namely five national championships and the 1994 UEFA Champions...
. He then became Milan's first choice goalkeeper, for four years, until he lost his starting spot to backup Dida early in the 2002–2003 season after picking up an injury during a Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
qualifying match in August 2002. Dida's top form effectively ground Abbiati's playing time to a halt.
On 25 August 2004, a brief controversy surfaced when an editorial criticizing Dida and Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti is an Italian football manager, Nicknamed Carletto, Ancelotti played as a midfielder and had a successful career with Roma – captaining the team – with whom he won one Scudetto and 4 Coppa Italia and was part of the legendary late 80's Milan team, with whom he won two Scudetti and...
appeared on Abbiati's official website, stating that Dida had made mistakes in a friendly against U.C. Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
and that Ancelotti was blocking a move that would have sent Abbiati to Palermo
U.S. Città di Palermo
Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club had various names before assuming its final form in 1987 and is currently...
. Abbiati denied that he'd written the piece and said that it had been posted by his webmaster. "I never speak to the person who looks after my site. I would never judge one of my teammates." Though his webmaster claimed responsibility for the article, speculation nonetheless arose that it had been actually penned by Abbiati due to his frustration at warming the bench.
Abbiati literally played all of thirty seconds in Milan's 2004–05 Champions League campaign, when he came on as a substitute in the 74th minute after Dida had been struck by a flare thrown from the crowd during the quarterfinal second leg against Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
, which was ultimately suspended less than a minute later. His last match in a Milan uniform came on May 20, 2005 in a 3–3 home draw with Palermo, a match that saw the starters rested for the upcoming Champions League Final, which Milan lost to Liverpool after chucking away a 3–0 half time lead.
Loan spells
Abbiati announced his desire to move to another club in order to contend for the #1 spot and was therefore loaned to Genoa for the 2005–06 season in July 2005, but he immediately returned to Milan after Genoa were relegated to Serie C1Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
due to a match-fixing scandal.
Juventus & Torino
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
as a temporary replacement for incumbent Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi Buffon
Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He has won the FIFA World Cup and is widely considered by fans and experts to be one of most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history...
, who had suffered a dislocated shoulder during the Luigi Berlusconi Trophy match against Milan in August 2005. With long-awaited regular playing time at his disposal, he flourished with the Bianconeri, but when Buffon returned to the starting lineup six months later, Abbiati's services were no longer needed, and he left at the end of the season for another Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
squad when Milan loaned him to Torino F.C.
Torino F.C.
Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
in July 2006.
Atlético Madrid
Despite expressing his desire to stay for another season, he and Torino ultimately parted ways due to a salary dispute. He was once again loaned out by Milan for the third time in three seasons, this time to Spanish club Atlético Madrid until June 2008. He began the season on the bench until an injury to incumbent Leo FrancoLeo Franco
Leonardo "Leo" Neoren Franco is a professional Argentine footballer who plays for Real Zaragoza as a goalkeeper.-Club career:...
put him in the starting lineup. On December 29, he expressed interest in staying with Atlético beyond the '07–08 season. "My adaptation has gone better than I expected. I am happy at this club because they have helped me so much. I like playing in Spain and I think I will learn a lot during the time that I have left here."
Return to Milan
Abbiati returned to Italy after being called back by Milan for the 2008–09 season and took over as first choice from Zeljko KalacŽeljko Kalac
Željko Kalac is a retired Australian football goalkeeper. Standing at 2.02m, Kalac is one of the world's tallest professional goalkeepers....
after a solid preseason. However, on March 15, 2009, his season was cut short following a severe knee injury in the first half of Milan's 5–1 league win over A.C. Siena
A.C. Siena
Associazione Calcio Siena is an Italian football club based in Siena.The club currently plays in Serie A, having gained promotion from Serie B at the end of the 2010-2011 season....
, after he suffered ligament damage to his right knee from a collision with teammate Giuseppe Favalli
Giuseppe Favalli
Giuseppe Favalli is a retired Italian footballer who played as a defender for Serie A clubs Lazio, Internazionale and Milan.-Cremonese:He started his career with then-Serie B squad Cremonese...
. He was ruled out of action for six months following rehabilitation and knee surgery. In 28 appearances, he kept eleven clean sheets and conceded 27 goals. On November 8, nearly eight months after the injury, Abbiati was called up as Milan's third-choice behind Dida and new acquisition Flavio Roma
Flavio Roma
Flavio Roma is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Milan.-Club career:Roma started his career in the youth teams of S.S. Lazio. He was the 3rd goalkeeper behind Luca Marchegiani and Fernando Orsi before leaving the club to play for clubs in Serie B and Serie C1...
for Milan's 2–1 away win over S.S. Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
.
In 2010-11, Abbiati returned as the starting goalkeeper for Milan after Dida's departure. He added 2 more year to his contract in July. He made some crucial saves in the first half of the season and it was his performances that helped Milan hold top spot by January 2011. On 7 May 2011, after a series of good performances in crucial matches in the second half of the season, Milan clinched their first Serie A trophy in 7 years.
International career
Abbiati received his first call-up for Italy as the third goalkeeper for Euro 2000, and was part of the squad that participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. However, he did not earn his first cap until a 2–1 victory over Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
on April 30, 2003. Abbiati was left off the 2006 World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
roster but he was recalled to the national team in September 2006. In March 2009, three days before his season-ending knee injury, he said that he would refuse a future call-up for Italy in a non-starting role.
Personal life
In September 2008, Abbiati declared that he was a fascistItalian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
. "I am not ashamed to proclaim my political beliefs. I share [the] ideals of fascism, such as the fatherland and the values of the Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
religion."
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup / Super Cup | Europe UEFA The 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 | ||
| Monza A.C. Monza Brianza 1912 Associazione Calcio Monza Brianza 1912 is an Italian football club based in Monza, Lombardy.Founded in 1912, Monza currently plays in Lega Pro Prima Divisione group A, having last been in Serie B in 2000. Monza spent the last few years in Serie C1 and Serie C2.-History:Monza was founded on 1... |
1994–95 | 1 | -1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | -1 |
| Borgosesia Borgosesia Calcio Borgosesia Calcio is an Italian association football club, based in Borgosesia, Piedmont. The club was founded in 1925. Borgosesia currently plays in Serie D. The team's colors are all-dark red.As of 1 September 2010-External links:*... |
1995–96 Serie A 1995-96 The 1995–96 Serie A title was won by A.C. Milan , with Juventus finishing as runners-up.-Final classification:-Results:-Top scorers:24 goals* Igor Protti... |
29 | -27 | - | - | - | - | 29 | -27 |
| Monza A.C. Monza Brianza 1912 Associazione Calcio Monza Brianza 1912 is an Italian football club based in Monza, Lombardy.Founded in 1912, Monza currently plays in Lega Pro Prima Divisione group A, having last been in Serie B in 2000. Monza spent the last few years in Serie C1 and Serie C2.-History:Monza was founded on 1... |
1996–97 | 25 | -17 | - | - | - | - | 25 | -17 |
| 1997–98 Serie A 1997-98 Juventus won the title in controversial circumstances. In their match on Sunday, 26 April 1998, against eventual runners-up, Inter, Ronaldo was denied what appeared a clear penalty for Inter after being blocked by Mark Iuliano of Juventus. Had the penalty been awarded and then dispatched, the... |
26 | -41 | 0 | -0 | - | - | 26 | -41 | |
| Milan A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others... |
1998–99 Serie A 1998-99 AC Milan won their 16th Scudetto, led by coach Alberto Zaccheroni. Lazio finished second, losing the title on the last day. Inter with an often Injured or rested Ronaldo had a disastrous season, finishing in 8th position, whereas Juventus impressive start was cut short by a bad injury to Alessandro... |
18 | -16 | 0 | -0 | - | - | 18 | -16 |
| 1999–00 Serie A 1999-00 Lazio won the title on the final day of the season in controversial cirumstances. Juventus, the only other team left in contention on the day lost their match against Perugia in terrible conditions at a rain-sodden Stadio Renato Curi, many considering the pitch unplayable. Pierluigi Collina the... |
29 | -33 | 0 | -0 | 6 | -7 | 35 | -40 | |
| 2000–01 Serie A 2000-01 In the 2000-01 season, Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 13th consecutive time from season 1988-89.... |
21 | -31 | 4 | -8 | 7 | -8 | 33 | -47 | |
| 2001–02 Serie A 2001-02 In the 2001-02 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 14th consecutive time from season 1988-89.... |
34 | -33 | 1 | -0 | 11 | -8 | 46 | -41 | |
| 2002–03 Serie A 2002-03 In the 2002-03 season, the Serie A, the major football Italian professional league, was composed by 18 teams, for the 15th consecutive time from season 1988-89.... |
3 | -3 | 8 | -8 | 6 | -9 | 17 | -20 | |
| 2003–04 Serie A 2003-04 The 2003-2004 season in Italian Serie A football contained 18 teams for the 16th and last time from the 1988-89 season. With the bottom three being relegated, the 15th placed side would face the 6th highest team from Serie B, with the winner playing in the Serie A in 2004-2005.As usual, the top two... |
2 | -4 | 4 | -6 | 1 | -2 | 8 | -12 | |
| 2004–05 Serie A 2004-05 In the 2004–05 season, the Serie A, the highest professional football league in Italy, was composed of 20 teams for the first time in several years.... |
3 | -5 | 4 | -7 | 1 | -0 | 8 | -12 | |
| Juventus Juventus F.C. Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont... |
2005–06 Serie A 2005-06 In the 2005–06 season, Serie A, the major professional football league in Italian, was contested for the second year in a row by 20 teams. The league commenced on August 28, 2005 and finished on May 14, 2006... |
19 | -9 | 2 | -3 | 6 | -5 | 27 | -17 |
| Torino Torino F.C. Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football.... |
2006–07 Serie A 2006-07 The Serie A 2006–2007 season began September 10, 2006. It was scheduled to begin on August 26 and 27, but was then postponed due to the Serie A scandal of 2006. It is the 104th Italian championship ever held, the first without the presence of Juventus, and the 75th Serie A league, the first... |
36 | -42 | 2 | -2 | - | - | 38 | -44 |
| Atlético Madrid | 2007–08 | 21 | -25 | 0 | -0 | 9 | -6 | 30 | -31 |
| Milan A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others... |
2008–09 Serie A 2008-09 The 2008–09 Serie A was the seventy-seventh season since its establishment. It began on 30 August 2008 and ended on 31 May 2009, with the announcement of the list of fixtures made on 25 July 2008... |
28 | -27 | 0 | -0 | 0 | -0 | 28 | -27 |
| 2009–10 2009–10 Serie A The 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... |
9 | -5 | 1 | -1 | 1 | -4 | 11 | -10 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 Serie A The 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... |
35 | -19 | 1 | -2 | 6 | -3 | 42 | -24 | |
| 2011–12 2011–12 Serie A The 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... |
6 | -11 | 1 | -1 | 3 | -2 | 10 | -14 | |
| Total for Milan | 190 | -187 | 24 | -33 | 42 | -43 | 255 | -264 | |
| Career totals | 345 | -342 | 28 | -38 | 57 | -54 | 431 | -441 | |
Milan
- Serie ASerie ASerie 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...
: 1998–99Serie A 1998-99AC Milan won their 16th Scudetto, led by coach Alberto Zaccheroni. Lazio finished second, losing the title on the last day. Inter with an often Injured or rested Ronaldo had a disastrous season, finishing in 8th position, whereas Juventus impressive start was cut short by a bad injury to Alessandro...
, 2003–04Serie A 2003-04The 2003-2004 season in Italian Serie A football contained 18 teams for the 16th and last time from the 1988-89 season. With the bottom three being relegated, the 15th placed side would face the 6th highest team from Serie B, with the winner playing in the Serie A in 2004-2005.As usual, the top two...
, 2010–11 - UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 2002–03UEFA Champions League 2002-03The 2002–03 UEFA Champions League was the 11th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since its rebranding in 1992, and the 48th European Cup tournament overall. The competition was won by Milan, who beat Juventus on penalties in the European Cup's... - European Super CupEuropean Super CupThe UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
: 20032003 UEFA Super CupThe 2003 UEFA Super Cup was played on August 29, 2003 between A.C. Milan of Italy and F.C. Porto of Portugal. Milan qualified by beating Juventus in the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final. Porto had made it to the Super Cup after beating Celtic in the 2003 UEFA Cup Final. Milan won the match 1–0... - Coppa ItaliaCoppa ItaliaThe Coppa Italia is an Italian football annual cup competition. Its first edition was held in 1922, but the second champions were not crowned until 1936. Roma and Juventus lead the way with nine wins. Roma has contested more finals, 16, while Torino and Juventus follow with 13...
: 2002–03Coppa Italia 2002-03- Second Round :-First leg:---------Second leg:--------Milan win Coppa Italia 6–3 on aggregate.-References:*... - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 20042004 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 2004 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by the 2003-04 winners Milan and the 2003-04 Coppa Italia winners Lazio.The match result was a 3-0 victory for Milan after a hat-trick by Andriy Shevchenko.-Match details:-References:...
, 20112011 Supercoppa Italiana- References :...