Christian Manfredini
Encyclopedia
Christian José Manfredini Sisostri, known as Christian Manfredini, (born 1 May 1975) is an Ivorian
-Italian
footballer
. Manfredini currently plays for Italian
club Sambonifacese in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.
. At the age of 4, he was adopted by an Italian family with the surname
Manfredini from Battipaglia
, in the province of Salerno
.
youth system and spent the early years of his career sent on loan by Juve to smaller clubs. Manfredini spent four seasons with different sides, playing in both Serie C1
and C2
until he was sent to Cosenza in 1998 where he made his debut in Serie B
at the age of 23.
In 1999, after a year with Cosenza, Manfredini joined Genoa
, for €51,000 (50% rights), also in Serie B
at the time. After just a season with Genoa, Manfredini then joined a club which was making its way forward on the Italian football scene.
, and was an important part of the first ever Chievo side to reach Serie A
, along with Eriberto
formed the "back arrow" as both wings. The team continued to surprise as they found themselves top of Serie A, eventually finishing fifth and achieving a UEFA Cup
place.
, who he joined in 2002 for €2.3 million. At first, Manfredini failed to break into the strong Lazio side and was sent on loan to Osasuna
in Spain
, as well as Perugia
and Fiorentina
.
In 2004, Lazio went into financial meltdown and were forced to sell many of their top players. Manfredini was recalled to the club and while not always a regular in the first eleven, made many appearances for the capital club.
Manfredini also scored a goal in the UEFA Champions League
against German side SV Werder Bremen
.
His contract with Lazio expired as of June
2011 and was not renewed. He was signed by A.C. Sambonifacese on July 16.
. On March 1, 2006, Manfredini was selected for the squad to face Spain
in a friendly match, however remained an unused substitute. He was not selected for the 2006 FIFA World Cup
.
Manfredini was called up again for the friendly match against Senegal
on August 16, 2006, but did not get to play either.
In November 2008, Côte d'Ivoire's new manager, Bosnian Vahid Halilhodžić
, gave Manfredini a recall to the national side for the friendly game in Israel, in which Manfredini was finally able to make his official debut for the Ivorian national team.
Côte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
-Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
footballer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
. Manfredini currently plays for Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
club Sambonifacese in Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.
Personal life
Christian Manfredini was born Christian José Sisostri, in Côte d'IvoireCôte d'Ivoire
The Republic of Côte d'Ivoire or Ivory Coast is a country in West Africa. It has an area of , and borders the countries Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso and Ghana; its southern boundary is along the Gulf of Guinea. The country's population was 15,366,672 in 1998 and was estimated to be...
. At the age of 4, he was adopted by an Italian family with the surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
Manfredini from Battipaglia
Battipaglia
Battipaglia is a town and comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy, with some 51,000 inhabitants.- History :The birth of the comune of Battipaglia was officialised by a Royal Decree on 28 March 1929...
, in the province of Salerno
Province of Salerno
The Province of Salerno is a province in the Campania region of Italy.-Geography:The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 139,579; Cava de' Tirreni with a population of 53,488; Battipaglia with a population of 51,115; and Nocera Inferiore which has a...
.
Club
A versatile midfielder, Manfredini is a product of the JuventusJuventus 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...
youth system and spent the early years of his career sent on loan by Juve to smaller clubs. Manfredini spent four seasons with different sides, playing in both Serie C1
Serie 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....
and C2
Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione is the name of the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consists of 54 teams, but in the season 2010–11 the teams are only 49 divided geographically into three divisions of 17, 16 and 16 teams each...
until he was sent to Cosenza in 1998 where he made his debut in Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
at the age of 23.
In 1999, after a year with Cosenza, Manfredini joined Genoa
Genoa C.F.C.
Genoa Cricket and Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Genoa , is a professional Italian football club based in the city of Genoa, Liguria...
, for €51,000 (50% rights), also in Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
at the time. After just a season with Genoa, Manfredini then joined a club which was making its way forward on the Italian football scene.
Chievo
In 2000, Manfredini joined ChievoVeronaA.C. ChievoVerona
Associazione Calcio Chievo Verona is a professional Italian football club named after and based in Chievo, a suburb of 2,800 inhabitants in Verona, Veneto, and owned by Paluani, a cake company and the inspiration for their original name, Paluani Chievo...
, and was an important part of the first ever Chievo side to reach 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...
, along with Eriberto
Luciano Siqueira de Oliveira
Luciano Siqueira de Oliveira, known as Luciano and previously Eriberto is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Chievo.-Biography:...
formed the "back arrow" as both wings. The team continued to surprise as they found themselves top of Serie A, eventually finishing fifth and achieving a UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
place.
Lazio
Manfredini did not stay any longer though as he had caught the eye of giants LazioS.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...
, who he joined in 2002 for €2.3 million. At first, Manfredini failed to break into the strong Lazio side and was sent on loan to Osasuna
CA Osasuna
Club Atlético Osasuna, known as Osasuna, is a Spanish football team based in Iruñea-Pamplona, in the autonomous community of Navarre.Founded in 1920, it currently plays in the Spanish first division, holding home games at the 19,553-capacity Estadio Reyno de Navarra...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, as well as Perugia
Perugia Calcio
Associazione Calcistica Perugia Calcio is an Italian association football club based in Perugia, Umbria, direct heir of the old Perugia Calcio and A.C. Perugia, excluded from Italian football because of financial troubles....
and 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...
.
In 2004, Lazio went into financial meltdown and were forced to sell many of their top players. Manfredini was recalled to the club and while not always a regular in the first eleven, made many appearances for the capital club.
Manfredini also scored a goal in the UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League 2007–08
The 2007–08 UEFA Champions League was the 16th season of UEFA's premier European club football tournament, the UEFA Champions League, since it was rebranded in 1992, and the 53rd tournament overall....
against German side SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen
SV Werder Bremen is a German sports club best known for its association football team playing in Bremen, in the northwest German federal state of the same name. The club was founded on 4 February 1899 as Fußballverein Werder by a group of sixteen vocational high school students who had won a prize...
.
His contract with Lazio expired as of June
June
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and one of the four months with a length of 30 days. Ovid provides two etymologies for June's name in his poem concerning the months entitled the Fasti...
2011 and was not renewed. He was signed by A.C. Sambonifacese on July 16.
International
In 2006, Manfredini was handed his maiden national team callup by his country of birth, the Côte d'IvoireCôte d'Ivoire national football team
The Côte d'Ivoire National Football Team or Ivory Coast National Football Team, nicknamed Les Éléphants , represents Côte d'Ivoire in international football and is controlled by the Fédération Ivoirienne de Football...
. On March 1, 2006, Manfredini was selected for the squad to face 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...
in a friendly match, however remained an unused substitute. He was not selected for the 2006 FIFA 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...
.
Manfredini was called up again for the friendly match against Senegal
Senegal national football team
The Senegal national football team, nicknamed the Lions of Teranga, is the national team of Senegal and is controlled by the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football...
on August 16, 2006, but did not get to play either.
In November 2008, Côte d'Ivoire's new manager, Bosnian Vahid Halilhodžić
Vahid Halilhodžic
Vahid "Vaha" Halilhodžić is a former Bosnian football player and now a manager, currently managing the Algeria national football team....
, gave Manfredini a recall to the national side for the friendly game in Israel, in which Manfredini was finally able to make his official debut for the Ivorian national team.