Cristian Daniel Ledesma
Encyclopedia
Cristian Daniel Ledesma (born 24 September 1982 in Moron, Buenos Aires
) is a footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A
club Lazio
. A dual citizen of Argentina
and Italy
, he represents the latter at international level since November 2010.
Ledesma is a deep lying central midfielder with a powerful shot with either foot, and occasionally scores goals from long range.
, in the province of
Chubut
, Argentina
. He joined the youth system of top Argentine
club Boca Juniors
.
decided to bring Ledesma to Salento, where he immediately became a regular in the team. At Lecce, despite being young, he was captain until November 2005.
signed Ledesma, after Lecce were relegated to Serie B
. With Lazio, Ledesma signed a contract worth 450,000 euro per season until 2011.
Ledesma's first year in the capital, the 2006–07 season, saw him establish himself as a key player despite a difficult start. His first moment of magic came in the December 2006 Derby della Capitale
against historical rivals AS Roma
, when he scored a strike from 25 metres out. He continued this good form until the end of the season, by which time Lazio had qualified for the UEFA Champions League
. He successively served as vice-captain, and was a protagonist in Lazio's winning Coppa Italia 2008–09 campaign.
In July 2009, with his contract set to expire on June 2010, Ledesma was excluded from the first team due to disagreements with club chairman Claudio Lotito
and did not play any competitive games during the whole first half of the 2009–10 season. This led the player to formally ask the Lega Calcio arbitration committee for a contract termination due to violation of its terms, only a few weeks after teammate Goran Pandev
had taken the same exact action. This was however turned down on January 26, 2010 on the grounds that Ledesma was occasionally involved in first-team activities. After being linked with a move to Inter
, he ultimately stayed at Lazio and, immediately after the replacement of head coach Davide Ballardini
with veteran manager Edoardo Reja
, he made his 2009–10 season debut on February 14, being featured in the starting lineup in a 2–0 win at Parma
. Since his return on the pitch, Ledesma immediately established himself back into being a key player for the biancazzurri.
On August 23, Ledesma signed a new contract with Lazio, tying him to the club for another five years (until 2015). In his 2010–11 campaign, he was one of the protagonists of Lazio's surprising start that led the Rome club to even top the Serie A table for a few weeks between October and November.
; this made him eligible at international level for both Argentina
and the Azzurri
, as he had never been capped with the Selección before.
On 14 November 2010 Ledesma accepted a call-up by Italy manager Cesare Prandelli
for a friendly match against Romania
, thus becoming the third oriundo
to become part of the Azzurri senior squad in the last ten years, the other two being Mauro Camoranesi
and Amauri
.
Supercoppa Italiana
: 1 (2009–10)
Morón, Buenos Aires
Morón is a city in the Argentine province of Buenos Aires, capital of the Morón Partido, located in the Greater Buenos Aires metropolitan area, at...
) is a footballer who plays as a midfielder 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 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...
. A dual citizen of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
and Italy
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...
, he represents the latter at international level since November 2010.
Ledesma is a deep lying central midfielder with a powerful shot with either foot, and occasionally scores goals from long range.
Career
He spent his childhood in Puerto MadrynPuerto Madryn
Puerto Madryn is a city in the province of Chubut in the Argentine Patagonia. It is the head town of the Viedma Department, and has about 57,571 inhabitants according to the last census in 2001....
, in the province of
Chubut
Chubut Province
Chubut a province in the southern part of Argentina situated between the 42nd parallel south and the 46th parallel south , the Andes range separating Argentina from Chile, and the Atlantic ocean...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. He joined the youth system of top Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
club Boca Juniors
Boca Juniors
Club Atlético Boca Juniors is an Argentine sports club based in La Boca neighborhood of Buenos Aires. It is best known for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primera División....
.
Lecce
In 2001 he was noticed by Lecce, whose sports director Pantaleo CorvinoPantaleo Corvino
Pantaleo Corvino is an Italian director of football, currently working for Italian Serie A club ACF Fiorentina....
decided to bring Ledesma to Salento, where he immediately became a regular in the team. At Lecce, despite being young, he was captain until November 2005.
Lazio
In July 2006, Roman club 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...
signed Ledesma, after Lecce were relegated to 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...
. With Lazio, Ledesma signed a contract worth 450,000 euro per season until 2011.
Ledesma's first year in the capital, the 2006–07 season, saw him establish himself as a key player despite a difficult start. His first moment of magic came in the December 2006 Derby della Capitale
Derby della Capitale
The Derby della Capitale , also known as Derby Capitolino and Derby del Cupolone, as well as The Rome Derby in English, is the football local derby in Rome, Italy, between the two major teams of the city, Roma and Lazio...
against historical rivals AS Roma
A.S. Roma
Associazione Sportiva Roma, commonly referred to as simply Roma, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma have participated in the top-tier of Italian football for all of their existence but one season in the early 50s...
, when he scored a strike from 25 metres out. He continued this good form until the end of the season, by which time Lazio had qualified for the UEFA 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...
. He successively served as vice-captain, and was a protagonist in Lazio's winning Coppa Italia 2008–09 campaign.
In July 2009, with his contract set to expire on June 2010, Ledesma was excluded from the first team due to disagreements with club chairman Claudio Lotito
Claudio Lotito
Claudio Lotito is an Italian entrepreneur. He is the owner and president of the Serie A football club S.S. Lazio since 2004....
and did not play any competitive games during the whole first half of the 2009–10 season. This led the player to formally ask the Lega Calcio arbitration committee for a contract termination due to violation of its terms, only a few weeks after teammate Goran Pandev
Goran Pandev
Goran Pandev , is a Macedonian footballer who plays as a forward for Italian Serie A club Napoli on loan from Internazionale. He is also considered a key player for the Macedonian national team.-Early career:...
had taken the same exact action. This was however turned down on January 26, 2010 on the grounds that Ledesma was occasionally involved in first-team activities. After being linked with a move to Inter
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...
, he ultimately stayed at Lazio and, immediately after the replacement of head coach Davide Ballardini
Davide Ballardini
Davide Ballardini is an Italian association football manager who is currently the head coach at Serie A club Cagliari...
with veteran manager Edoardo Reja
Edoardo Reja
Edoardo "Edy" Reja is an Italian football coach and former player, currently managing Lazio in the Italian Serie A. Born in Italy to Slovenian parents, Reja speaks Slovene and Italian. He is also fluent in Friulan....
, he made his 2009–10 season debut on February 14, being featured in the starting lineup in a 2–0 win at Parma
Parma F.C.
Parma Football Club , commonly referred to as just Parma, is an Italian professional football club based in Parma, Emilia–Romagna that will compete in Serie A for the 2011–12 season, having finished in twelfth position last season. Founded as Verdi Foot Ball Club in July 1913, the club changed its...
. Since his return on the pitch, Ledesma immediately established himself back into being a key player for the biancazzurri.
On August 23, Ledesma signed a new contract with Lazio, tying him to the club for another five years (until 2015). In his 2010–11 campaign, he was one of the protagonists of Lazio's surprising start that led the Rome club to even top the Serie A table for a few weeks between October and November.
International career
Argentine-born Ledesma acquired Italian citizenship in 2008 through marriage to an Italian woman he met during his spell at LecceU.S. Lecce
Unione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11....
; this made him eligible at international level for both Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
and the Azzurri
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
, as he had never been capped with the Selección before.
On 14 November 2010 Ledesma accepted a call-up by Italy manager Cesare Prandelli
Cesare Prandelli
Cesare Claudio Prandelli is an Italian football coach and former player. He is currently the manager of the Italy national football team.-Playing career:...
for a friendly match against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, thus becoming the third oriundo
Oriundo
The term oriundo is an Italian and Spanish noun describing an immigrant of native ancestry. It comes from the Latin verb oriri , "be born", and is related to Orient.- Overview :...
to become part of the Azzurri senior squad in the last ten years, the other two being Mauro Camoranesi
Mauro Camoranesi
Mauro Camoranesi, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian Argentine World Cup-winning footballer who plays for Lanús in the Argentine Primera División. He is a midfielder, usually on the right wing...
and Amauri
Amauri
Amauri Carvalho de Oliveira , better known as Amauri, is a Brazilian-born Italian footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Juventus.-Early career:...
.
Statistics
| Season | Club | League | National cups | Continental cups | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Comp | Apps | Goals | Comp | Apps | Goals | Comp | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sep 2001 |  Italy LecceU.S. Lecce Unione Sportiva Lecce or simply U.S. Lecce is an Italian football club based in Lecce, Apulia who play in the Italian Serie A. After being crowned Serie B champions in 2009–10, the team successfully managed to avoid relegation in 2010-11.... |
A 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.... |
1 | 0 | CI Coppa Italia 2003-04 -Second round:Pro Patria-Sampdoria 0-1 0-3Palermo-Brescia 1-1 3-2Empoli-Venezia 0-2 1-1Sambenedettese-Modena 2-1 0-2Salernitana-Reggina 0-2 0-3Brindisi-Bologna 3-2 0-3Cesena-Perugia 1-2 2-3... |
1 | 0 | – | – | – | 2 | 0 |
| 2002–03 | B Serie B 2002-03 This article contains information on the 2002-2003 season of Serie B, the second highest football league in Italy.- Final classification :- Results :... |
29 | 1 | CI Coppa Italia 2002-03 - Second Round :-First leg:---------Second leg:--------Milan win Coppa Italia 6–3 on aggregate.-References:*... |
1 | 0 | – | – | – | 30 | 1 | |
| 2003–04 | A 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... |
30 | 1 | CI Coppa Italia 2003-04 -Second round:Pro Patria-Sampdoria 0-1 0-3Palermo-Brescia 1-1 3-2Empoli-Venezia 0-2 1-1Sambenedettese-Modena 2-1 0-2Salernitana-Reggina 0-2 0-3Brindisi-Bologna 3-2 0-3Cesena-Perugia 1-2 2-3... |
1 | 0 | – | – | – | 31 | 1 | |
| 2004–05 | A 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.... |
33 | 0 | CI Coppa Italia 2004-05 -Group 1:-Group 2:-Group 3:-Group 4:-Group 5:-Group 6:-Group 7:-Group 8:-Knockout stage:-First leg:---------Second leg:--------Inter win Coppa Italia 3–0 on aggregate.-References:*... |
4 | 2 | – | – | – | 37 | 2 | |
| 2005–06 | A 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... |
33 | 2 | CI Coppa Italia 2005-06 The 2005–06 Coppa Italia was the 58th edition of the tournament. For the second consecutive season, Roma and Internazionale were the finalists. Inter won the tournament by a score of 4–1 agreggate in the final... |
1 | 0 | – | – | – | 34 | 2 | |
| Total Lecce | 126 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 134 | 6 | ||||||
| 2006–07 S.S. Lazio season 2006-07 S.S. Lazio survived the Italian football scandal with only three points reverted, following successive appeals. Initially, Lazio looked set to take part in the Serie B season, but instead was able to enjoy its most successful league season since 2000–01, securing a third place, despite having no... |
Italy 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... |
A 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... |
33 | 2 | CI Coppa Italia 2006-07 The 2006/2007 Coppa Italia final was played, like the two previous editions, between Internazionale and Roma. The first match was played in Rome on May 9th 2007, and the second leg in Milan on May 17th 2007... |
3 | 0 | – | – | – | 36 | 2 |
| 2007–08 S.S. Lazio season 2007-08 During the 2007–08 football season, Società Sportiva Lazio played its 65th Serie A season since the club's existence.The season was not one to remember, as it slipped back from third in Serie A 2006–07 back to an extremely disappointing 12th position in the table... |
A Serie A 2007-08 The 2007-08 Serie A football season was the seventy-sixth since its establishment, and started on August 26, 2007 and ended on May 18, 2008. Internazionale successfully defended the championship on the final day of the season, finishing first with 85 points, three ahead of Roma.-Plusvalenze... |
32 | 3 | CI Coppa Italia 2007-08 The 2007–08 Coppa Italia was the 60th edition of the tournament. Fixtures were announced at 16:00 CET, July 25, 2007. The tournament began on August 14, 2007, and ended on May 24, 2008 with a single-match final to be played at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. For the fourth consecutive season, Roma... |
4 | 0 | CL | 7 | 0 | 43 | 3 | |
| 2008–09 S.S. Lazio season 2008-09 The 2008–09 football season was Società Sportiva Lazios 108th season since the club's existence and their 21st consecutive in the top division of Italian football.-Management:-Other information:-First team:As of September 20, 2008... |
A 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... |
34 | 2 | CI Coppa Italia 2008-09 The 2008–09 Coppa Italia was the sixty-first season of the tournament. The competition started on 9 August 2008 and ended on 13 May 2009. The radically different format used in the 2007–08 Coppa was abandoned, with the new format more closely resembling earlier editions of the tournament.The final... |
7 | 1 | – | – | – | 41 | 3 | |
| 2009–10 | A | 13 | 0 | CI | 0 | 0 | – | – | – | 13 | 0 | |
| 2010–11 2010–11 S.S. Lazio season The 2010–11 football season was Società Sportiva Lazios 110th season since the club's existence and their 23rd consecutive in the top division of Italian football.-Pre-season:... |
A 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... |
34 | 1 | CI 2010–11 Coppa Italia -=Second round:=-----=Third round:=-----=Fourth round:=-Section 2:-=First round:=---------=Second round:=---------=Third round:=-----=Fourth round:=-Section 3:-=First round:=-=Second round:=--------... |
1 | 0 | - | - | - | 35 | 1 | |
| 2011–12 2011–12 S.S. Lazio season Società Sportiva Lazio is currently competing in its 24th consecutive season in Serie A. Their manager is Edoardo Reja and their captain is Tommaso Rocchi. Their chairman is Claudio Lotito.-Pre-season:... |
A 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... |
8 | 0 | CI 2011–12 Coppa Italia -=First round:=-----=Second round:=-----=Third round:=-----=Fourth round:=-Section 2:-=First round:=---------=Second round:=---------=Third round:=-----=Fourth round:=-Section 3:-=First round:=... |
0 | 0 | EL | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 | |
| Total Lazio | 154 | 8 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 189 | 9 | ||||
| Total Serie A | 280 | 12 | 23 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 310 | 15 | ||||
Lazio
- 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...
: 1 (2008–09Coppa Italia 2008-09The 2008–09 Coppa Italia was the sixty-first season of the tournament. The competition started on 9 August 2008 and ended on 13 May 2009. The radically different format used in the 2007–08 Coppa was abandoned, with the new format more closely resembling earlier editions of the tournament.The final...
)
Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa Italiana
The 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...
: 1 (2009–10)
External links
- Official Lazio Club Profile
- Statistics at Guardian Stats Centre