ItalianFootballerGoalkeeperSerie B

Alberto Frison

Alberto Frison is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper for various Italian clubs and represented Italy at various youth levels.

1. Early life and youth career

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Alberto Frison was born on 22 January 1988, in Mirano, Veneto, Italy. He began his football journey within the youth setup of his local Veneto club, Treviso. Frison played for Treviso's youth teams from 2000 until 2007, progressing through their ranks. By the 2005-06 season, he was a key part of the club's Primavera under-20 team, primarily serving as their first-choice goalkeeper. In 2006, Frison was promoted to the first team, where he was assigned the number 12 jersey. During this period, he acted as the fourth-choice goalkeeper, behind more senior players such as Vlada Avramov, Alex Cordaz, and Massimino Montresor.

2. Club career

Alberto Frison's professional career saw him play for several clubs across Italy's football leagues, from Serie A to lower divisions, often featuring in significant loan spells before establishing himself.

2.1. Treviso and early loans

Frison officially graduated from the Treviso youth team in June 2007. The following month, in July 2007, he was loaned to Lega Pro Prima Divisione side Manfredonia. During his time at Manfredonia, Frison quickly established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper, playing ahead of Giacomo Bindi and Manolo Leacche. Despite his performances, Manfredonia finished last in Group A of their league, leading to their relegation to the Lega Pro Seconda Divisione.

On 30 June 2008, Frison returned to Treviso. Ahead of the 2008-09 Serie B season, he was retained by the first team as an understudy to Alex Cordaz. However, his stay was short-lived. On 1 September 2008, Frison transferred to fellow Serie B club Vicenza in a co-ownership deal valued at 300.00 K EUR. As part of this transfer agreement, veteran goalkeeper Matteo Guardalben moved from Vicenza to Treviso for 50.00 K EUR. Treviso later faced financial difficulties and went bankrupt in the summer of 2009.

2.2. Vicenza

Frison's official move to Vicenza was finalized on the deadline day of the 2008 summer transfer window. He was given the number 1 jersey at the club and initially served as an understudy to veteran goalkeeper Marco Fortin. Despite this, Frison made 8 league appearances in his first season with Vicenza. In June 2009, Vicenza acquired Frison outright from the now-bankrupt Treviso for an additional 5.00 K EUR.

For the 2009-10 Serie B campaign, Frison remained the club's second-choice goalkeeper, behind Fortin and ahead of Cristian Cicioni and José Rocchi. On 18 January 2010, Frison was loaned to Serie A side Genoa for a six-month period. In a reciprocal move, Danilo Russo joined Vicenza in a co-ownership agreement. At Genoa, Frison received the number 1 jersey and was the third-choice goalkeeper, behind Marco Amelia and Alessio Scarpi. Although he did not make any Serie A appearances for the Ligurian club, he did play in a friendly match at the end of the season.

Frison returned to Vicenza on 30 June 2010, in preparation for the 2010-11 Serie B season. Upon his return, he began to feature more regularly for the biancorossiwhite-redsItalian, making 12 league starts in the first half of the new season. However, on 19 January 2011, he was again loaned out, this time to Frosinone. On 31 January 2011, Pierluigi Frattali transferred from Frosinone to Vicenza as part of the exchange. During his loan spell with Frosinone, Frison became the first-choice goalkeeper, making 17 league appearances. He returned to Vicenza on 30 June 2011, following the expiration of his loan deal.

Upon his final return to Vicenza, Frison adopted the number 88 jersey and was expected to compete with veteran Paolo Acerbis for a starting position. He quickly established himself as the club's starting goalkeeper and became an indispensable part of their 2011-12 squad, making over 45 appearances in all competitions, including 41 in the league. Despite transfer speculation in January 2012, Frison remained at Vicenza. However, he was unable to prevent the club's eventual relegation to the Lega Pro Prima Divisione after losing the play-off on aggregate to Empoli.

2.3. Catania

On 6 July 2012, Frison transferred to Catania in a co-ownership agreement, signing a five-year contract. The total cost of this transfer was 650.00 K EUR. As part of the deal, fullback Raffaele Imparato moved to Vicenza on a free transfer. At Catania, Frison was brought in to compete for a starting role with Mariano Andújar, an Argentina international, following the loan return of Juan Pablo Carrizo to Lazio, the departure of Tomáš Košický to Novara, and the expiration of Andrea Campagnolo's contract.

Initially, Frison served as a backup to Andújar. During the 2012-13 Coppa Italia, he made three appearances. His Serie A debut came on 28 April 2013, in an away loss to Milan, after Andújar received a three-match suspension. On 5 May 2013, Frison achieved his first Serie A clean sheet in a 3-0 home victory against Siena. In June 2013, Catania acquired Frison outright for an additional 700.00 K EUR. He became a first-choice goalkeeper for Catania starting from the middle of the 2013-14 Serie A season. However, he was part of the squad that was relegated to 2014-15 Serie B at the end of that season.

2.4. Later career

In January 2015, Frison was signed by Serie A club U.C. Sampdoria on a temporary deal. Due to a match-fixing scandal, Catania was relegated to Lega Pro at the start of the 2015-16 season. On 31 August 2015, Serie B newcomer Salernitana signed Frison on loan with an obligation to make the transfer permanent at the end of the season. At the same time, Catania acquired goalkeeper Luca Liverani and forwards Andrea Russotto and Caetano Calil from Salernitana. However, just two days later, on 2 September, Frison was released by Salernitana.

On 4 August 2016, Frison signed a one-year contract with Sambenedettese.

3. International career

Alberto Frison was called up for various Italian national youth teams starting in 2004, predominantly for friendly matches. He was included in the 23-man preliminary squad for the 2005 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship, which Italy automatically qualified for as the host nation. However, he was ultimately excluded from the final 18-man squad. After Enrico Alfonso was sent off during the group stage of the tournament, Frison was initially considered eligible for selection as an emergency backup, but he was injured at the time. Frison made his only appearance for the Italy under-18 team in 2005, playing ahead of both Enrico Alfonso and Paolo Tornaghi.

He was capped for the Italy under-20 team in the 2007-08 Four Nations Tournament. He also played in an unofficial friendly match against a Serie D Best XI. From the 2008-09 season onwards, he received call-ups to the U21 Serie B representative team. He participated in internal friendly matches where the team was divided into blue and white squads to play against each other.

On 1 October 2010, Frison received his first call-up to the Italy under-21 team. He was an unused substitute in both legs of the 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship play-off round. Italy was eliminated from the competition, and as a result, Frison became ineligible for the U21 team for the 2011-13 season, effectively concluding his brief U21 international career.

4. Personal life

Alberto Frison comes from a footballing family. He is the son of Lorenzo Frison, who was also a professional football goalkeeper. His father played professionally for Italian clubs such as Palermo and Pescara during the 1970s and 1980s.

5. Retirement and post-playing career

Alberto Frison is a former professional footballer. Public information regarding the exact date of his retirement from professional football or any specific activities he has undertaken since ending his playing career is not readily available.

6. Career assessment

Alberto Frison's professional career showcases a determined journey through various tiers of Italian football, primarily as a goalkeeper. Starting from the youth ranks of Treviso, he steadily progressed, experiencing roles as a fourth-choice, backup, and ultimately, a starting goalkeeper for several clubs. His early career at Manfredonia and Vicenza highlighted his potential, even though he faced challenges like relegation and competition for starting spots. His time at Vicenza was particularly significant, where he transitioned from an understudy to an indispensable first-choice player, making over 45 appearances in a single season. The pinnacle of his club career was arguably his move to Catania, where he made his Serie A debut and earned a clean sheet, eventually becoming the team's starting goalkeeper in the top flight. However, his career was also marked by several loan spells, quick transfers, and the unfortunate experience of relegations with multiple clubs, including Treviso, Manfredonia, Vicenza, and Catania. These movements underscore a career characterized by perseverance and adaptability across different leagues, from Serie A down to Lega Pro.