1. Early Life and Background
Andrea Lazzari was born in Bergamo, Italy, on December 3, 1984. He began his footballing journey in the prestigious youth system of Atalanta, a club well-known for developing young talent, where he played for their Primavera under-20 team. Lazzari is 72 in (184 cm) tall and weighs 165 lb (75 kg), and is known to be left-footed.
2. Club Career
Andrea Lazzari's professional football career spanned over two decades, marked by his progression from a promising youth player to a seasoned midfielder across various Italian leagues.
2.1. Atalanta
Lazzari started his professional career at his hometown club, Atalanta. He was promoted from the Primavera under-20 team to the first team during the 2003-04 Serie B season. He made his Serie B debut on October 4, 2003, coming on as a substitute for Riccardo Montolivo in the 86th minute. Following Atalanta's promotion back to Serie A after finishing 5th in Serie B, Lazzari made his Serie A debut on September 22, 2004, replacing Nicola Mingazzini in the 81st minute.
One of his most notable early performances came in the 2004-05 Coppa Italia, where he scored a hat-trick against Juventus. This performance was crucial as Atalanta eliminated Juventus with a 5-3 aggregate score, with Lazzari contributing two goals in the first leg as well. Despite his efforts, Atalanta was relegated back to Serie B in June 2005. However, Lazzari remained with the team and contributed to their Serie B championship title in June 2006, securing their return to Serie A.
2.2. Loans from Atalanta
During his time at Atalanta, Lazzari was sent on several loan spells to gain more senior team experience, as he found it challenging to secure a regular starting position due to the presence of established players like Michele Marcolini and Cristiano Doni.
2.2.1. Cesena
In August 2006, Lazzari was loaned to Cesena, then in Serie B. This move was part of a deal that saw Atalanta sign Adriano Ferreira Pinto. During his time at Cesena, he made 14 appearances and scored 1 goal.
2.2.2. Piacenza
On January 31, 2007, Lazzari was sub-loaned from Cesena to Piacenza, a move that was part of the deal where Cesena signed Alessandro Pellicori. He played 13 matches for Piacenza, scoring 3 goals.
2.2.3. Grosseto
In July 2007, Lazzari was loaned to Grosseto, a newly promoted team to Serie B. This loan period proved to be a turning point in his career, as he finally became a regular starter. He had a productive season, scoring 9 goals in 40 appearances for the club.
2.3. Cagliari
On July 9, 2008, Lazzari was transferred to fellow Serie A side Cagliari in a co-ownership deal. He signed a four-year contract, with Cagliari paying a fee of 1.80 M EUR. He inherited the number 10 shirt from the departing winger Pasquale Foggia, though he initially started occasionally. Lazzari became a regular starter in the 2009-10 season, primarily playing as a left midfielder, with Andrea Cossu occupying the attacking midfield role. He scored 6 goals that season, playing a significant role in Cagliari's attack alongside players like Alessandro Matri, helping the team achieve a 9th-place finish. On June 3, 2010, Cagliari decided to sign him outright for an additional 2.00 M EUR. Overall, he made 99 appearances and scored 9 goals for Cagliari.
2.4. Fiorentina
In July 2011, Lazzari was signed by ACF Fiorentina in another co-ownership deal, valued at 3.00 M EUR, and he signed a four-year contract. In June 2012, Fiorentina acquired Lazzari outright for an additional 1.64 M EUR. During his tenure at Fiorentina, he made 36 appearances and scored 2 goals.
2.5. Udinese (loan)
On August 30, 2012, Lazzari moved to Udinese on a loan spell. He quickly made an impact, scoring a goal on September 2, 2012, in a 4-1 defeat against Juventus at Stadio Friuli. His loan was subsequently renewed for the 2013-14 Serie A season. A memorable moment during his time with Udinese was in August 2013, when he scored a spectacular goal from the halfway line against Bosnian club Široki Brijeg in a Europa League qualifying round match, which Udinese won 4-0. He made 49 appearances for Udinese, scoring 1 goal.
2.6. Return to Fiorentina
After his loan spell at Udinese concluded, Lazzari briefly returned to ACF Fiorentina. During the 2014-15 Serie A season, he made only three appearances for the club.
2.7. Carpi
In the summer of 2015, Lazzari joined Carpi as a free agent, signing a one-year contract. He played 8 matches and scored 1 goal for Carpi during his time there.
2.8. Bari
On February 1, 2016, Lazzari transferred to Bari. This transfer was part of a deal that saw Filippo Porcari move in the opposite direction to Carpi. For Bari, he made 9 appearances and scored 1 goal.
2.9. Pisa
Following his stint at Bari, Lazzari joined Pisa for the 2016-17 Serie B season. He made 19 appearances for the club but did not score any goals.
2.10. Fano
On October 6, 2017, it was announced that Lazzari had joined Fano, a club then playing in Serie C. He played for Fano until 2019, making 51 appearances and scoring 1 goal.
2.11. FC Vigor Senigallia
On December 17, 2019, Andrea Lazzari confirmed his move to Eccellenza club FC Vigor Senigallia, marking his participation in lower league football towards the end of his professional career.
3. International Career
Andrea Lazzari represented Italy at the youth international level. He was part of the Italy U21 team from 2004 to 2007, making 9 appearances and scoring 2 goals. He was also an unused member of the Italy U21 squad at the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
4. Titles and Awards
Andrea Lazzari achieved several team titles and individual honors throughout his football career.
4.1. Club Titles
- Atalanta
- Coppa Italia Primavera: 2002-03
- Serie B: 2005-06
4.2. Individual Awards
- Coppa Italia Top Scorer: 2004-05 (9 goals)
5. Personal Statistics
The following table summarizes Andrea Lazzari's league appearances and goals throughout his club career.
| Season | Club | League | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Apps | Goals | ||
| 2002-03 | Atalanta | Serie A | 0 | 0 |
| 2003-04 | Serie B | 6 | 0 | |
| 2004-05 | Serie A | 32 | 1 | |
| 2005-06 | Serie B | 30 | 4 | |
| 2006-07 | Cesena | Serie B | 14 | 1 |
| Piacenza | Serie B | 13 | 3 | |
| 2007-08 | Grosseto | Serie B | 40 | 9 |
| 2008-09 | Cagliari | Serie A | 36 | 2 |
| 2009-10 | Serie A | 33 | 6 | |
| 2010-11 | Serie A | 30 | 1 | |
| 2011-12 | Fiorentina | Serie A | 35 | 2 |
| 2012-13 | Udinese | Serie A | 24 | 1 |
| 2013-14 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | |
| 2014-15 | Fiorentina | Serie A | 3 | 0 |
| 2015-16 | Carpi | Serie A | 8 | 1 |
| 2015-16 | Bari | Serie B | 9 | 1 |
| 2016-17 | Pisa | Serie B | 19 | 0 |
| 2017-19 | Fano | Serie C | 51 | 1 |
| Career Total | 403 | 32 | ||
6. External Links
- [http://www.cagliaricalcio.net/squadra/scheda.asp?id=585 Profile at Cagliari]
- [http://aic.football.it/scheda/13725 Profile at AIC.Football.it]
- [http://www.gazzetta.it/speciali/risultati_classifiche/2010/calcio/seriea/giocatori/giocatore_andrea_lazzari_272249699.shtml Profile at La Gazzetta dello Sport (2009-10)]
- [http://www.gazzetta.it/speciali/serie_b/2008_nw/giocatori/75263.shtml Profile at La Gazzetta dello Sport (2007-08)]
- [http://www.gazzetta.it/Speciali/serie_b_2007/giocatori/lazzari_and.shtml Profile at La Gazzetta dello Sport (2006-07)]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20120905105152/http://www.figc.it/nazionali/DettaglioConvocato?codiceConvocato=2870&squadra=2 FIGC]
- [http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=44704 Profile at Soccernet]
- [http://soccernet.espn.go.com/players/stats?id=121397 Profile at Soccernet (Cagliari)]
- [http://www.transfermarkt.com/andrea-lazzari/profil/spieler/19442 Andrea Lazzari - player profile at Transfermarkt]