1. Overview
Marco Caligiuri (born 14 April 1984) is a German former professional footballer who primarily played as a midfielder. He spent the majority of his career with SpVgg Greuther Fürth. Born in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany, Caligiuri is of mixed German and Italian descent, with a German mother and an Italian father. He is also the elder brother of fellow professional footballer Daniel Caligiuri. His career spanned various German clubs, including VfB Stuttgart, MSV Duisburg, 1. FSV Mainz 05, and Eintracht Braunschweig, before concluding his playing days with a second spell at Greuther Fürth.
2. Early Life and Background
Marco Caligiuri's formative years laid the groundwork for his extensive career in professional football, influenced by his family background and early training experiences.
2.1. Birth and Family
Marco Caligiuri was born on 14 April 1984 in Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. He comes from a family with diverse heritage; his mother is German, and his father is Italian. This mixed background contributes to his identity as a German footballer of Italian descent. He has a younger brother, Daniel Caligiuri, who also became a professional footballer, playing for clubs like SC Freiburg and FC Augsburg.
2.2. Youth Career
Caligiuri began his football journey at a young age, developing his skills within youth club systems. He started his youth career at BSV Schwenningen, a local club. Later, he moved to the highly regarded youth academy of VfB Stuttgart, where he continued his training and development before transitioning into senior professional football.
3. Club Career
Marco Caligiuri's professional club career spanned nearly two decades, predominantly in German leagues, marked by multiple spells at different clubs and a consistent presence in the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga.
3.1. Early Professional Career
Caligiuri's professional career began with VfB Stuttgart, where he played for their reserve team, VfB Stuttgart II, in the Regionalliga Süd from the 2003-04 season through the 2005-06 season. He made 17 appearances in his debut season, followed by 27 appearances with 2 goals in 2004-05, and 19 appearances with 3 goals in 2005-06, accumulating 63 appearances and 5 goals in total for the reserve squad.
He made his professional league debut in the Bundesliga on 18 January 2006 for MSV Duisburg, starting in a match against VfB Stuttgart and notably scoring a goal on his debut. For MSV Duisburg, he played 14 Bundesliga matches and scored 2 goals in the 2005-06 season. The following season, 2006-07, he played in the 2. Bundesliga with Duisburg, making 17 appearances and scoring 1 goal, in addition to 2 DFB-Pokal appearances. During this period, he also featured for MSV Duisburg II in the Oberliga Nordrhein, making 4 appearances in the 2006-07 season.
3.2. First Spell at Greuther Fürth
Following his time at Duisburg, Caligiuri joined SpVgg Greuther Fürth. His first stint with the club began in the 2007-08 season, playing in the 2. Bundesliga. He made 7 appearances and 1 DFB-Pokal appearance in his first year, and 1 appearance in 2008-09. He also played 2 matches for SpVgg Greuther Fürth II in the Regionalliga Süd during this period. In the 2009-10 season, he became a more regular feature, making 29 league appearances and 3 DFB-Pokal appearances. On 16 March 2010, Caligiuri announced his intention to leave Greuther Fürth at the end of the season.
3.3. Mainz 05
On 30 March 2010, Marco Caligiuri signed a three-year contract with 1. FSV Mainz 05, officially joining the club on 1 July 2010. He spent three seasons with Mainz 05, primarily playing in the Bundesliga. In the 2010-11 season, he made 22 league appearances and scored 1 goal. He also played 1 match for FSV Mainz 05 II in the Regionalliga West during this time.
His most active season with Mainz was 2011-12, where he made 30 Bundesliga appearances, scoring 2 goals, along with 1 DFB-Pokal appearance and 1 continental appearance. In the 2012-13 season, he played 22 league matches, scoring 1 goal, and made 4 DFB-Pokal appearances, scoring 1 goal. After three years, on 15 May 2013, it was announced that Caligiuri would be departing Mainz 05.
3.4. Eintracht Braunschweig
Following his departure from Mainz 05, Caligiuri joined Eintracht Braunschweig on 15 May 2013. He played for them during the 2013-14 season in the Bundesliga, making 12 league appearances and 1 DFB-Pokal appearance. Concurrently, he also played 3 matches for Eintracht Braunschweig II in the Regionalliga Nord. He left Eintracht Braunschweig after the conclusion of the 2013-14 Bundesliga season, with his departure announced on 11 May 2014.
3.5. Second Spell at Greuther Fürth
On 22 August 2014, Marco Caligiuri returned to his former club, SpVgg Greuther Fürth, for a second spell. He continued to play a significant role for the club in the 2. Bundesliga for several seasons. In the 2014-15 season, he made 27 league appearances and 1 DFB-Pokal appearance. He also played 2 matches for Greuther Fürth II in the Regionalliga Bayern during this period.
He continued to be a key player, making 33 appearances in 2015-16, 29 appearances with 3 DFB-Pokal matches in 2016-17, and a notable 32 appearances with 4 goals and 1 DFB-Pokal match in 2017-18. In his penultimate season, 2018-19, he made 25 appearances and scored 3 goals. His final season, 2019-20, saw him make 29 appearances and score 1 goal, along with 1 DFB-Pokal appearance. In May 2020, Greuther Fürth announced that Caligiuri's contract would not be renewed, marking the end of his playing tenure with the club.
4. Retirement
Marco Caligiuri retired from professional football in June 2020. This decision came shortly after SpVgg Greuther Fürth announced in May 2020 that his contract would not be renewed. His retirement concluded a career spanning nearly two decades, largely spent in the German professional football leagues.
5. Career Statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Continental | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| VfB Stuttgart II | 2003-04 | Regionalliga Süd | 17 | 0 | - | - | 17 | 0 | ||
| 2004-05 | 27 | 2 | - | - | 27 | 2 | ||||
| 2005-06 | 19 | 3 | - | - | 19 | 3 | ||||
| Total | 63 | 5 | - | - | 63 | 5 | ||||
| MSV Duisburg | 2005-06 | Bundesliga | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | 14 | 2 | |
| 2006-07 | 2. Bundesliga | 17 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | 19 | 1 | ||
| Total | 31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | 33 | 3 | |||
| MSV Duisburg II | 2006-07 | Oberliga Nordrhein | 4 | 0 | - | - | 4 | 0 | ||
| Greuther Fürth | 2007-08 | 2. Bundesliga | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 8 | 0 | |
| 2008-09 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |||
| 2009-10 | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 32 | 0 | |||
| Total | 37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 41 | 0 | |||
| Greuther Fürth II | 2008-09 | Regionalliga Süd | 2 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | ||
| Mainz 05 II | 2010-11 | Regionalliga West | 1 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | ||
| Mainz 05 | 2010-11 | Bundesliga | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 22 | 1 | |
| 2011-12 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 32 | 2 | ||
| 2012-13 | 22 | 1 | 4 | 1 | - | 26 | 2 | |||
| Total | 74 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 80 | 5 | ||
| Eintracht Braunschweig | 2013-14 | Bundesliga | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 13 | 0 | |
| Eintracht Braunschweig II | 2013-14 | Regionalliga Nord | 3 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 | ||
| Greuther Fürth II | 2014-15 | Regionalliga Bayern | 2 | 0 | - | - | 2 | 0 | ||
| Greuther Fürth | 2014-15 | 2. Bundesliga | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 28 | 0 | |
| 2015-16 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 33 | 0 | |||
| 2016-17 | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | - | 32 | 0 | |||
| 2017-18 | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | - | 33 | 4 | |||
| 2018-19 | 25 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | 25 | 3 | |||
| 2019-20 | 29 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 30 | 1 | |||
| Total | 175 | 8 | 6 | 0 | - | 181 | 8 | |||
| Career total | 404 | 20 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 423 | 21 | ||