Christian Panucci

Christian Panucci

Working with Russia in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Christian Panucci
Date of birth	(1973-04-12) 12 April 1973
Place of birth	Savona, Italy
Height
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
1985–1990	Genoa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1990–1993	Genoa	31	(3)
1993–1996	Milan	89	(9)
1996–1999	Real Madrid	73	(3)
1999–2001	Internazionale	26	(1)
2000–2001	→ Chelsea (loan)	8	(0)
2001–2002	Monaco	14	(3)
2001–2009	Roma	260	(20)
2009–2010	Parma	19	(1)
Total		520	(40)
International career‡
1992–1996	Italy U-21	19	(4)
1994–2008	Italy	57	(4)
Managerial career
2012–2014	Russia (assistant)
2015	Livorno
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23 August 2009 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 22 June 2008

Christian Panucci (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkristjan paˈnuttʃi]; born 12 April 1973) is a retired Italian footballer

As a player, he was a member of the Italian national team at the 1996 Olympics, 2002 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2004 and UEFA Euro 2008, playing 57 matches in total. Panucci was a quick, strong, and versatile player, who was primarily deployed as a right-back, but was also capable of playing on the left. He was composed defensively, and he also possessed stamina, accurate distribution, and good technical ability, as well as notable physical and athletic attributes. He was primarily renowned for his ability in the air, frequently scoring with his head from set pieces. In his later career, as he lost his pace, he played as a central defender.

Player career

Club career

Panucci started playing with Genoa in 1990 and then moved to A.C. Milan in July 1993, at the age of 20. He was originally brought in as a younger, more attack-minded alternative to the incumbent right back Mauro Tassotti, who had held the position for over a decade. Panucci began to work his way into the starting lineup, appearing in 19 league matches and scoring twice as A.C. Milan won domestic and European titles. He also demonstrated his versatility by lining up at left back in the 1994 UEFA Champions League Final. Nonetheless, it was Tassotti, not Panucci, who traveled to the United States that summer as part of the Italian World Cup selection under Arrigo Sacchi. He won the Bravo Award, as the best Under-23 player in Europe, for his performances.

In the following year, he established himself as the club's first-choice right back, starting 28 of 34 matches in Serie A and breaking into the full national team. A.C. Milan finished second behind Juventus in the league and lost to Ajax in the Champions League final that year, but regained the Italian championship the following season. Panucci had one of his best offensive seasons in 1995–96, scoring five goals, while helping to form the league's tightest defense alongside internationals Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, and Alessandro Costacurta. The sweeping changes across Europe as a result of the Bosman ruling, however, opened up new opportunities. Midway through the 1996–97, Panucci left A.C. Milan for Real Madrid, joining former A.C. Milan coach Fabio Capello at the Spanish giants.

At Real Madrid, Panucci became the first Italian to play for the Spanish club. Arriving in winter, he soon unseated the previous right back, Carlos Secretario. He formed a highly aggressive fullback pairing, starting at right back with the Brazilian Roberto Carlos on the left. This was a strong period for Real Madrid on the field, as the club won the league in 1997, but a chaotic one on the sidelines as managers Capello, Jupp Heynckes, Guus Hiddink, and John Toshack followed one another in rapid succession. The high point for Panucci at this stage of his career came in 1998, when he won his second Champions League title against Juventus. Once more, however, he was not selected for the World Cup. After a disappointing 1998–99 season in which Real Madrid finished well behind rival FC Barcelona, Panucci elected to return to Italian football.

Panucci later represented Inter, Chelsea (on loan, scoring once in the UEFA Cup against St Gallen), and AS Monaco before moving to Roma in 2001. He won the Champions League with both A.C. Milan and Madrid. In those two stops, as well as Roma, he was coached by Fabio Capello.

Roma

After a great deal of travelling throughout his career, Panucci finally settled at Roma. He joined the Roman club in the 2001–02 campaign, the year after the Giallorossi won the national title. He went on to become a key player and one of the leaders of the club. In July 2002, he was signed permanently for €9.81 million.

Panucci, a reliable leader both on and off the field, has often taken the responsibility to speak for the team in moments of difficulty, as seen after Roma's shock elimination from the Champions League in 2007. In January 2009, Panucci was dropped from Roma's first team squad after refusing to sit on the bench for a league match against Napoli and was later also excluded from the Champions League squad list. He then announced his intention to leave Roma, but no serious bidder was found in the January transfer window and he ultimately stayed, returning to the first team on 28 February after he apologised to his fellow players and the club management. He was sent off in the second Derby della Capitale of the 2008–09 season after a heated on-pitch clash with Lazio player Stephan Lichtsteiner following his hard challenge on the Swiss defender. His contract with Roma ended on 30 June 2009, which he had signed in October 2005.

He played a total of 311 matches, scoring 29 goals for Roma, becoming the highest-scoring defender in the club's history. During his time at Roma he won two Coppa Italias, in the 2006–07 and the 2007–08 seasons, and two Italian Supercups, in 2001 and 2007.

Parma

Panucci with Parma in 2009

On 30 July 2009, Panucci signed for Parma on a one-year deal and scored his first goal for Parma on 13 December against Bologna. On 23 February 2010, Panucci left Parma by mutual consent seven months after joining them.

On 22 August, Panucci announced his immediate retirement from football citing, "I had offers, but I just don't feel the hunger anymore."

International career

Panucci made his senior squad Italy debut in September 1994 against Slovenia in a UEFA Euro 1996 qualifying match. He missed out on the final squad, however, following a dispute with Italian national coach Arrigo Sacchi and was not a regular in the Italian team until the 2002 World Cup.

In the 2002 World Cup, Panucci was widely blamed for failing to clear a pass that led to the equalizing goal for South Korea by Seol Ki-Hyun in the dying minutes of the round of 16 match in which his team was eliminated.

Panucci had not played for Italy for over three years after Euro 2004 in Portugal, having been ignored by Marcello Lippi, with whom he had fallen out with in his days at Inter Milan, for the period of the 2006 World Cup. The 34-year-old, however, was given a second chance by coach Roberto Donadoni, who called him up for the Euro 2008 qualifiers against Georgia, Scotland, and the Faroe Islands.

Panucci then expressed his delight at earning his 50th Italy cap in the stadium where he began his career for the Azzurri in the 2–0 win over Georgia in their Euro 2008 qualifying tie in Genoa at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.

"It was really emotional for me to play in an arena where I grew up. It may have seemed a little scripted but I'll never forget the standing ovation I received."

Panucci currently has 57 caps for the Azzurri, with four goals. He managed to score his first international goal for Italy since April 2002, when he headed a crucial injury-time winning goal against Scotland on 17 November 2007 in their Euro 2008 qualifying Group B match. Italy then managed to clinch their place at the European Championship finals.

On 13 June 2008, Panucci scored Italy's first goal against Romania at Euro 2008 and became the oldest player to score in outfield play in the competition. Panucci finished his Italy career with 57 total caps, scoring four goals.

Post-playing career

After his retirement, Panucci became a football pundit and color commentator for SKY Italia.

He left his job on 19 March 2012 to accept an offer from Maurizio Zamparini as team manager of Palermo, working alongside director of football and scouting chief Luca Cattani. On 24 April 2012, he resigned from his position just over a month after he took the job.

On 23 July 2012 he was invited by Fabio Capello to assist him in his work with the Russia national football team. He left Russia after the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

On 18 March 2015 he replaced Ezio Gelain as manager of Serie B team Livorno.

Interesting facts

Panucci was chosen a captain of Italian national team at 1996 Olympics. However, he was forced to fly home because of an injury. Initially Panucci planned to take TWA flight 800 from New York to Rome via Paris, but experienced a loss of baggage from Atlanta. He was informed about a later direct Alitalia flight to Milan and decided to choose it instead. That day (17 July 1996) TWA 800 crashed, all 230 passengers were killed.

Panucci is half Italian and half Czech.

Career statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Italy			League		Coppa Italia		League Cup		Europe		Total
1991–92	Genoa	Serie A	1	0
1992–93			30	3
1993–94	Milan		19	2
1994–95			28	2
1995–96			29	5
1996–97			13	0
Spain			League		Copa del Rey		Supercopa de España		Europe		Total
1996–97	Real Madrid	La Liga	19	2	2	0			0	0	21	2
1997–98			23	1	2	0			8	1	33	2
1998–99			31	0	2	0			9	1	42	1
Italy			League		Coppa Italia		League Cup		Europe		Total
1999–00	Internazionale	Serie A	26	1
England			League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
2000–01	Chelsea	Premier League	8	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	10	1
France			League		Coupe de France		Coupe de la Ligue		Europe		Total
2000–01	Monaco	Division 1	9	3
2001–02			5	0
Italy			League		Coppa Italia		League Cup		Europe		Total
2001–02	Roma	Serie A	31	1
2002–03			29	1
2003–04			24	2
2004–05			26	0
2005–06			36	3
2006–07			34	5
2007–08			27	5	5	0	-		6	1	38	6
2008–09			22	2	1				5	2
2009–10	Parma		19	1
Total	Italy		370	37
	Spain		73	3
	England		8	0
	France		14	3
Career total			464	38

International goals

Christian Panucci: International Goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	8 October 1994	Tallinn, Estonia	Estonia	2–0	Win	UEFA Euro 1996 Qual.
2.	17 April 2002	Milan, Italy	Uruguay	1–1	Draw	Friendly
3.	17 November 2007	Glasgow, Scotland	Scotland	1–2	Win	UEFA Euro 2008 Qual.
4.	13 June 2008	Zürich, Switzerland	Romania	1–1	Draw	UEFA Euro 2008

Honours

Club

A.C. Milan

• Serie A: 1993–94, 1995–96
• Supercoppa Italiana: 1993, 1994
• UEFA Champions League: 1993–94
• UEFA Super Cup: 1994

Real Madrid

• La Liga: 1996–97
• Supercopa de España: 1997
• UEFA Champions League: 1997–98
• Intercontinental Cup: 1998

Chelsea

• FA Charity Shield: 2000

A.S. Roma

• Coppa Italia: 2006–07, 2007–08
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2007

International

Italy

• UEFA Under-21 European Championship: 1994, 1996

Individual

• Bravo Award: 1994
• ESM Team of the Year: 2007–08

External links

• archivio.inter.it
• asromacalcio.it
• uefa.com
• Christian Panucci career statistics at Soccerbase