Giampaolo Pazzini

At 39 years old, Giampaolo Pazzini has this physical status:

Giampaolo Pazzini (Italian pronunciation: [dʒamˈpaːolo patˈtsiːni]; born 2 August 1984), nicknamed Il Pazzo ("The Madman") after his surname, is a former Italian professional footballer who played as a striker.

He spent most of his career in Serie A with Atalanta, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, Inter Milan and Milan, and Hellas Verona, also playing in Serie B for the first and last of those clubs. He is well known for his eye for goal and movement off the ball, especially in the penalty area, as well as his aerial prowess and excellent ability to score headed goals.

A former Italian international, Pazzini earned a total of 25 caps and represented his nation at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life

In 2011, Pazzini married Silvia Slitti, who he had been engaged to ten years previously. They got married at CastaDiva in Lake Como. Pazzini and his wife have one child, a son, Tommaso Pazzini, born on 21 December 2011.

Source

Club career

Born in Pescia, Pazzini began his career with Atalanta, with whom he made his professional debut in 2003 and then emerged as a promising youngster. He spent two seasons with Atalanta, playing 51 league games and scoring 12 goals (of which 3 of which were at Serie A level). He went from a left back to a striker.

In January 2005, Pazzini joined Fiorentina from Atalanta for around €6 million. He scored ten goals in four appearances during his first season. However, Cesare Prandelli's plans were dissatisfied with Luca Toni's as the main striker, with Pazzini and Valeri Bojinov as second strikers, but second strikers Pazzini and Valeri Bojinov remaining as second strikers.

Prandelli opted for Adrian Mutu and Gilardino to form a dynamic alliance, reducing Pazzini to a back-up job in the case of former Milan striker Alberto Gilardino's arrival.

Pazzini made a transfer to Sampdoria in January 2008 as a result of a limited first team experience.

Pazzini's first match, against Palermo, found the back of the net for the first time in the Coppa Italia, with the blucerchiati against Udinese. In the match against Chievo, which ended in a 1–1 draw, he scored his first goal in Serie A with his new team on February 1, 2009. Sampdoria's resurgent form began against Internazionale, the Italian champions, in a 3–0 loss to Internazionale in the Coppa Italia, and his second straight brace appeared in their Serie A match against Roma (2–2). He worked well with Antonio Cassano up front, establishing arguably one of the season's best collaborations, as well as comparing Gianluca and Roberto Mancini's strikepairing of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Pazzini was dubbed the best Italian striker at the time.

In a match against Inter, he scores the winner-goal on September 26. Sampdoria will lead the table for the first time since 1991 after winning this game.

Pazzini signed Inter Milan on a four-and-a-half-year contract on January 28, 2011, with Jonathan Biabiany moving in the opposite direction as part of the transfer; Biabiany was valued at €19 million, while Biabiany was priced at €7 million. On his debut, Pazzini scored a brace over 3–2 home victory over Palermo, and scored another goal in his second game against Bari. In a 1–2 victory over Fiorentina on February 16, he was also the winner. He scored 2 in a 2–1 victory over Cesena on April 30, 2011, both in stoppage time. In Inter's 3–1 victory over Catania on May 22, 2011, he scored two goals in a further two goals.

Pazzini began the 2011–12 season on a low note, with no one scoring before his fifth matchday over Bologna. In a 3–2 away victory over CSKA Moscow, he scored in the next match after a dribble from teammate Yuto Nagatomo. In a 2–0 win over Fiorentina, he suffered a three-month goal drought until scoring Inter's opener. In Inter's first match of the 2012 calendar year against Parma, Pazzini scored again against Lecce later this month. Pazzini made the majority of his Inter appearances during the 2011-12 season as a backup off the bench, partially due to his superb form as a result of a lack of consistency in organizational preferences and squad selection. Pazzini was only able to score five goals in Serie A for the season, and he was often dissatisfied with the goal in European competition as well.

Pazzini joined Milan on August 22nd, 2012, after being on the Nerazzurri's transfer list, in exchange for Antonio Cassano and a €7.5 million compensation in favour of the Nerazzurrri. (Pazzini was fined €13 million and Cassano for €5.5 million)

Pazzini told La Gazzetta dello Sport of what happened at Inter on August 24th, 2012. "I dream about being a deciding factor in a derby and in several other matches." I could mention some things, but the argument will go on for days, and I don't seem to be able to. "I got a phone call the night before the summer training camp, and the following day, I was told, "You won't be playing in any of the friendlies," says the coach, but it wasn't Stramaccioni. I was getting bad vibes, but now I'm looking forward. "I'm really excited because I'm coming out of a bad year," Pazzini said. "I really want to get things together and get back to being the player I was excited to be five months ago, as well as on an international level." I dream of getting a call from Prandelli." "Antonio and I have been friends since our days in Sampdoria, regarding the swap that brought Cassano to Inter, Pazzini said. When I learned of this offer on the front page of a newspaper, I called him and joked: 'See, you need to get your name onto the front page.' But Pazzini, who revealed his imminent departure to the fans, was the subject.' "It wasn't an outburst of any kind; instead, I was calm and cool." "I made a few remarks because I already knew all about it," he explained. After that remark, I guess I'd been kicked out of the team, but it isn't true. I had already made up my mind, and the suggestion was spontaneous. I hadn't been expecting it, but they made the call and I accepted it. AC Milan is the best in the world, and I can keep my head up."

Pazzini netted a hat-trick in Milan's 3–1 victory over Bologna on September 1, his second appearance but first full-debutal, while Filippo Inzaghi's style of play compared him to Milan's Filippo Inzaghi, who had retired a few months earlier. Pazzini beat Chievo 5–1 on November 3, 2012, bringing an eight-game goal drought to an end. It was the first time Pazzini had noticed the net since his hat-trick back in September. In a victory over Lazio that placed Milan third in the Serie A table, Pazzini scored two main goals on March 2nd, overtaking Lazio. In Milan's 4–2 victory over Catania, he came off the bench and scored another quick fire double to raise his tally in Serie A to 15 points on Thursday. In the 2012–13 Coppa Italia, Pazzini completed his first season with 15 Serie A goals in 30 appearances and a further one goal in two appearances.

Pazzini scored his 100th Serie A goal in a 3–0 home win over Torino on May 24th.

Pazzini quit Milan in the summer of 2015 for his sixth professional team. In a 1–1 draw against Udinese on October 18, he scored his first goal, a penalty.

Pazzini joined Levante, a Spanish La Liga club, on loan for the remainder of the 2017-18 season. In a 2–2 draw against Real Madrid on February 3, 2018, he made his debut on February 3rd year, coming off the bench in the 77th minute and scoring the equalizer.

Pazzini scored his first goal in Serie A since October 30, 2017, from the penalty spot, which enabled his team to come back from behind and get a 3–3 home draw against Torino on December 15, 2019. He scored against SPAL, Lecce, and Juventus.

International career

Pazzini was once a member of the Italy under-21 team. In a 3–3 friendly draw with England on March 24, 2007, he scored his first goal and first hat-trick.

Pazzini made his World Cup qualification match against Montenegro on March 28, 2009, scoring his first goal. He was given a spot in the Republic of Ireland's starting lineup just four days later. In the second minute of the match for elbowing defender John O'Shea, he was dismissed, triggering the fastest send-off in Italian history. Pazzini began the friendly against Northern Ireland in Pisa on June 6, 2009, where he missed a penalty in the 55th minute.

He appeared at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

In a qualifier against Estonia on June 3, 2011, two years after his debut, he scored his second goal for the national team.

Career statistics

Source:

After each Pazzini goal, Italy's score was ranked first, while the score column indicates the goal was scored.

Source