Claudio Marchisio

Claudio Marchisio (Italian pronunciation: [ˈklaudjo marˈkiːzjo]; born 19 January 1986) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. A product of the Juventus youth system, he spent a large portion of his career at his hometown club, with the exception of a season-long loan spell at Empoli, winning seven consecutive Serie A titles between 2012 and 2018, and four consecutive Coppa Italia titles between 2015 and 2018. He was the club's second vice-captain, behind Giorgio Chiellini, before his contract was terminated in 2018 and then signed with Russian club Zenit Saint Petersburg, where he stayed for one season, before retiring from professional football in 2019. At the international level, Marchisio has represented Italy at the 2008 Summer Olympics, and at the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cups; he also took part at UEFA Euro 2012, winning a runners-up medal, and at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, where he won a third-place medal. In total, he made 55 appearances for Italy at senior level between 2009 and 2017, scoring five goals. After making his breakthrough in the 2008–09 season, Marchisio was often compared to former Juventus and Italian midfielder Marco Tardelli by the Italian press, due to his energy, tenacious style of play, and good reading of the game, as well as his ability to seamlessly switch between offence and defence. His preferred position was in central midfield but his versatility led to him playing in a variety of positions in midfield throughout his career to suit various formations.