Matteo Brighi

Matteo Brighi

File:Matteo brighi.jpg
Personal information
Date of birth	(1981-02-14) 14 February 1981
Place of birth	Rimini, Italy
Height
Position(s)	Centre midfielder
Team information
Current team	Bologna
Number	33
Youth career
1996–1998	Rimini
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1998–2000	Rimini	44	(7)
2000–2002	Juventus	11	(0)
2001–2002	→ Bologna (loan)	32	(0)
2002–2004	Parma	22	(1)
2003–2004	→ Brescia (loan)	29	(1)
2004–2012	Roma	108	(9)
2004–2007	→ Chievo (loan)	89	(9)
2011–2012	→ Atalanta (loan)	11	(0)
2012–2014	Torino	39	(4)
2014–2015	Sassuolo	31	(0)
2015–	Bologna	14	(0)
International career
2000	Italy U18	3	(0)
2000–2001	Italy U20	5	(0)
2000–2004	Italy U21	35	(2)
2002–2009	Italy	4	(0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 5 September 2015

Matteo Brighi (Italian pronunciation: [matˈtɛo ˈbriɡi]; born 14 February 1981) is an Italian professional footballer who plays for Bologna as a midfielder.

He was named Serie A Young Footballer of the Year in 2002, and was regarded as a promising young player in Europe. He is noted for his stamina, tackling, and aerial abilities, as well as for his technique, tenacity, and pacing.

Club career

Brighi started his career at Rimini. In 2000, he was purchased by Juventus.

Parma

In 2002, 50% of the registration rights for Matteo Brighi were sold to Parma by Juventus as part of the deal which saw Marco Di Vaio go to Juventus. The transfer was worth €5 million at the time. He was later sent on loan to Brescia during the 2003–04 season.

Chievo

In 2004, Juventus bought back Brighi's rights for a €11.5 million fee and sold them to Roma as part of the deal for Emerson for €16 million. He signed a 5-year contract worth €0.93 million in gross annually.

However Brighi was then immediately sent out on loan to Chievo for three seasons. That season Roma also signed central midfielder Simone Perrotta from the Verona side. Chievo would receive prize money from Roma per appearances of Brighi, with each 5 appearances worth €80,000. He played for Chievo at 2006–07 UEFA Champions League third qualifying round and twice at 2006–07 UEFA Cup first round. In his last season, he formed the midfield line with Paolo Sammarco and Franco Semioli for over 20 matches. Although Chievo relegated in June, their performance earned each a transfer to a different club.

Roma

In 2007, Brighi returned to Roma. On 25 July 2008, he signed a new contract, keeping him at the club until June 2012. His annual gross salary was increased because of this; he earned €1.3M in 2008–09, and this would increase to €1.6M in 2011–12.

Brighi helped Roma to a strong 2009-10 season. The team finished second in Serie A, just behind treble champions Inter Milan.

In a 20 November 2008 interview with La Repubblica, Brighi called Luciano Spalletti “the best I’ve ever had in terms of managing the group, and I’ve had some great ones like Guidolin and Prandelli.” Around the same time he told Sky Italia, “I like to work, not talk. Other players talk and sell themselves, certainly better than I do. I don’t blame them for it. It’s just not me." In the same interview, he was asked who his favourite players were growing up and who he admires in football. "As a boy I loved Roberto Mancini when he was at Sampdoria, even though he played in a different position than I do. Now, as everyone knows, Damiano Tommasi inspires me. It's an honour to be compared to a great player and a great person like him." Tommasi has said of Brighi: “He’s more talented than I am, I just got the chance to play in a great team and win something special. I hope Matteo gets the same chance.”

On 9 November 2008, Italian National Team manager Marcello Lippi, who worked with Brighi at Juventus, was quoted in Rome newspaper Il Romanista as saying, "My memories of Brighi are optimal. From the human point of view he is a splendid boy, and from the technical point of view he is one of those diligent midfielders that every trainer would want to have. To my warning, at the beginning of his career, he was praised so excessively that too many expectations were created around him."

In September 2010, he signed a new 4-year contract with Roma, in which his annual gross salary increased to €1.8 million in 2010–11 Serie A season and to €2.3M in the next three seasons.

Atalanta

In August 2011, he joined Atalanta on loan. He played 11 league matches in the 2011–12 season, before he returned to Roma at the end of the season.

Torino

After a trial period, on 11 August 2012 he moved to Torino on a free loan. On 1 September 2012, he scored his first goal against Pescara; a match which ended for 3–0. On 13 January 2013 he scored his second goal of the season in the match against Siena (3–2).

At the end of the season he returned to Rome, but on 8 July 2013, he moved back to Turin, this time outright for free. His stay in Torino did not last long because in January he transferred to Sassuolo.

Sassuolo

On 2 February 2014 he made his debut as a starter with Sassuolo in the 2–1 home defeat against Verona. With 7 appearances, he contributed to the salvation of the team, which managed to escape relegation.

Bologna

On 20 July 2015 Brighi was signed by Bologna F.C. 1909.

International career

At youth level, he played at 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, formed the midfield with Manuele Blasi, Andrea Pirlo and Marco Marchionni. He also won the 2004 edition and qualified to Olympics.

Brighi's debut for Italy came when he started the friendly match against Slovenia in 2002, when he was 21. However, he has been called up once again by Coach Marcello Lippi for 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Montenegro and the Republic of Ireland in 2009. On 28 March 2009, Brighi was put on as a substitute in the 80th minute against Montenegro, playing for his first time since 2002. Four days later, he was chosen for the starting selection in Italy's draw with Ireland.

Brighi was called up again to play in Italy's pre-Confederations Cup friendly against Northern Ireland. Brighi came on as a second-half substitute for Gennaro Gattuso, and provided many spectacular passes, one of which led to a goal. Although Brighi played magnificently, he was not selected in Italy's 23-man roster for the Confederations Cup.

Personal life

Brighi gave perhaps his most revealing interview to website romanews.eu on 13 January 2009. He discussed many topics, including the pressures today's footballers face and their bad decisions off the field, his admiration for Gennaro Gattuso ("My reference as a player, he's won the World Cup and many trophies with Milan"), making it a priority to not live a lifestyle of excess in the current economic crisis as people lose their jobs daily, his hobbies ("dinners with friends, cinema, concerts, novels"), when he realized his life had changed as a Roma player ("I've been here a year, but two months ago my life was different. Nobody stopped me on the street and said, 'Matteo, you are a phenomenon!'"), his best friends at the club ("Tonetto and Perrotta, two people who know how to detach from football, but I often eat meals with Aquilani, De Rossi and Okaka"), being single but dreaming of starting a family one day, the fact that he does not see himself as unique ("I'm not the only player that goes home and reads a book instead of going to a disco all night"), and above all his intention to end his career playing for Rimini ("When I went away, I promised I would go back one day. And that day will come").

His younger brother Marco is also a professional footballer.

Career statistics

Club

As of 31 January 2014.

Club performance			League		Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Italy			League		Coppa Italia		Europe		Total
1998–99	Rimini	Serie C2	10	1			–		10	1
1999–00			34	6			–		34	6
2000–01	Juventus	Serie A	11	0	1	0	0	0	12	0
2001–02	Bologna	Serie A	32	0	1	0	–		33	0
2002–03	Parma	Serie A	22	1	0	0	3	0	25	1
2003–04	Brescia	Serie A	29	1	2	0	–		31	1
2004–05	Chievo Verona	Serie A	35	1	1	0	–		36	1
2005–06			26	2	0	0	–		26	2
2006–07			28	6	1	0	3	0	31	6
2007–08	Roma	Serie A	24	1	5	0	2	0	31	1
2008–09			35	3	2	0	7	3	44	6
2009–10	Roma	Serie A	24	4	2	1	4	0	30	5
2010–11			25	1	2	0	3	0	30	1
2011–12			0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
2011–12	Atalanta	Serie A	11	0	0	0	–		11	0
2012–13	Torino	Serie A	23	2	2	0	–		25	2
2013–14			16	2	1	0	–		17	2
Total			385	31	20	1	23	3	428	35

• Also played two (2002, 2007) Supercoppa Italiana games.

International

Italy national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2002	1	0
2003	0	0
2004	0	0
2005	0	0
2006	0	0
2007	0	0
2008	0	0
2009	3	0
Total	4	0

Honours

Club

Roma

• Coppa Italia (1): 2008
• Supercoppa Italiana (1): 2007

Juventus

• Supercoppa Italiana (2): 2002

International

Italy

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: (1): 2004

External links

• Profile at Lega Calcio (Italian)