- Cristian Bucchi
-
Cristian Bucchi Personal information Date of birth February 13, 1977 Place of birth Rome, Italy Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) Playing position Striker Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1995–1996 Sambenedettese 28 (0) 1996–1998 Settempeda 58 (52) 1998–2002 Perugia 37 (6) 1999–2000 → Vicenza (loan) 30 (11) 2001–2002 → Ternana (loan) 27 (9) 2002 → Catania (loan) 13 (2) 2003–2004 Cagliari 10 (1) 2004 Ancona 12 (5) 2004–2005 Ascoli 41 (17) 2005–2006 Modena 41 (29) 2006–2011 Napoli 29 (8) 2007–2008 → Siena (loan) 10 (0) 2008 → Bologna (loan) 19 (5) 2008–2009 → Ascoli (loan) 21 (3) 2009–2010 → Cesena (loan) 24 (4) 2011 → Pescara (loan) 11 (1) National team 1998–1999 Italy U-21 3 (1) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).Cristian Bucchi (born 13 February 1977 in Rome) is a retired Italian football striker. He was best known for his goal-scoring ability in Serie B during the peak of his career.
Contents
Football career
Early career
Bucchi started his career with the Serie C2 outfit Sambenedettese in 1995 as an 18 year old. He made 28 appearances in his first proper season, although he scored no goals.
The Serie C2 outfit released him at the end of the season, and he took the decision to drop down a few divisions to the amateur regional leagues. From 1996–1998, he enjoyed a fine couple of years where he bagged a brilliant 52 goals in 58 games for Settempeda. The 21 year old's promising talent did not go unnoticed and it showed as Serie A outfit Perugia took a very big gamble in some respects for a non-league striker. Soon after that, in a massive change of fortunes for the young forward, he was called up to the Italy U-21's.
Perugia
After his big move to Serie A, he started straight away in his first season for the club as Perugia claimed a mid-table place in the 1998–99 season. He contributed with 5 league goals and it was a surprise he adapted so quickly, considering he was playing amateur football little over a year before. His second season did not go so well after quite an impressive first season. He returned in 2000 after a successful loan spell with promoted Serie B side Vicenza, and was ready to start afresh. Coming back to the club and seeing the likes of Ahn Jung-Hwan & Fabrizio Miccoli ahead of him in pecking order, lead to a very disappointing second season for Bucchi, after scoring just once in 7 matches for Perugia.
He played the 1999–0 season on loan to Vicenza, and scored 11 league goals, which helped his team lift the Serie B title, although they made a quick return to Serie B after failure to avoid relegation the following season.
In 2001–02, Bucchi scored 9 goals for newly-promoted Serie B side Ternana, as the newboys stayed up in their first Serie B season of the 21st century.
Catania, Cagliari and Ancona
In the summer of 2002, he was signed by ambitious newly-promoted Serie B Sicilan outfit, Catania. However, things did not work out very well for Bucchi, after finding first-team opportunities hard to come by, with the likes of Czech forward Jaroslav Sedivec, Luis Oliveira & Nassim Mendil all above him in pecking order. He would go on to find the net just twice in thirteen appearances for the Sicilian side. He was allowed to leave in the winter and made the move to Cagliari in the winter of 2002–03.[1] Once again, he would have to wait for his chance, although with the likes of Fabrizio Cammarata, David Suazo and Luigi Beghetto already the first choice strikers, Bucchi would only feature 10 times in his whole Sardinian career, scoring just once.
Bucchi joined Serie A basement boys Ancona in second-half of the 2003–04 season, after a very disappointing half-season in Sardinia, in a part exchange deal which would see Roberto Maltagliati go the opposite way.[2] He scored 5 goals in 12 matches, a very impressive statistic for some-one in his shoes. However once again and not for the first time in his career, his team suffered relegation, as this time round, Ancona set an all-time low in Serie A, amassing just 13 points all season long.
Bucchi signed by Ascoli[3] in a co-ownership deal with Chievo in August 2004, although Ascoli would be the club he would play for.
King of Serie B
- Ascoli
In 2004–05, Bucchi scored 17 goals for Ascoli (incredibly, he scored a 1/3 of the teams Serie B goal total that season, of 51 goals) and just missed one match. He became the club's top goalscorer; just 3 goals short of Serie B topscorer Gionatha Spinesi. His contribution was a key factor in Ascoli's impressive 4th placed finish and a place in the seasons play-offs.
Despite Ascoli's play-off defeat to Torino (A 3–1 loss on aggregate), Ascoli, in bizarre circumstances (only 1 of the 3 original promoted teams went up – Genoa demoted to Serie C1, with their involvement in the Serie B match-fixing scandal that season & Torino had to play Serie B football for the following season, due to financial difficulties), gained promotion to Serie A fot the first time in more than a decade.
- Modena
In the summer of 2005, Ascoli sold their 50% share of Bucchi to Modena.
In 2005–06, Bucchi scored an incredible 29 goals for Modena and in fact, 1 goal shy of contributing exactly half of the teams league goal total (59 goals). Consequently, he became Serie B topscorer that season, just one goal away from levelling Serie B's all-time topscorer, former Italian international striker Luca Toni, bagging 30 goals in 2003–04 for then-champions, Palermo. Bucchi's contribution would vastly help lead Modena to a play-off place, and scored one goal in the away leg against Mantova. Modena in the end lost out to Mantova, although the result on aggregate was 1–1. This meant that both sides' final league position's would come into the equation (Mantova finished higher than Modena in final league table, meaning Mantova would progress to the final).
Napoli and loans
During the 2006 January transfer window, rumours had linked him to S.L. Benfica.[4] After a year with Modena, he was sold to newly-promoted, and ambitious Napoli[5] for €4 million.[6] The complicated deal also included Modena sold Tommaso Chiecchi back to Chievo and signed Bucchi outright.[7]
In Naples, he scored 8 goals in 29 games and the club finished as runner-up to win promotion to Serie A. His striking partner Emanuele Calaiò, scored 18.
- Siena
A surplus of Napoli in the new season, as Napoli signed Ezequiel Lavezzi and Marcelo Zalayeta, he was moved to Siena on loan in summer 2007.
Bucchi missed Serie A for 3 seasons since played for Ancona in second half of 2003–04 season, but he failed to score any from his 10 appearances for Siena.
- Bologna
In January 2008, he was loaned to Bologna as one of their striker Danilevičius asked to leave for more regular start. He scored five goals during his five-month stay at Bologna, participating in the rossoblu's successful quest for promotion to the Italian top flight.
- Ascoli
On July 2008 he agreed to return to Ascoli in another loan deal.[8]
- Cesena
On 10 July 2009 he was loaned to Cesena.[9] He returned to Napoli at the start of 2010-11 season, and played a few games.
On 4 January 2011, he was transferred to Serie B club Pescara[10] as his contract with Napoli would run out on 30 June 2011.
International career
For Italy, he has only represented his country at Under-21 level. During his time in the team (1998–1999), he collected 3 U-21 caps, scoring 1 goal.
References
- ^ Velluzzi, Francesco (9 January 2003). "Colpo del Venezia: Gargo" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it/2003/gennaio/09/Colpo_del_Venezia_Gargo_ga_0_0301091688.shtml. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
- ^ "Busy day of transfers". UEFA.com. 30 January 2004. http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/kind=2/newsid=141298.html.
- ^ "Bucchi all' Ascoli Beffato il Modena" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 15 August 2004. http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it/2004/agosto/15/Bucchi_all_Ascoli_Beffato_Modena_ga_10_0408151860.shtml. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
- ^ "Ono poised to leave Feyenoord (News collection)". UEFA.com. 2005-12-15. http://www.uefa.com/footballeurope/news/Kind=2/newsId=380030.html.
- ^ Malfitano, Mimmo (15 June 2006). "Il Napoli va oltre Bucchi" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. http://archiviostorico.gazzetta.it/2006/giugno/15/Napoli_oltre_Bucchi_ga_10_060615046.shtml. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
- ^ "SSC Napoli 2006–07 Annual Report" (in Italian). SSC Napoli (Re-Published by direttanapoli.it). ca. October 2007. http://www.direttanapoli.it/public/documenti/documenti_21.pdf. Retrieved 15 June 2011.
- ^ "Calciomercato: l'esito delle operazioni in compartecipazione" (in Italian). Modena FC. 13 June 2006. http://www.modenafc.net/news.asp?n=2557. Retrieved 23 August 2010.
- ^ "E’ ufficiale: Bucchi di nuovo bianconero. Domani la presentazione" (in Italian). Ascoli Calcio 1898. 2008-07-15. http://www.ascolicalcio.net/altre_news.asp?id=3590&placepag=. Retrieved 2008-07-16.
- ^ "Christian Bucchi è del Cesena" (in Italian). Associazione Calcio Cesena. 2009-07-10. http://www.cesenacalcio.it/notizie/news/christian-bucchi-del-cesena.html. Retrieved 2009-07-10.
- ^ "Presentato Bucchi [Present Bucchi]" (in Italian). Delfino Pescara 1936. 4 January 2011. http://www.pescaracalcio.com/stagione/archivio-news/3897-presentato-bucchi.html. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
External links
Categories:- 1977 births
- Living people
- Italian footballers
- Perugia Calcio players
- Vicenza Calcio players
- Ternana Calcio players
- Calcio Catania players
- Cagliari Calcio players
- A.C. Ancona players
- Ascoli Calcio 1898 players
- Modena F.C. players
- S.S.C. Napoli players
- S.S. Sambenedettese Calcio players
- Bologna F.C. 1909 players
- A.C. Siena players
- A.C. Cesena players
- Pescara Calcio players
- Serie A footballers
- Serie B footballers
- Association football forwards
- People from Rome (city)
- Italy under-21 international footballers
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
