- Damiano Tommasi
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Damiano Tommasi Personal information Date of birth May 17, 1974 Place of birth Negrar, Italy Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) Playing position Midfielder Youth career 1991–1993 Verona Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1993–1996 Verona 77 (4) 1996–2006 Roma 262 (14) 2006–2008 Levante 44 (1) 2008 Queens Park Rangers 7 (0) 2009 Tianjin Teda 29 (1) 2009–2011 Sant'Anna d'Alfaedo 10 (2) National team 1994–1996 Italy U21 4 (0) 1998–2003 Italy 25 (2) * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).Damiano Tommasi (born 17 May 1974) is an Italian former footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He is the current president of the Italian Footballers' Association (AIC).
Tommasi was one of the key players in Roma's Serie A winning-squad in 2001. He also appeared with Italy at the 2002 World Cup. After a full decade representing the colours of the Giallorossi, he started an abroad career, going on to play for teams in three different countries until his retirement at the age of 37.
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Club career
Born in Negrar, Province of Verona, Tommasi started his professional career with local Hellas Verona, in Serie B. He made his top division debut on 7 September 1996, with A.S. Roma, a 3–1 win over Piacenza Calcio, and would be an instrumental figure in the capital side's 2001 scudetto conquest.
During a summer friendly match against Stoke City in 2004, Tommasi suffered a horrible knee injury, caused by Gerry Taggart,[1][2] and was out of action for a long time. In the summer of 2005 he accepted a one-year contract extension, with youth player wages (€1500 a month) - a contract which, astonishingly, Tommasi instigated himself in the name of fairness.[3] On 30 October 2005, he finally returned to play, entering on the second-half in place of Olivier Dacourt, during a league match against Ascoli Calcio 1898, being even hailed with a long standing ovation by the Roma supporters.
On 27 November 2005, Tommasi scored after just two minutes, in an eventual 1–1 home tie against ACF Fiorentina,[4] being an important first-team member as Roma finished runner-up. After 10 years with the same club, in July 2006, he joined Levante UD in Spain,[5] spending two seasons with the La Liga strugglers, which eventually got relegated in 2007–08.
On 10 September 2008, Tommasi agreed a one-year deal with English second division team Queens Park Rangers.[6] On 9 January 2009, his contract was terminated by mutual consent and, after advanced talks with Chinese League's Tianjin Teda, he signed for the club early in the following month, citing an interest in a third experience abroad as the main reason for it.[7]
After one season, 35-year old Tommasi left Teda and decided to return to Italy, joining amateurs Sant'Anna d'Alfaedo (Seconda Categoria), where he played alongside his two brothers.[8] He made his debut with the team on 13 December 2009.[9]
International career
Tommasi played for the Italian U-21 team that won the 1996 UEFA European Championship, also being picked for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.[10] He made his first senior side appearance for the Azzurri on 18 November 1998, against Spain, but did not become a regular until 2001.
Picked for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Japan and South Korea, Tommasi played in all four of Italy's matches, in a round of 16 exit.
Honours
Club
- Serie A: 2000–01
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2001
- Coppa Italia: Runner-up 2005–06
Country
Post-retirement
In January 2010, together with his agent Andrea Pretti and longtime friend Werner Seeber, Tommasi set up a company in China, called Tommasi Pretti Seeber Sports Culture & Exchange Co., Ltd (TPS), aimed at creating a reliable bridge between Europe and the Asian country in the field of football.
On 9 May 2011, he became the president of the Italian Footballers' Association, succeeding historical Sergio Campana, in office for 43 years.[11]
Personal
- Married to Chiara, Tommasi has five children: Beatrice, Camilla, Susanna, Samuele and Emanuele.
- A philanthropist, he arranges for footballers' disciplinary fines to go to good causes.
- When first called-up by the national side, Tommasi said he didn't deserve the honour in that moment.[12]
References
- ^ Roma robbed of Tommasi
- ^ Injury blow for Taggart
- ^ Tommasi takes one-year option
- ^ Tommasi's new lease of life
- ^ Fresh starts for Tommasi and Sá Pinto
- ^ "QPR sign Italian veteran Tommasi". BBC Sport. 10 September 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/q/qpr/7608583.stm. Retrieved 10 September 2008.
- ^ "Tommasi senza confini - Prossima tappa la Cina [Tommasi without borders - Next step China]" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 5 February 2009. http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Primo_Piano/2009/02/05/tommasi.shtml. Retrieved 5 February 2009.
- ^ Tommasi leaves Teda
- ^ "Dilettante e felice Tommasi è tornato [Ecstatic and happy, Tommasi has returned]" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 14 December 2009. http://www.repubblica.it/2009/05/rubriche/la-storia/mura-tom-masi/mura-tom-masi.html. Retrieved 14 December 2009.
- ^ Damiano Tommasi – FIFA competition record
- ^ "Aic, a Tommasi il timone Succederà a Campana [AIC, Tommasi at the helm succeeding Campana]" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 2 May 2011. http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/02-05-2011/aic-tommasi-timone-801048905304.shtml. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- ^ Tommasi to lead by example
External links
- National team data (Italian)
- Damiano Tommasi at National-Football-Teams.com
- BDFutbol profile
- Damiano Tommasi career stats at Soccerbase
- QPR profile
- Official site (Italian)
Italy squad – 1996 Summer Olympics Italy squad – 2002 FIFA World Cup 1 Buffon • 2 Panucci • 3 Maldini (c) • 4 Coco • 5 Cannavaro • 6 Zanetti • 7 Del Piero • 8 Gattuso • 9 Inzaghi • 10 Totti • 11 Doni • 12 Abbiati • 13 Nesta • 14 Di Biagio • 15 Iuliano • 16 Di Livio • 17 Tommasi • 18 Delvecchio • 19 Zambrotta • 20 Montella • 21 Vieri • 22 Toldo • 23 Materazzi • Coach: TrapattoniCategories:- 1974 births
- Living people
- People from the Province of Verona
- Italian footballers
- Association football midfielders
- Serie A footballers
- Serie B footballers
- Hellas Verona F.C. players
- A.S. Roma players
- La Liga footballers
- Levante UD footballers
- The Football League players
- Queens Park Rangers F.C. players
- Tianjin Teda FC players
- Italy international footballers
- 2002 FIFA World Cup players
- Olympic footballers of Italy
- Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Italian expatriate footballers
- Expatriate footballers in England
- Expatriate footballers in Spain
- Expatriate footballers in China
- Italian expatriates in China
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