| Alessia Padalino | |
| Fullname: | Alessia Doriana Padalino |
| Birth Date: | 1984 4, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | The Hague, Netherlands |
| Position: | Forward |
| Currentclub: | Klein Zwitserland |
| Nationalyears1: | 2002–2005 |
| Nationalteam1: | Netherlands U–21 |
| Nationalcaps1: | 18 |
| Nationalyears2: | 2003–2007 |
| Nationalteam2: | Netherlands |
| Nationalcaps2: | 14 |
| Nationalgoals2: | 1 |
| Nationalyears3: | 2010–2013 |
| Nationalteam3: | Italy |
| Nationalcaps3: | 45 |
| Nationalgoals3: | 29 |
Alessia Doriana Padalino (born 26 April 1984)[1] is a former Dutch-Italian field hockey player.
Alessia Padalino was born in The Hague, Netherlands to a Dutch mother and Italian father.[2] She has an identical twin sister, Chiara, who also plays hockey and was her teammate for Italy.[3] [4]
Padalino first represented the Netherlands Under–21 team in 2002, at the EuroHockey Junior Championship held in Alcalá la Real, Spain.[5] She went on to represent the team again in 2004 at the next EuroHockey Junior tournament in Dublin, Ireland, winning gold medals at both events.[6]
In 2005, Padalino won a bronze medal at the Junior World Cup, her last performance for the Dutch junior side.[7]
Following her success in the juniors, Padalino debuted for the senior national team in 2003. She never represented the side at a major tournament, rather a series of test matches in her four-year career with the team. During this time she achieved 14 caps and 1 goal.[8]
As well as field hockey, Padalino also represented the Netherlands in indoor hockey, most notably winning gold at the 2007 Indoor World Cup in Vienna, Austria.[9]
After representing the Netherlands for 5 years in junior and senior competition, Padalino made the switch to the Italian team in 2010. After not receiving a call-up to the Netherlands senior team for almost four year, Padalino received a call from Italian coaching staff asking her to represent the national team.[2] She made her first appearance for Italy, her father's home country, in November 2010 in a test match against Argentina.[4]
Following her debut for Italy in 2010, Padalino maintained selection in the team until 2013, when she retired from international competition.[10]
Padalino's most notable performance with the team was at the 2011 Champions Challenge II in Vienna where she won a silver medal, losing 2–1 to Belgium in the final. During the competition she scored 4 goals, including their only goal in the final.[11]
Her final appearance for Italy was during the Hockey World League, at a Round 2 event in Valencia, Spain.[12]