Claudio Bellucci Explained

Claudio Bellucci
Birth Date:31 May 1975
Birth Place:Rome, Italy
Height:1.72 m
Position:Striker
Currentclub:Cagliari (youth coach)
Youthclubs1:Lodigiani
Youthclubs2:Sampdoria
Years1:1993–1996
Clubs1:Sampdoria
Caps1:39
Goals1:3
Years2:1994–1995
Clubs2:Fiorenzuola (loan)
Caps2:7
Goals2:0
Years3:1996–1997
Clubs3:Venezia
Caps3:33
Goals3:20
Years4:1997–2001
Clubs4:Napoli
Caps4:91
Goals4:24
Years5:2001–2007
Clubs5:Bologna
Caps5:184
Goals5:65
Years6:2007–2010
Clubs6:Sampdoria
Caps6:59
Goals6:18
Years7:2010
Clubs7:Livorno (loan)
Caps7:14
Goals7:1
Years8:2010–2011
Clubs8:Modena
Caps8:16
Goals8:3
Totalcaps:443
Totalgoals:134
Nationalyears1:1997
Nationalteam1:Italy U21
Nationalcaps1:6
Nationalgoals1:1
Manageryears1:2014–2015
Managerclubs1:Sampdoria Primavera (assistant)
Manageryears2:2017
Managerclubs2:Arezzo
Manageryears3:2018–2019
Managerclubs3:Albissola

Claudio Bellucci (born 31 May 1975) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a striker and current manager.

Playing career

Bellucci started his career with Sampdoria, making his Serie A debut against A.C. Milan on 13 March 1994, at the age of 18. He made one more appearance for the Genoa-based side, before being loaned to Fiorenzuola of Serie C1. In his first game after his return to Sampdoria, on 20 April 1995, he scored two goals in the 83rd and 86th minute of the 1994–95 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup return leg semifinal against Arsenal. Arsenal, who won the first leg 3–2, reached to score two minutes before the end of the match, and eventually won the successive penalty shootout. He then left for Venezia of Serie B.

Napoli

Bellucci stayed at Venice for only one season, before signing for Napoli. He followed the club's relegation to Serie B in summer 1998, and after two seasons they regained promotion to the top flight. When Napoli were once again relegated, he transferred to Bologna.

Bologna

Bellucci signed a contract extension in September 2004.[1] Bellucci followed Bologna relegated to Serie B in summer 2005, in which he scored 25 and 19 goals, became the second highest goal scorers of the two successive seasons.

Return to Sampdoria

Bellucci returned to Sampdoria on 15 June 2007 on a free transfer. He signed a two-year contract with an option for a further year.[2]

He scored 12 goals in 32 Serie A games in 2007–08 Serie A but ruptured his right Achilles tendon on 21 May 2008, in the 2–0 win over Palermo. Bellucci returned to action in October but found limited opportunities due to the rise in importance of Antonio Cassano and the mid-season signing of Giampaolo Pazzini. In the 2009–10 season, he made 8 league appearances, three of them coming as a starter.

Livorno

On 19 January 2010 Livorno signed Bellucci from Sampdoria on loan.[3]

Modena

On 10 September 2010, Bellucci signed a contract from Modena on a free transfer.[4]

Coaching career

After retirement at the end of the 2010–11 season, Bellucci retired and became a youth coach at his former club A.S. Lodigiani.[5] He worked there until July 2013, where he was named as the new youth coach of the Giovanissimi Regionali team of Sampdoria in 2013,[6] and then becoming a co-coach of the Primavera team (together with Enrico Chiesa) the following year. In 2015, he became a part of Walter Zenga's staff for the first team of Sampdoria, a job he left with the appointment of Vincenzo Montella as new head coach and his demotion as youth coach. He left Sampdoria in 2017 to become the new head coach of Serie C club Arezzo, a position he kept only for the first four weeks of the season.

In October 2018 he was named new head coach of Serie C minnows Albissola, at the bottom place of the league table on their first season as a professional club.[7] Belucci was fired on 4 March 2019.[8]

On 15 September 2021, Bellucci was appointed Walter Mazzarri's new assistant coach at Serie A club Cagliari.[9] He was dismissed from his role on 3 May 2022, one day after Mazzarri's sacking.[10]

In September 2023, Bellucci returned to Cagliari, this time as head of the Under-18 youth team.[11]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Brescia braced for Adani absence. 23 September 2004. 5 August 2009. UEFA.com.
  2. News: Il mercato blucerchiato si anima: Bellucci alla Samp!. 15 June 2007. 22 January 2010. UC Sampdoria. Italian.
  3. http://www.livornocalcio.it/notizie/notizie.php?id=4277 Bellucci in amaranto. Oggi la presentazione
  4. http://www.modenafc.net/news.asp?n=5260 Calciomercato: tesserato Claudio Bellucci
  5. https://www.seriebnews.com/2011/08/13/calciomercato-serie-b-esclusivo-claudio-bellucci-smetto-per-fare-lallenatore/ Calciomercato Serie B, ESCLUSIVO/ Claudio Bellucci: "Smetto per fare l’allenatore"
  6. Settore Giovanile: definiti gli staff tecnici per la stagione 2013/14. 27 June 2013. 3 December 2018. U.C. Sampdoria. Genoa. Italian.
  7. News: Calciomercato Albissola, ufficiale: c'è Bellucci per la panchina . Tuttosport . Italian . 11 November 2018 . 23 October 2018 .
  8. https://telenord.it/lega-pro-lalbissola-esonera-claudio-bellucci-e-il-vice-di-latte/ Lega Pro, l’Albissola esonera Claudio Bellucci e il vice Di Latte
  9. Web site: Mazzarri nuovo allenatore del Cagliari. Cagliari Calcio . Italian . 15 September 2021 . 15 September 2021 .
  10. News: Comunicato della Società. 3 May 2022 . 3 May 2022 . it . Cagliari Calcio.
  11. Web site: Settore Giovanile, il Cagliari rende noti dirigenti e staff. Confermati alla guida Muzzi, Carta, Erriu e Mereu. CalcioCasteddu.it . it . 19 September 2023 . 14 November 2023 .