Demetrio Albertini was one of those legendary Italian midfielders of the nineties who became famous throughout the world for their reliability, their magnificent style. In addition, Albertini has become a true legend of one of the most famous clubs in Italy - “Milan”. It was there that he spent almost his entire career, but climbing to the top turned out to be far from as simple as it might seem. From this article you will learn what career path Demetrio Albertini has made, what successes he achieved, in which clubs he played, and also what role he played in the national team of his country.
Carier start
Demetrio Albertini was born on August 23, 1971 and from an early age began to get involved in football, demonstrating excellent abilities in a defensive game. But do not think that he was in Milan from a young age. He was accepted to the prestigious academy only in 1985, when he was 14 years old. Already at the age of seventeen, he made his first test in the main team of “Milan”, but it was clear that in the star club so early to gain a foothold. But the club management understood that they had great talent, so a year later Demetrio was offered an official contract, which is given to the player upon reaching adulthood. However, the contract does not guarantee a place at the base - Albertini continued to play for the reserve, appearing on the field for the main team again only once. When he turned 19, a defensive midfielder appeared twice in the Italian Cup, after which it was decided to send the player on loan to the Serie B club called Padova. It was there that Demetrio Albertini was destined to open up and gain the respect of the whole world.
Rent in Padova
FC Milan did not give up their player - he gave Demetrio a chance to get a game practice that he could not even dream of in Milan. Midfielder spent his season at Padova at the highest level, having proved himself from the best side. He returned after 28 matches and five goals and immediately got a place at the base. And so began the ascent of the legend of FC Milan - in subsequent years, Albertini will do a lot for his beloved club.
Career at Milan
From the age of twenty he began to play for Milan Demetrio Albertini - the football player won the trust of the leadership and a place in the starting lineup for a period of more than ten years, which he eventually spent in this club. In total for “Milan” defensive midfielder played 406 matches in all competitions and scored 28 goals. Someone may say that there were too few goals, but you need to understand that the position of the defensive midfielder implies more defensive rather than offensive actions. And Demetrio coped with the defensive functions perfectly - he became one of the decisive factors thanks to which “Milan” was able to win four “Scudetto” (the name of the cup that receives the winner of the Italian championship) for five years.
In the first season, which Demetrio spent in “Milan”, the club won the Championship and did the same in the next two years. Two more trophies came in 1996 and 1999. Surprising is the fact that for all 11 years Albertini with “Milan” did not win a single Italian Cup, but won three Super Bowls in a row - from 1992 to 1994.
It is also worth noting that Albertini became the player who won two Champions League with Milan - in 1989, when he was still a reservist, and in 1994, when he already became a key player. Both times, “Milan” also took the UEFA Super Cup, so Demetrio Albertini's biography is extremely rich, and he obviously did not feel the lack of prestigious trophies. Not all players can boast of such successes. And besides this, Albertini is also the owner of the 1989 Intercontinental Cup.
Rent at Atletico
However, no one is eternal, and in 2002 Albertini was already 31 years old, and “Milan” had to stay on track, therefore, in his place came younger and more promising players. And the club management decided to give the player on loan to Madrid “Atletico”. In the new club, the Italian spent thirty matches, scoring three goals. Unfortunately, in Spain, Albertini did not have a particularly good game, so the Club of Madrid did not dare to offer a full-fledged contract to the veteran.
New club
32-year-old Albertini did not want to end his career, so in 2003 he signed a contract for a year with the Roman “Lazio”. There he played 35 matches and won his first Italian Cup - a trophy that has never been submitted to him in “Milan” for all eleven years.
Going to Atalanta
In 2004, 33-year-old Albertini signed a six-month contract with Atalanta, for which he played 16 matches and scored two goals. On this his adventures in Italy ended - Demetrio decided to return once more to Spain, having signed a short-term contract with the Catalan Barcelona.
Retirement
It would seem that the Italian Cup with “Lazio” was to be the last trophy that went to Albertini in his eventful career. But the contract with Barcelona made adjustments: even though the midfielder played only six matches in which he could not score a single goal, Barcelona won the Spanish Championship that year, and Demetrio became a full-fledged champion of the country. Immediately after the season ended in the summer of 2005, Albertini announced his retirement.
Team appearances
Albertini made his debut for the Italian national team in 1991, in a qualifying match against the Cyprus national team - he was immediately entrusted with a place at the base. Naturally, he did not go to the 1992 European Championship because he was too young and inexperienced, but at the 1994 World Championship, Albertini played a key role, spent almost all matches on the field from whistle to whistle, including 120 minutes with Brazilians in the final, where the Italians lost on a penalty.
In 1995, Albertini scored his first goal for the national team - in a qualifying match against the Croatian national team, and in 1996 he put on the captain's armband for the first time in a friendly match against the Belgian national team.
At the 1996 European Championships, Albertini was again a base player, but the Italians failed that tournament without leaving the group.
Albertini went to the 1998 World Cup, but didn’t play all the matches anymore - he missed the group game with the Austrian national team.
At the 2000 European Championships, he again became a key player, and even gave up two assists (Albertini did not play in only one group stage match). But here, the Italians could not take the trophy, losing to the French in the final. This tournament was the last in the career of a midfielder: he still played several qualifying and friendly matches, but he did not go to the 2002 World Cup anymore.
The farewell match of Demetrio Albertini took place on March 27, 2002 - then the Italians held a friendly game with the British, and the midfielder put on his team uniform for the last time.
Further work
Naturally, after the completion of his career, Demetrio Albertini did not leave football as a whole. Many football players, having tied up with a game on the field, continue to work outside it. Albertini ended his career in 2005, and in April 2007 he was invited to the post of vice president of the Italian national team, for which he did a lot. In this position, he spent seven whole years, leaving it only in June 2014. The first tournament did not bring success - at the 2008 European Championship, Italians reached only the quarter-finals. There were even fewer successes at the 2010 World Cup - Italians could not even leave the group. But in 2012 they were able to win the silver medal of the European Championship, and in the last tournament, after which Albertini resigned, the Italians again did not leave the group of the World Championship.
In April 2015, Albertini was appointed adviser to Parma, the bankrupt Italian club. He stayed in this position for a couple of months, after which he focused on research for the popular computer soccer manager Football Manager.
As you can see, the career of a football player was incredibly intense, he had many achievements, and he was remembered by absolutely all football fans.