Top facts about Andrea Barzagli, The Wall

Andrea Barzagli is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a center-back. He was born on May 8, 1981. Barzagli is recognized as one of the greatest and most consistent defenders of his age, having been named to the Serie A Team of the Year four times.

Andrea Barzagli’s age

is 40.

The first fact about Andrea Barzagli Is that he made his Serie A debut with Chievo in 2003, after playing for various minor Italian teams in the lower levels of the game throughout his early career. He finally rose to notoriety while playing for

.

In 2008, he joined with VfL Wolfsburg of Germany, where he spent two and a half seasons and won the Bundesliga championship in 2009.

He returned to Italy in 2011, joining Juventus, where he went on to win eight consecutive Serie A titles between 2012 and 2019, as well as numerous other trophies, including a record of four consecutive Coppa Italia titles between 2015 and 2018. He also appeared in two UEFA Champions League finals between 2015 and 2017.

Between 2004 and 2017, he played 73 times for the Italian national football team, including at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, where he won a bronze medal, two FIFA World Cups (2006 and 2014), three UEFA European Championships (2008, 2012, and 2016), and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, where he and the team also won bronze.

A notable fact about Andrea Barzagli Is that he was a part of the Italian World Cup-winning squad in 2006, as well as a starter for the Italian team that advanced to the UEFA Euro 2012 final.

Top facts about Andrea Barzagli:

Barzagli was called up to the Italy national team for the first time in three years in October 2011, while playing for Juventus in Italy. He was called up for the European Championship qualifiers against Serbia and Northern Ireland.

On October 7, 2011, he made his comeback for the national team in a 1-1 tie against Serbia in a European Championship qualifier. Barzagli finished second at the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine in 2012.

He was then used in all six games in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil until June 2013. Barzagli was then a member of Italy's squad for the FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil 2013, where Italy qualified as European runners-up and played in three of five games.

Italy finished third. Barzagli did not play in the remaining World Cup qualifying games, but Cesare Prandelli named him to the squad for the finals in Brazil. Barzagli appeared in all three games for the Squadra Azzurra and was eliminated at the end of the group stage.

Andrea Barzagli early life

In the 1998–99 season, Barzagli made his professional football debut with Rondinella Calcio, a semi-professional team, before joining Serie B club A.C. Pistoiese in a co-ownership arrangement in 2000–01.

Manager Giuseppe Pillon shifted him to defense after he started out as a midfielder. Regarding

Andrea Barzagli’s childhood

, it should be mentioned that he returned to Rondinella Calcio in Serie C2 a year later. Unfortunately, there is no information available regarding

Andrea Barzagli’s parents

.

For the 2001–02 season, he joined Ascoli (from Piacenza, a Serie A team from 2001 to 2003) and helped them achieve promotion to Serie B. He stayed at Ascoli for another year, but had no further success.

Piacenza sold him in another co-ownership transaction in July 2003. On August 31, 2003, he made his Serie A debut for Chievo in a 1–1 draw against

.

Andrea Barzagli personal life

Andrea Barzagli and his wife Maddalena Nullo got married in July 2013, and they have two children, Mattia (born in 2008) and Camilla (born in 2011).

Andrea Barzagli professional career

An important fact about Andrea Barzagli Is that he was a regular in Italy's squad at the 2016 European Football Championship in France. He and Leonardo Bonucci were the only players on the team to appear in all five games. Barzagli didn't miss a single second of the game.

A notable

fact about Andrea Barzagli

Is that he was one of the successful shooters in the penalty shoot-out in the quarterfinals against Germany, but the team still lost and was eliminated.

Following the European Championship, Italy competed in the World Cup qualifier, finishing second to Spain. Sweden eliminated the team in the play-offs.

Barzagli's 73rd and final international match took place in the second leg. Barzagli announced his retirement from the national team after missing the World Cup.

Andrea Barzagli club career

An important fact about Andrea Barzagli Is that he was recruited by Serie A team Palermo on July 20, 2004, and during his debut season with the club, he helped the club qualify for the UEFA Cup.

After Eugenio Corini's contentious departure from the Sicilian club in the summer of 2007–08, he was given the captain's armband.

Wolfsburg

A notable fact about Andrea Barzagli Is that he was in contract talks with

in 2008, and he was largely anticipated to join. To everyone's amazement, the transaction fell through, despite the fact that Barzagli, a Florentine native, had previously expressed his desire to join.

Barzagli's publicist said to the press, "The difference in price between what we were seeking and what they offered was just £100,000. Andrea was prepared to forego a large sum of money to play for Fiorentina, but our demands were ignored."

Instead, Barzagli followed fellow Italian and teammate Cristian Zaccardo to

and the Bundesliga. The number 43 was assigned to him.

The Italian international reportedly turned down Fiorentina's five-year £1.2 million deal in favor of VfL Wolfsburg's three-year £2.5 million offer.

The official price for the transfer was €12.95 million. For Wolfsburg, Barzagli played every minute of the 2008–09 Bundesliga title season.

A notable

fact about Andrea Barzagli

Is that he subsequently praised Felix Magath, his Wolfsburg coach during the 2008–09 season, for helping him progress as a player and instilling in him a stronger attitude and work ethic.

He made his UEFA Champions League debut on September 15, 2009, in Wolfsburg's 3–1 home triumph against CSKA Moscow.

On 4 April 2010, he scored his first goal for Wolfsburg in a 4–0 triumph against TSG Hoffenheim. He finished his second season at Wolfsburg with two Champions League appearances and three Europa League appearances, as well as one goal in 24 league matches.

He made 17 league appearances in his third season with the German club before joining Juventus in January.

Juventus

On January 26, 2011, Barzagli returned to Italy, signing a deal with Serie A heavyweights

for €300,000 fixed and €300,000 variable that would keep him at the club until 2013.

Barzagli's Wolfsburg contract was set to end on June 30, 2011. On the 23rd matchday of the season, on February 2, 2011, he made his Turin debut in a 2–1 away loss against his previous club Palermo.

His first six months at the Bianconeri coincided with the second half of the club's dreadful 2010–11 season under Luigi Delneri, which saw the Bianconeri finish seventh in Serie A and Barzagli make just 15 league appearances.

An important fact about Andrea Barzagli Is that he became a key member of the Juventus backline when

was appointed as the new coach, and he was one of the club's most consistent players, earning him a return to the national team.

Juventus had the finest defense in Italy and Europe in the 2011–12 season, surrendering just 20 goals in 38 outings. Barzagli made his Juventus debut on 13 May 2012, scoring a penalty in a 3–1 home victory against Atalanta in the last league fixture of the season.

He assisted Juventus in winning the 2011–12 scudetto and the 2012 Supercoppa Italiana, as well as reaching the Coppa Italia final. He was named to the Serie A Team of the Year for his outstanding performance. He extended his contract with Juventus until 2015 at the conclusion of the season.

Barzagli made a total of 45 appearances for Juventus in all competitions during the 2012–13 season, his most since his debut season at Wolfsburg.

The majority of these were made alongside Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini in Antonio Conte's now-familiar three-man backline and 3–5–2 formation, as the club won their second consecutive Serie A title and advanced to the quarter-finals of the Champions League and the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia.

As a result of their performances together, the three-man defense earned the nickname BBC, a reference to the players' initials, Barzagli did not score in the 2012–13 season, but he made an impression in a home match against

in September 2012, when he won the ball in his own half, ran past an opponent with a "sombrero," and made a lung-bursting run that ended in a through-ball assist for Sebastian Giovinco, as Juventus won 4–1.

Despite dealing with injury concerns during the 2013–14 season, Barzagli's solid performances for Juventus persisted. Juventus won the 2013 Supercoppa Italiana and their thirty-first Serie A championship with a record 102 points, finishing with the top defense in the league once again.

Juventus, on the other hand, disappointed in Europe, as they were ousted in the Champions League group stage, although reaching the Europa League semi-finals that season.

After suffering an injury during the 2014 World Cup, Barzagli had surgery in Finland on July 1, 2014, and was declared out for three months.

An important

fact about Andrea Barzagli

Is that he was sidelined for the first part of the 2014–15 season and finally made his comeback in a friendly match against the junior team. He was called up for the opening leg of Juventus' Coppa Italia semi-final match against Fiorentina.

In March 9, 2015, he made his first appearance for Juventus since his injury, coming on as a substitute in Juventus' 1–0 home victory over Sassuolo.

On 14 March 2015, Barzagli made his league debut, helping Juventus preserve a clean sheet in a 1–0 away victory against Palermo.

Barzagli assisted Juventus in keeping a clean sheet in a 1–0 away victory against Sampdoria on May 2, 2015, allowing the Turin club to win Serie A for the fourth straight season.

On 20 May, he scored in Juventus' 2–1 Coppa Italia Final triumph against

, completing a domestic double for the club; it was also the club's record eighth Coppa Italia trophy.

Barzagli started the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final for Juventus ahead of injured defensive partner Chiellini on June 6, but the squad was beaten 3–1 by

at Berlin's Olympiastadion.

Barzagli had a thigh injury on July 25 and was originally declared out for three weeks, meaning he would miss the 2015 Supercoppa Italiana; however, he recovered in time to start the match on August 8, as Juventus beat Lazio 2–0 to win a record seventh Supercoppa Italiana championship.

Barzagli showed his versatility by filling in as a rightback for the injured Stephan Lichtsteiner at the start of the 2015–16 season, where he put in a series of impressive performances, including an assist for lvaro Morata's opening goal in a 2–0 home win over Sevilla in the Champions League group stage on September 30, earning him the Juventus Player of the Month Award for October.

In a 3–1 away victory against Empoli on November 8, Barzagli made his 300th Serie A appearance. In a 2–0 away victory against Atalanta on March 6, 2016, Barzagli scored his second goal for the club since the 2011–12 season; his first goal for the club, 91 games earlier, was also against

.

In a 2–1 away loss to Verona on May 8, he made his 150th Serie A game for Juventus; it was his 30th league appearance of the season and his 40th overall, the most he has made since the 2012–13 season.

On May 11, Barzagli extended his contract with Juventus until the conclusion of the 2017–18 season, after helping the team win its sixth straight Serie A championship.

Barzagli dislocated his shoulder in the fifth minute of play against Chievo on November 6, 2016, after falling awkwardly. He was stretchered off the field and brought to the hospital.

He would be gone for two months, according to tests the next day. In the 17th of December, he returned to duty earlier than planned, coming on as a substitute in the 68th minute of a 1–0 home victory over Roma.

Barzagli made his second Champions League Final appearance in three years with Juventus on June 3, 2017, however they were beaten 4–1 by reigning champions Real Madrid. Barzagli's contract with Juventus was extended for another season on June 29, 2018.

After dealing with injuries early in the season, he returned to the starting lineup for the club's league encounter on September 26th, captaining the side to a 2–0 home victory against Bologna.

In a 1–0 away victory against

on October 23, he earned his 50th UEFA Champions League appearance (excluding qualification rounds), coming on as a late replacement for Juan Cuadrado.

An important fact about Andrea Barzagli Is that he announced his retirement at the conclusion of the season on April 13, 2019, after featuring in a 2–1 away loss to SPAL.

Barzagli made his last appearance of his career on May 19, in Juventus' final home game of the 2018–19 Serie A season, a 1–1 draw against Atalanta, and was given a send-off as Juventus celebrated winning the Serie A championship.  He was replaced by Mario Mandukic in the 61st minute and received a standing ovation from the fans.

Andrea Barzagli international career

Career as a teenager, senior debut, and World Cup triumph in 2006

Under the direction of manager Claudio Gentile, Barzagli was a part of the Italian under-21 team that won the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and he also competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, earning a bronze medal.

On November 17, 2004, he earned his first senior international debut for Italy in a 1–0 friendly home victory against Finland under Italian coach Marcello Lippi.

He was picked up for the 2006 FIFA World Cup and, although not expecting to play, was substituted in a 1–0 victory against Australia in the second round, after Marco Materazzi's dismissal.

Following Materazzi's ban and Alessandro Nesta's injury, he returned to start in his side's 3–0 quarter-final triumph against Ukraine; he played the whole 90 minutes in this match, and preserved clean sheets in both matches. That year, Italy defeated France on penalties in the World Cup final.

Following the World Cup triumph and the Euro 2008 tournament, Barzagli was an important element of Italy's defense under new manager Roberto Donadoni, appearing in six UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying matches, including the critical 2–1 win against Scotland.

After Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro sustained an injury in training on 2 June, he was named to Italy's UEFA Euro 2008 squad and teamed with Materazzi in the devastating 0–3 loss to the Netherlands.

Italy were defeated on penalties in the quarter-finals by eventual winners Spain after Barzagli sustained an injury in training on June 19 that kept him out for the remainder of the tournament.

Due to the consequences from Italy's humiliating opening defeat, Barzagli only played for the Azzurri once again in the next three years, in a 2–1 World Cup qualifier away triumph over Cyprus after Alessandro Gamberini was injured after just 60 seconds.

Despite winning the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg in 2009, Marcello Lippi did not choose him for the FIFA Confederations Cup in 2009 or the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Euro 2012, the 2013 Confederations Cup, and the 2014 World Cup marked his return to the national squad.

Due to his consistent and excellent performances for Juventus, he was recalled to the national team by manager Cesare Prandelli on 2 October 2011, after a three-year absence; on 11 October, he started in Italy's Euro 2012 qualifier away match against Serbia, and also started in the European qualifier against Northern Ireland.

Prandelli added Barzagli to the 32-man shortlist for Italy's Euro 2012 squad on May 13, 2012; on May 29, he was chosen one of the final 23 players of Italy's team.

After Gianluigi Buffon was replaced by Morgan De Sanctis in a Euro 2012 warm-up match against Russia on June 1, 2012, he led the squad for the first time.

Despite early fears that Barzagli might be unable to compete in Euro 2012, Prandelli retained him in the team in lieu of his back-up, Davide Astori, when it was confirmed that he would only miss Italy's first group matches against Spain and Croatia.

After recuperating from his injury, Barzagli was selected ahead of Leonardo Bonucci to play against Ireland with Juventus teammate Chiellini in Italy's last Euro 2012 group stage encounter on June 18, 2012.

In his first encounter of the tournament, he helped the squad retain a clean sheet in a 2–0 victory against Ireland, ensuring Italy's qualification for the knockout phase. On June 24, 2012, Barzagli began in Italy's Euro 2012 quarter-final encounter against England, which likewise ended in a 0–0 stalemate after extra time, resulting in an Italian triumph on penalties.

On June 28, 2012, Barzagli added to his Euro 2012 triumph by assisting Italy in a 2–1 win against

.

In the tournament's final, Italy was beaten 4–0 by reigning European and World Champions Spain; nonetheless, their appearance in the final automatically qualified them for the 2013 Confederations Cup.

During the 2014 World Cup Qualifying campaign, Barzagli remained in the starting lineup as Italy went unbeaten and qualified for the tournament with two matches to spare. On 16 May 2013, Barzagli was named to Prandelli's 31-man short-list for Italy's 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup squad.

A notable fact about Andrea Barzagli Is that he was eventually called up to the final 23-man Italy squad for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil on 3 June, and he went on to start in Italy's two opening group wins against Mexico and Japan, while he was rested in Italy's defeat to hosts and eventual champions Brazil.

On 13 May 2014, Barzagli was nominated to Prandelli's 30-man World Cup shortlist, and on 1 June, he was called up as one of Italy's starting centrebacks for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

During the World Cup, he played in all three of Italy's group matches, earning his 50th cap in the final group match loss to Uruguay, as they were knocked out in the first round with three points.

After playing in defense for Italy during their successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign under manager Antonio Conte, Barzagli announced his retirement from international football in October 2015.

A notable fact about Andrea Barzagli Is that he was included to Conte's 23-man Italy team for the competition on May 31, 2016.

Barzagli started every match of the tournament, assisting Bonucci and Chiellini in keeping three clean sheets as Italy advanced to the quarter-finals, only to be eliminated on penalties by Germany 6–5 on 2 July, despite converting his penalty in the ensuing shoot-out against the reigning World Cup champions.

A very distraught Barzagli revealed in a news conference with RAI Sport after the loss in what was first supposed to be his last international match, "We truly did give it our best. Unfortunately, we're left with defeat, and nothing will survive of all the excellent things we accomplished, in my opinion.

All that is left is disappointment, and in a few years, no one will remember this Nazionale, which truly gave it all. We had a great time together and wished it could last longer. We're depressed."

After the tournament, new national team manager Gian Piero Ventura announced his intention to try to persuade Barzagli to stay with the squad, despite the fact that the defender had already said that he would be retiring from international football after the tournament.

After speaking with Ventura, Barzagli stated in an interview in early August that if called up, he would consider continuing to play for Italy; on 27 August, he was officially called up to the national team once more for a friendly match against France on 1 September and Italy's first 2018 World Cup qualification match against Israel on 5 September.

He made his international comeback in Italy's 3–1 friendly loss to France at home.

Italy came in second place in Group G, behind Spain, and qualified for the play-off against Sweden. After a 1–0 aggregate defeat to Sweden in November 2017, Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Barzagli announced his retirement from the national team immediately after the second leg on November 13, a 0–0 home draw that ended up being his 73rd and last appearance.

In 2019, Barzagli was named to Juventus' defensive coaching staff by new manager Maurizio Sarri, after his retirement from professional football. He resigned from his job in May 2020, claiming personal circumstances as the cause for his departure.

Andrea Barzagli style of play

As a center-back, Barzagli is recognized for his strong, commanding, and powerful physical build, as well as being "strong in terms of anticipation, concentration, and positional awareness."

He has stood out in recent years in Italy and Europe due to his marking, intelligence, aerial prowess, and precise tackling ability, as well as his correct behavior, capacity to read the game, and adeptness in one-on-one situations; these attributes have enabled him to establish himself as one of the best defenders in the world, and have also made him an import.

His calm composure, tactical awareness, consistency, technique, vision, and ball-playing ability have lately earned him recognition as one of the world's greatest and most complete defenders.

Despite not being the fastest short-distance defender, he is noted for his speed, as well as his anticipation, timing, and ability to read the game, and is a swift sprinter.

Although he is most often used as a center-back in a three- or four-man defense, he can also play as a right-sided full-back.

Fans have given him the nicknames "The Wall” and "La Roccia" (the rock) because of his solid defensive efforts in previous years. In addition to his defensive abilities, he is admired for his work ethic, discipline, mindset, and training devotion, as well as his longevity.

Andrea Barzagli social media

Regarding

Andrea Barzagli social media

, it should be mentioned that he has an Instagram page (

) with 1.7m followers. On the page, we can see various pictures of him along with his fans and family.

He also has a Twitter account (

) with more than 868k followers. He often posts new stuff on his Twitter page.

Andrea Barzagli body measurements

Speaking about

Andrea Barzagli body measurements

, it should be mentioned that the former player is 187cm and 87kg.

Andrea Barzagli net worth and salary

Andrea Barzagli's net worth

is estimated to be around $12 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.

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