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Alberto Gilardino
Personal information
Full name	Alberto Gilardino
Date of birth	July 5, 1982 (1982-07-05) (age 25)
Place of birth	Biella, Piemonte, Italy
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Striker
Club information
Current club	A.C. Milan
Youth clubs
1999	Piacenza
Senior clubs1
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1999-2000 2000-2002 2002-2005 2005-	Piacenza Hellas Verona Parma AC Milan	17 (3) 39 (5) 96 (50) 76 (34)
National team2
2004-	Italy	25 (9)
1 Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of November 25 2007. 2 National team caps and goals correct as of November 21 2007. * Appearances (Goals)

Alberto Gilardino, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI^[1][2], (born July 5, 1982 in Biella, Piemonte) is a World Cup-winning footballer who plays as striker for A.C. Milan and the Italian national team.

Contents 1 Club 2 National 3 Honours 3.1 Club 3.2 National 3.3 Individual 4 Career stats 5 Trivia 6 References 7 External links

"Gila" started his career for Piacenza Calcio, playing his first match in Serie A against A.C. Milan. He was sold to Hellas Verona in 2001, scoring only two goals in his one season with the team, but showing plenty of his talent. His career was launched on the international stage in 2002, after he transferred to Parma F.C. on the explicit request of former Verona coach Cesare Prandelli. Gilardino scored five goals in his first season, and netted over four times that total in the 2003-04 campaign, making him the second-most prolific Serie A scorer. He repeated this feat in 2004-05, scoring 23 goals and finishing as the second-best scorer in Serie A once again.

He made an estimated £18m transfer to AC Milan on 17 July 2005. Though he scored seventeen domestic goals for Milan, he failed to find his offensive form in Milan's 2005-06 Champions League campaign, going goalless in all twelve matches. Gilardino's European offensive output the next season was equally disappointing, with only two goals, in addition to an ignominious dive during the first leg of Milan's knockout round matchup against Celtic. One of his two goals, though, helped Milan seal a decisive 3-0 win over Manchester United in the second leg of the semifinals on May 3, 2007, which put them back into the CL final and set up a rematch with Liverpool F.C.. He played only two minutes as a substitute for Filippo Inzaghi in Milan's 2-1 victory. Gilardino led Milan in '06-07 Serie A scoring with twelve goals; no other Milan player hit double figures.

He contributed a brace in Milan's 5-1 defeat of S.S. Lazio on October 7, 2007 (which marked his first domestic goal following a double in Milan's 5-2 victory over Ascoli Calcio on April 18), and likewise for his first Champions League scores of the season in a 4-1 victory over FC Shakhtar Donetsk on October 24.

Gilardino played with Italy in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, winning the bronze medal. He also led Italy's Under 21 team to victory in the 2004 European Under-21 Football Championship.

He was a member of the Italy squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He played in the first two matches, scoring a goal against the United States with a diving header, then coming on as a substitute in the semifinal match against Germany, hitting the post in extra time and providing the pass for Alessandro Del Piero's stoppage-time goal that sealed Italy's 2-0 victory.

On October 17th, 2007, Gilardino assumed the team captaincy after Daniele De Rossi was substituted during Italy's 2-0 friendly win over South Africa.

Olympic medal record
Competitor for  Italy
Men's Football
Bronze	2004 Athens	Team Competition

• UEFA Champions League: 1
  • 2006-07, AC Milan
    
• UEFA Super Cup: 1
  • 2007, AC Milan
• FIFA Club World Cup: 1
  • 2007, AC Milan

• FIFA World Cup: 1
  • 2006, Italian national team
    
• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 1
  • 2004, Italian national under-21 team

• Serie A Footballer of the Year: 1
  • 2005
    
• Italian Footballer of the Year: 1
  • 2005
    
• Serie A Young Footballer of the Year: 1
  • 2004

All-Time Club Performance

Club	Season	Domestic League		Domestic Cup		European Competition1		Total
		App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Piacenza	1999-00	17	3	-	-	-	-	17	3
	Sept. 2000	-	-	3	2	-	-	3	2
Total		17	3	3	2	-	-	20	5
Hellas Verona	Sept. 2000-01	22	3	-	-	-	-	22	3
	2001-02	17	2	2	1	-	-	19	3
Total		39	5	2	1	-	-	41	6
Parma	2002-03	24	4	2	1	2	0	26	5
	2003-04	34	23	2	0	4	3	40	26
	2004-05	38	23	1	0	8	1	47	25
Total		96	50	5	1	14	4	115	55
AC Milan	2005-06	34	17	3	2	10	0	47	19
	2006-07	30	12	4	2	11	2	45	16
	2007-082	12	5	-	-	4	2	16	7
Total		75	34	7	4	25	4	108	42
Career Totals		227	92	18	8	39	8	284	108

^1. "European Competitions" include the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup. During Gilardino's Parma years, all games were played in the UEFA Cup. During his AC Milan years, all games have been played in the UEFA Champions League.

^2. The 2007-08 Serie A stats are in italics because they are not finalized as the season is still ongoing.

• When he scores, he often celebrates "playing the violin"- he gets down on his knees and imitates a violinist.
• Gilardino is close friends with Milan teammate Daniele Bonera; they were also teammates at Parma. Gilardino once dedicated one of his goals to Daniele's baby daughter.
• He became engaged to Alice Bregoli in March 2006.^[3] They are expecting their first child in early 2008.
• He was born the day of Italy’s 3-2 group stage victory over Brazil in the 1982 World Cup, which was ultimately won by Italy.

• Profile and club stats at A.C. Milan official site
• (Italian) National Team stats at FIGC official site
• FootballDatabase.com provides Gilardino's profile and stats
• Fan site

Awards
Preceded by Kaká	Serie A Footballer of the Year 2005	Succeeded by Fabio Cannavaro
Preceded by Francesco Totti	Italian Footballer of the Year 2005	Succeeded by Fabio Cannavaro
Preceded by Antonio Cassano	Serie A Young Footballer of the Year 2004	Succeeded by Giampaolo Pazzini

v • d • e Italy squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup Champions (4th Title)
1 Buffon • 2 Zaccardo • 3 Grosso • 4 De Rossi • 5 Cannavaro • 6 Barzagli • 7 Del Piero • 8 Gattuso • 9 Toni • 10 Totti • 11 Gilardino • 12 Peruzzi • 13 Nesta • 14 Amelia • 15 Iaquinta • 16 Camoranesi • 17 Barone • 18 Inzaghi • 19 Zambrotta • 20 Perrotta • 21 Pirlo • 22 Oddo • 23 Materazzi • Coach: Lippi

v • d • e A.C. Milan – current squad
1 Dida • 2 Cafu • 3 Maldini • 4 Kaladze • 5 Emerson • 7 Pato • 8 Gattuso • 9 Inzaghi • 10 Seedorf • 11 Gilardino • 13 Nesta • 16 Kalac • 17 Šimić • 18 Jankulovski • 19 Favalli • 20 Gourcuff • 21 Pirlo • 22 Kaká • 23 Ambrosini • 25 Bonera • 27 Serginho • 29 Fiori • 31 Digão • 32 Brocchi • 34 Ba • 36 Darmian • 44 Oddo • 94 W. Aubameyang • 99 Ronaldo • Coach: Ancelotti