 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Andrea Dossena | ||
| Date of birth | 11 September 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Lodi, Italy | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1] | ||
| Playing position | Left Midfield, Left Back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Sunderland | ||
| Number | 3 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1995–2001 | Verona | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2001–2005 | Verona | 99 | (3) |
| 2005–2006 | Treviso | 21 | (0) |
| 2006–2008 | Udinese | 63 | (2) |
| 2008–2010 | Liverpool | 18 | (2) |
| 2010–2013 | Napoli | 83 | (3) |
| 2013 | → Palermo (loan) | 11 | (0) |
| 2013– | Sunderland | 6 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2000–2001 | Italy U-20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2007– | Italy | 10 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 12:41, 28 December 2013 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12:41, 8 March 2013 (UTC) | |||
Andrea Dossena (born 11 September 1981 in Lodi) is an Italian footballer who plays as a left wing back orleft back for Sunderland.
Dossena started his professional career at Verona in 2001, having progressed through the club's youth ranks. Having made 99 league appearances for Verona, he joined Treviso in 2005, and made 21 league appearances for the club. He then joined Udinese in 2006, and had a successful two-year spell, which, after making 63 league appearances, saw him switch to English side Liverpool in July 2008. However, he struggled to adapt to the English game, making just 18 league appearances in two seasons, and he returned to Italy in January 2010, when he signed for Napoli. Although he quickly established himself in the team, he fell out of favour during the 2012–13 season, and was loaned to Palermo, where he made 11 league appearances. In September 2013, having made 83 league appearances for Napoli, Dossena returned to England when he joined current club Sunderland.
Club career
Early career
Dossena began his career at Verona as a youth player before playing 4 seasons in their senior squad. He made his Serie A debut on 18 November 2001, city derby against Chievo.[2]
Italian Serie A team Treviso signed Dossena in a co-ownership deal in 2005, which promoted due to Caso Genoa.[3]
Udinese
Udinese signed him in 2006 in a co-ownership with Treviso, which became permanent in June 2007. He was given the number 2 jersey and made 63 appearances in the two seasons with Udinese, scoring 2 league goals along the way.[4]
In October 2007, he was awarded an improved contract which last until 30 June 2012.[5]
Liverpool
On 4 July 2008, Liverpool confirmed the signing of Dossena on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the region of £7 million, becoming the second Italian to play for the club, behind Daniele Padelli.[6][7][8]
Dossena was signed as a direct replacement for John Arne Riise who left for Roma.[1] On 10 July 2008, it was announced that Dossena would wear the number 2 shirt.[9] His debut for Liverpool came on 16 August in the 1–0 Premier League win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light. The start to his career at Liverpool was marked by poor form and he was unsatisfied with his performances, telling The Guardian:
Dossena reinforced that he was committed to the club and explained that he was having difficulties adjusting because the pace of English football was significantly different from what he had experienced in Serie A. Despite his largely unimpressive performances, he received more opportunities to prove himself in the first team as Fábio Aurélio, Liverpool's favoured left back, suffered an injury in late November.[11] He lost his first team slot with Aurelio's return from injury combined with the emergence of Emiliano Insúa. He scored his first goal for Liverpool on 10 March 2009 against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League after coming on as a substitute.[12] He scored his first goal in the Premier League four days later, on 14 March in the 4–1 victory againstManchester United at Old Trafford.[13] He scored both goals playing as an auxiliary left-winger as a late substitute in both games.
Napoli
On 8 January 2010, Dossena signed for S.S.C. Napoli in a four-year contract, and was given the number eight shirt[14] The fee quoted was €4.25 million andAndriy Voronin left on the same day.[15] He made his debut for Napoli on 13 January 2010 in a Coppa Italia match against Juventus.[16] His Serie A debut forNapoli came on 17 January 2010 in the 0–0 against Palermo at the San Paolo Stadium.[17]
Dossena netted a brace in the final game of the season against Siena on 13 May 2012, sending Napoli to a 2–1 win and guaranteeing Europa Leaguefootball.[18]
Palermo
Sunderland
Following the return of Dossena's former Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, Dossena was told he would be allowed to look for a new club. On 2 September 2013, he moved to Sunderland on a free transfer.[20] Dossena made his Sunderland debut on 27 October, playing at left back in a 2–1 victory over local rivalsNewcastle United.[21] However, Dossena was sent of in Sunderland's next game at Hull City for a stamp on David Meyler.
