Antonio Di Natale
Antonio Di Natale, 2012
Antonio Di Natale (born 13 October 1977 in Naples ) is an Italian footballer who plays for Udinese since 2004 and there is also team captain.
Di Natale is one of the top scorers in Serie A and can be used anywhere on the offensive: When hanging lace, on the winger or center-forward.
Club career
The striker Di Natale, nicknamed Totó, began his career in the second Italian League with FC Empoli, his breakthrough to the regulars, however, in the 1997/98 season in the fourth division at Iperzola. After the stations Varese and Viareggio in 1999 he came back to Empoli. With the club from Tuscany he rose after the 2001/ 02 season in the Serie A. Di Natale headed contributes 16 goals. In the very first season of Empoli in the top division Di Natale scored 13 goals and became international.
After two seasons in Serie A Empoli had 2004 back to Serie B and Di Natale joined Udinese Calcio, where he formed a successful strike partnerships with players like Vincenzo Iaquinta, Fabio Quagliarella and Antonio Floro Flores and became known as a reliable scorer: Since the season 2004/ 05 he scored more than ten Goals in official matches per season. He also played with Udinese in the UEFA Cup and the Champions League.
Europe he was known, however, until 32 years ago during the 2009 /10 when he was top scorer in the Serie A with 29 goals and Udinese Calcio virtually single-handedly saved from relegation. He also broke the club record of Oliver Bierhoff, who scored in the 1997 season / 98 28 matches for Udinese.
That Di Natales appetite for goals was not yet satisfied, he proved in the following Playing time: With 28 goals, he was again in Italy scorer. In addition, he made this season along with Alexis Sánchez, the most successful strike duo the league and led Udinese to fourth place in the table and hence the Champions League qualification, where Udinese, however, failed to Arsenal.
Prior to the 2011/12 season Juventus Di Natale wanted to undertake. A change did not come for the striker in question, however: " I have sworn to the President that I will finish my career at Udinese And my word is worth more than any signature on a contract.. " At the end of this season, Di Natale was the title of the Italian scorer not defend, but he played another strong season and made 23 league goals as well as numerous templates that Udinese Calcio finished the season in third place.
In July 2012, Di Natale extended his contract with Udinese until 30 June 2014. The 2012/13 season he finished again with 23 league goals and thus Edinson Cavani behind as second scorer. Alone between 2009 and 2013 the end of the season 35 -year-old Di Natale had played 139 league games in four seasons and scored 103 goals. On July 9, 2013 Di Natale extended his contract with Udinese ahead until 30 June 2015.
National
Di Natale made his debut for the Italian national team do during his time at Empoli, on 20 November 2002 in a match against Turkey. His first goal for the Azzurri he scored on his fourth international appearance, on 18 February 2004 against the Czech Republic.
With Italy Di Natale took part in the 2008 European Championships and the 2010 World Cup, with both tournaments for Di Natale and his team were disappointing: When a penalty shootout in the quarter-finals of Euro 2008 against Spain, he scored the winning penalty that kept the Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas been. In the 2010 World Cup, he was able to score a goal in the final and decisive group match against Slovakia, but as the game was lost with 2:3, he could not prevent the departure of his team in the group stage.
Di Natale was in Cesare Prandelli's Italy squad of European Football Championship in 2012. During 1:1 in the first group match on June 10, 2012 compared to Spain, he came on for Mario Balotelli and scored with his first touch in the 60th minute the first goal for his team.
Achievements
In the National Team
- European runners-up: 2012
Personal Awards
- Scorer of the Serie A 2009/10, 2010/11
- Best Italian players in Serie A: 2010
- Best Goleador Serie A: 2010
- Serie A Team of the Year: 2011, 2012, 2013