Gabriel Paletta

Gabriel Alejandro Paletta (Italian: [paˈletta]; born 15 February 1986) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Italian club Monza.

Gabriel Paletta
Personal information
Full name Gabriel Alejandro Paletta[1]
Date of birth (1986-02-15) 15 February 1986
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[2]
Position(s) Centre-back
Club information
Current team
 Monza
Number 29
Youth career
2002–2005 Banfield
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2006 Banfield 42 (5)
2006–2007 Liverpool 3 (0)
2007–2010 Boca Juniors 59 (5)
2010–2015 Parma 123 (5)
2015–2018 Milan 44 (2)
2015–2016 → Atalanta (loan) 24 (1)
2018–2019 Jiangsu Suning 42 (1)
2019– Monza 18 (1)
National team‡
2005 Argentina U20 7 (0)
2014 Italy 3 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15:08, 16 January 2021 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 June 2014

Born in Argentina to parents of Italian descent, Paletta represented his birth nation at the under-20 level, participating in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. He started all seven matches as Argentina won the title. In 2014, Paletta was called up to the Italy national team and made his debut in a friendly against Spain. He represented Italy at the FIFA World Cup later that year.

Club career

Banfield

Paletta came through the youth divisions of Banfield and reached the first team in 2005. When Banfield qualified for the knockout stages of the Copa Libertadores, they altered their 25-man squad for the event to include Paletta and immediately threw him into action against the Colombian team Independiente Medellín. Paletta played well and Banfield progressed, but Paletta was to play no further part in the tournament after being called up to the Argentina under-20 team to participate in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship.

Liverpool

In February 2006, Paletta agreed to sign with Liverpool and eventually signed a four-year contract on 4 July 2006. Paletta became the second Argentine to play for the Merseyside club, after Mauricio Pellegrino.[3][4] Paletta's first appearance for Liverpool came in a pre-season friendly against Wrexham in July. He scored his first goal for Liverpool during a 2006–07 Football League Cup third round 4–3 win against Reading on 25 October 2006.[5] Paletta debuted for Liverpool in the 2006–07 Premier League season in a 4–0 away win against Wigan Athletic on 2 December; he was substituted onto the field for Sami Hyypiä in the 61st minute. Paletta would go on to make just two more league appearances for Liverpool.

Paletta debuted in the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League in a group stage fixture in a 3–2 away defeat against Galatasaray on 5 December. He was substituted off of the field in the 66th minute for Luis García. Paletta played a full 90 minutes of Liverpool's 2006–07 Football League Cup quarter-final match, a 6–3 home defeat against Arsenal on 9 January 2007. By the time that Paletta had made just eight appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, it was reported on 9 July that Paletta would be loaned to Spanish club Levante in order to gain some valuable first-team experience as Levante had expressed their interest signing Paletta on loan deal for the whole of 2007–08 season. Although Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez had agreed to loaning the defender, the loan deal was not reached.[6] Liverpool went on to reach the final of the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League, losing 2–1 to Milan on 23 May 2007. On 26 August, it had been officially reported that Liverpool had agreed for Paletta to sign with Boca Juniors, having welcomed the arrival of Argentine Emiliano Insúa.

2007–08 season

In August 2007, Paletta joined Boca Juniors where he was handed the number 29 shirt. He debuted for Boca Juniors in the Torneo Apertura of the 2007–08 Primera División season on 29 August 2007.[7] One month later, Paletta scored his first goal for Boca Juniors in the 84th minute of a 2–2 home draw with Gimnasia de Jujuy on 23 September.[8] He participated in his first Superclásico, which resulted in a 2–0 win to River Plate at the Estadio Monumental, on 7 October.[9] Paletta played a full 90 minutes of Boca's 2007 FIFA Club World Cup 1–0 semi-final win against Étoile du Sahel on 12 December.[10][11] Four days later, he played a full 90 minutes of the final which resulted in a 4–2 win for European champions Milan on 16 December.[11][12]

During the 2008 Torneo de Verano, Paletta scored with header from a Jesús Dátolo free-kick in the 3–2 Copa Revancha loss against River Plate. Paletta's first appearance in the 2008 Copa Libertadores came in a 1–1 away draw against Venezuelan club Maracaibo on 20 February.[13] He received his first red card during the Torneo Clausura in a 1–1 home draw against Independiente on 9 March. Paletta scored his first Copa Libertadores goal after nine minutes in Boca's last group stage fixture, a 3–0 home win against Maracaibo on 22 April.[14] The 3–0 win meant that Boca advanced to the 2008 Copa Libertadores knockout stages. Paletta scored his second league goal for Boca in a 2–1 home victory against Racing Club on 17 May.[15] Paletta participated in the Copa Libertadores knockout stage fixtures until Boca were eliminated by Fluminense in the semi-finals. He scored his third league goal for Boca with a header in the 40th minute of the first-half, in a 6–2 home victory against Tigre on 22 June.[16]

2008–09 season

Paletta played in both of Boca's 2008 Recopa Sudamericana matches, defeating Arsenal de Sarandí 5–3 on aggregate, winning 3–1 on 13 August and drawing 2–2 on 27 August.[17][18] On 11 November, it was reported that MRI scans confirmed that Paletta had torn the cruciate ligament in his right knee after a 1–0 away victory against Arsenal de Sarandí on 9 November, and was ruled out of play for six months. Boca's club doctor, José Veiga, had seen that Paletta had a knee twist and ordered him to undergo some scans after the 1–0 victory against Arsenal.[19][20] Boca Juniors went on to claim the Torneo Apertura title of the 2008–09 Argentine Primera División season. Paletta returned in a 2–1 home win against Arsenal de Sarandí on 17 May, playing a full 90 minutes of the match.[21] One week later, Paletta suffered an ankle sprain and was substituted off of the field in the 15th minute for Gastón Sauro in a 2–0 away loss against Vélez Sársfield on 24 May.[22] Boca had also participated in the 2009 Copa Libertadores, reaching the knockout stages of the tournament where they were eliminated by Uruguayan club Defensor Sporting.

2009–10 season

In August 2009, it was reported that a deal with Paletta and Italian club Palermo fell through due to a disagreement of Paletta's price. Greek club Panathinaikos were also chasing his signature.[23] Paletta played a full 90 minutes of Boca Juniors 2009 Copa Sudamericana First Stage match, a 1–1 draw with Vélez Sársfield on 20 August. Paletta scored an own goal for Boca in the 73rd minute, levelling the scores. He again played a full 90 minutes of the second-leg, where Boca Juniors were defeated 1–0 on 16 September.[24] The 2–1 aggregate loss saw Boca Juniors eliminated from the competition. Paletta received his first red card of the 2009–10 Argentine Primera División season in a 4–2 away loss against Newell's Old Boys on 6 February.[25] His first goal of the 2009–2010 season came in a 2–1 home defeat against Huracán on 9 May. Paletta scored in the 50th minute with a right footed shot.[26] Paletta's last game for Boca Juniors came in a 3–0 away defeat against his former club Banfield on 14 May, where he scored an own goal in the 67th minute.[27]

Parma

On 6 July 2010, Italian Serie A club Parma announced via their website the acquisition outright of Paletta from Boca Juniors.[28] He was a regular in the side, seeing off the challenge of Massimo Paci and partnering Alessandro Lucarelli. This partnership continued for the first half of the following season under Franco Colomba, but Roberto Donadoni's arrival in January 2012 saw a switch to three defenders and Paletta enjoyed a fine end to the season.

In August 2012, Paletta signed a three-year extension to the contract he signed with the club in 2010; It tied him to the club until 2017.[29]

Milan

On 2 February 2015, Milan signed Paletta[30] for €3.5 million fee.[31] He signed a 3.5-year contract.[32]

On 27 August 2015, Paletta signed for Atalanta on a season-long loan.[33]

Upon his return to Milan, Paletta was often selected by manager Vincenzo Montella, making 30 appearances and scoring two goals in the 2016–17 Serie A season. During the season, he had also been sent off a record 5 times, two of which were straight red cards.[34]

With the arrival of 11 new players in the summer transfer window, including central defenders Mateo Musacchio and Leonardo Bonucci, Paletta's opportunities at the club had been significantly limited. Despite being featured in a few friendly games during the summer, Paletta had been declared "out of project" by manager Vincenzo Montella, who was dismissed in November 2018. Nevertheless, Paletta was included in Milan's squad list for the group stage of Europa League.[35] While continuing to train with the senior team, Paletta made several appearances for the club's youth team, managed by Gennaro Gattuso at the time.[36] With Gattuso's appointment as a head coach of the senior team, Paletta got a rare opportunity to play full 90 minutes in an away Europa League 0-2 defeat against Rijeka once Milan had already qualified for the knockout stage.[37]

Paletta was released from his contract on 30 January 2018 by mutual consent.[38]

Jiangsu Suning

On 23 February 2018, Paletta signed for Chinese Super League club Jiangsu Suning.[39]

Monza

After being released by Jiangsu Suning, on 6 November 2019 Paletta signed a three-year contract for then-Serie C club Monza, owned by former AC Milan chairman Silvio Berlusconi and coached by his former teammate Cristian Brocchi.[40]

International career

In 2005, Paletta was selected for the Argentina under-20 team to participate in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. He started in all seven games of the tournament, playing in the heart of the Argentine defence in a side also featuring future senior team stars Lionel Messi and Sergio Agüero. Argentina went on to win the tournament, and Paletta's performances attracted the attention of Liverpool.

In possession of an Italian passport due to his ancestry from Savelli in the province of Crotone, in Calabria, where his great-grandfather Vincenzo emigrated from,[41][42] Paletta is also eligible for the Italy national team. In March 2014, he was called up to Italy's squad for a friendly against Spain.[43] He earned his first cap on 5 March, playing the full 90 minutes in the 0–1 loss against Spain.[44]

On 1 June of that year, Paletta was named in Italy's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[45] He made his competitive debut in the team's opening match, starting alongside Andrea Barzagli in central defence as the Azzurri beat England in Manaus.[46]

Style of play

Paletta is capable of playing as a centre-back in both a three or four-man defence. He is good in possession and an attentive man-marker, although he is primarily known for his composure, aerial ability and heading accuracy; he has also drawn some criticism at times for being inconsistent, error-prone, and excessively aggressive when tackling, which led to unnecessary bookings and expulsions on numerous occasions.[47][48]

Career statistics

Club
As of match played 16 January 2021[49][50]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Banfield[51] 2005–06 Primera División 425——00— 425
Liverpool 2006–07 Premier League 30003120—81
Boca Juniors 2007–08 Primera División 214——712[lower-alpha 1]0305
2008–09 160——002[lower-alpha 2]0180
2009–10 221——2000241
Total 595——9140726
Parma 2010–11 Serie A 27010———280
2011–12 33420———354
2012–13 35110———361
2013–14 21020———230
2014–15 7021———91
Total 123581———1316
Milan 2014–15 Serie A 14000———140
2016–17 30210——1[lower-alpha 3]0322
2017–18 0000—10—10
Total 44210—1010472
Atalanta 2015–16 Serie A 24100———241
Jiangsu Suning 2018 Chinese Super League24130———271
2019 18010———190
Total 42140———461
Monza 2019–21 Serie C 7 1 0 0 — — — 7 1
2020–21 Serie B 11 0 0 0 — — — 11 0
Total 18 1 0 0 — — — 19 1
Career total 34819141311215038222
  1. Appearances in the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup
  2. Appearances in the 2008 Recopa Sudamericana
  3. Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana

International
As of 14 June 2014[50][52]
Italy
YearAppsGoals
201430
Total30

Honours

Club

Boca Juniors

Milan

Monza

International

Argentina U20

References
  1. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players: Italy" (PDF). FIFA. 14 July 2014. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2019.
  2. http://www.fifadata.com/document/fwc/2014/pdf/fwc_2014_squadlists.pdf
  3. Vickery, Tim (15 February 2006). "Tim Vickery column". BBC News.
  4. "Who is Gabriel Paletta? – The lowdown on Liverpool's new Argentine defender – LFChistory – Stats galore for Liverpool FC!". www.lfchistory.net.
  5. "Liverpool 4–3 Reading". BBC News. 25 October 2006.
  6. "Levante look to loan Paletta". Sky Sports.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 27 December 2009. Retrieved 28 December 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Boca Juniors vs. Gimnasia Jujuy – 23 September 2007 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  9. "River Plate vs. Boca Juniors – 7 October 2007 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  10. "Etoile du Sahel vs. Boca Juniors – 12 December 2007 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  11. "FIFA Club World Cup archive". FIFA.com.
  12. "Milan vs. Boca Juniors – 16 December 2007 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  13. "UA Maracaibo vs. Boca Juniors – 21 February 2008 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  14. "Boca Juniors vs. UA Maracaibo – 23 April 2008 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  15. "Boca Juniors vs. Racing Club – 17 May 2008 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  16. "Boca Juniors vs. Tigre – 22 June 2008 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  17. "Arsenal vs. Boca Juniors – 14 August 2008 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  18. "Boca Juniors vs. Arsenal – 28 August 2008 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  19. "Arsenal vs. Boca Juniors – 9 November 2008 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  20. http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=591443&sec=global&&cc=3436
  21. "Boca Juniors vs. Arsenal – 17 May 2009 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  22. "Vélez Sarsfield vs. Boca Juniors – 24 May 2009 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  23. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 31 July 2009. Retrieved 6 August 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. "Vélez Sarsfield vs. Boca Juniors – 17 September 2009 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  25. "Newell's Old Boys vs. Boca Juniors – 6 February 2010 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  26. "Boca Juniors vs. Huracán – 9 May 2010 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  27. "Banfield vs. Boca Juniors – 15 May 2010 – Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
  28. "Paletta al Parma / Mercoledì 7 luglio 2010 la presentazione" (in Italian). Parma F.C. 6 July 2010. Archived from the original on 28 November 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.
  29. "Paletta blindato: sarà gialloblù fino al 2017" [Paletta tied down: he'll be Gialloblù until 2017]. Gazzetta di Parma (in Italian). Parma. 28 August 2012. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  30. "Gabriel Paletta ceduto a titolo definitivo al Milan" (in Italian). Parma FC. 2 February 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  31. A.C. Milan S.p.A. bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 31 December 2015, PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A. (in Italian)
  32. "PALETTA JOINS MILAN". A.C. Milan. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  33. "Gabriel Paletta in prestito all'Atalanta". atalanta.it (in Italian). Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio. 27 August 2015. Archived from the original on 31 August 2015. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  34. http://www.legaseriea.it/en/serie-a/teams/milan/team/2016-17
  35. https://www.acmilan.com/en/news/europa-league/2017-09-02/uefa-europa-league-squad-list
  36. https://www.calciomercato.com/en/news/milan-gattuso-paletta-should-be-an-example-for-all-of-my-young-p-66950
  37. https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2018/matches/round=2000890/match=2022141/index.html
  38. "Gabriel Paletta in prestito all'Atalanta". Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 30 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  39. 苏宁官方:意大利国脚后卫帕莱塔自由身加盟 at sports.sina.com 2018-02-23 Retrieved 2018-02-23 (in Chinese)
  40. "UFFICIALE: Monza, colpo in difesa: triennale al centrale Paletta" (in Italian). TuttoMercatoWeb. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  41. "Paletta, l'ultimo degli oriundi "Il desiderio del mio bisnonno"". La Repubblica. 1 March 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
  42. "L'azzurro più cercato in rete del 2014? Gabriel Paletta stacca tutti". La Gazzetta dello Sport. 28 November 2014. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
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  46. "England 1–2 Italy". BBC. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
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  48. Luca Persico (2 June 2014). "Italy's World Cup 23". Football Italia. Retrieved 2 February 2017.
  49. "Giocatore – GABRIEL PALETTA" (in Italian). Lega Serie A. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  50. Gabriel Paletta at Soccerway
  51. "futbolxxi.com – Informationen zum Thema futbolxxi". ww1.futbolxxi.com.
  52. "Paletta, Gabriel" (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  53. "Boca perdió ante Tigre pero se consagró campeón". AFA.com (official site of the Argentine Soccer Association). 23 December 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2014.
  54. "FIFA U-20 World Cup archive". FIFA.com.
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