Salvatore Fresi

Salvatore Fresi (born 16 January 1973) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back.

Salvatore Fresi
Personal information
Date of birth (1973-01-16) 16 January 1973
Place of birth La Maddalena, Italy
Height 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position(s) Defender, midfielder
Youth career
1990–1991 Fiorentina
1991–1993 Foggia
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1993–1995 Salernitana 62 (2)
1995–2000 Internazionale 87 (1)
1998–1999 → Salernitana (loan) 27 (3)
2000–2001 → Napoli (loan) 23 (1)
2001–2002 Bologna 25 (8)
2002–2004 Juventus 9 (1)
2004 Perugia 11 (2)
2004 Catania 6 (0)
2005 Salernitana 6 (0)
2005–2006 Battipagliese
National team
1994–1996 Italy U-21 20 (1)
1997–1998 Italy 0 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Club career

Fresi was born in La Maddalena, Sardinia. His first professional championship was with Salernitana in 1993–94, with whom he obtained promotion to Serie B. At the conclusion of the season he was selected for the Italian Under-21 side for the first time, and later became the captain of the side.[1][2][3]

After another season in Serie B with Salernitana, in which his team narrowly missed out on promotion to Serie A, he was acquired by Inter in 1995. Fresi played for the Milanese team until 2000, winning an UEFA Cup in 1998. Later that year, he was loaned back to Salernitana, and he was subsequently also loaned out to Napoli during the 2000–01 season. He joined Bologna in 2001, where he was able to play more frequently and recapture his previous form, and even scored 8 goals for the club; his performances gained him a place at the title-holders Juventus. Although he started the 2002–03 season strongly with the Turin side, scoring Juventus's third goal in a 3–0 win over Atalanta, after coming on as a substitute in the second half of the team's opening league match of the season, he went on to obtain few appearances in Serie A, making only 9 league appearances and a total of 16 in all competitions, although he was part of the team which won the scudetto during the 2002–03 Serie A season, and the 2002 Supercoppa Italiana. The following season, he only made one appearance for Juventus against Siena in the Coppa Italia, and he eventually left the club in 2004, going on loan to Perugia.[1][2][3][4]

Later, he also played for Catania and Salernitana once again, where he remained despite the latter club's relegation to Serie C1 in 2005. The last team of his career was Battipagliese, for whom he played in the Eccellenza series, during the 2005–06 season.[1][2][3]

International career

Fresi was selected six times for the Italy national football team between 1995 and 1999, with his most recent call-up coming under manager Dino Zoff, but never played a single match for Italy at senior level.[5] Fresi did make 17 international appearances with the Italy national under-21 football team between 1994 and 1996, scoring one goal, and frequently captained the squad; he was a member of the team that won the 1996 UEFA European Under-21 Championship under Cesare Maldini, and even scored in the final penalty shoot-out victory over Spain. Fresi also represented Italy at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, making three appearances.[2][3][6]

Style of play

A stylish, elegant, and technically gifted defender, Fresi usually played as a man-marking centre-back or more often as a sweeper. His playing style, talent, character, leadership, composure in possession, and ability to create chances from the back with long balls that would meet the runs of the attackers initially led him to be compared to Franco Baresi in his youth. He was also known for his ability in the air as a defender, as well as his eye for goal, and was even capable of playing as a central midfielder, a position in which he was occasionally deployed due to his defensive limitations and ability in possession of the ball, although this was not his favoured position, as he often struggled in this role, and performed better in defence.[2][3][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

Honours

Club

Juventus[2][3]

Inter[2][3]

International

Italy under-21[2][3]

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References
  1. "Salvatore Fresi". tuttocalciatori.net (in Italian). Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  2. "Il Pallone Racconta: Salvatore Fresi". ilpalloneracconta.blogspot.ca (in Italian). 15 January 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  3. Stefano Bedeschi (15 January 2015). "Gli eroi in bianconero: Salvatore FRESI" (in Italian). Tutto Juve. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  4. "Salvatore Fresi". myjuve.it (in Italian). Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  5. "Nazionale in cifre: Fresi, Salvatore". figc.it (in Italian). FIGC. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
  6. "Italy - Spain 4:3". www.worldfootball.net. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  7. "Il Livorno sbatte sull'Espanyol" (in Italian). UEFA.com. Retrieved 9 November 2014.
  8. Will Magee (7 August 2017). "Five of the best defences of Serie A's golden era, ft. Milan, Juve, Inter, Parma". www.planetfootball.com. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  9. "Che fine hanno fatto? Fresi, un difensore col vizio del golf" (in Italian). sport.sky.it. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  10. Licia Granello (22 May 1997). "PAGLIUCA IL MIGLIORE DJORKAEFF NON BASTA" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  11. Gianni Piva (1 November 1997). "PAGLIUCA RECUPERA SIMONI CAMBIA, ESCLUSO SIMEONE" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  12. ANGELO CAROTENUTO (10 October 2000). "Napoli, guida Fresi 'Zeman il migliore'" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  13. MARCO AZZI (2 April 2001). "I migliori sono Fresi e Pineda Saber incerto, Matuzalem nervoso" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  14. Antonio Labbate (29 March 2011). "The lost Franco Baresi". Football Italia. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
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