38 Facts About Alberto Aquilani

Alberto Aquilani returned to Liverpool at the end of the season as Juventus did not take up their purchase option.

In 2001, when Alberto Aquilani was 17, Chelsea and Arsenal offered him contracts, but he declined the offers to continue playing for his youth club Roma.

Alberto Aquilani made his debut in Serie A at the age of 18 on 10 May 2002 under then manager Fabio Capello against Torino.

Alberto Aquilani was given the number 8 shirt previously worn by Matteo Ferrari.

Alberto Aquilani returned to the field in May 2007 and featured in three games towards the end of the season, including the last two.

Alberto Aquilani was injured again on 22 October 2008 against Chelsea.

Alberto Aquilani returned to action on 11 January 2009 against Milan but picked up another injury in February.

On 26 May 2009, Alberto Aquilani signed a new contract with Roma until 2013, adding three more years to previous deal.

Alberto Aquilani made his first Premier League start against Wolves on 26 December 2009 and received a standing ovation from the Kop when he was substituted in the 84th minute for Daniel Pacheco.

Alberto Aquilani scored his first goal for Liverpool on 15 March 2010 against Portsmouth and he assisted Fernando Torres for the fourth Liverpool goal.

Alberto Aquilani was voted man of the match by the fans on Liverpool's official website.

Alberto Aquilani gained the man of the match award in his next Liverpool league start, against Fulham in a goalless draw at Anfield.

Alberto Aquilani won the LFC Man of the Match award again after his performance.

In total, Alberto Aquilani played 26 times in his debut season for the reds, scoring twice but rarely playing the full 90 minutes.

On 21 August 2010, a deal between Liverpool and Juventus was agreed, to allow Alberto Aquilani to go on a one-season loan deal to Juventus with an option of a permanent move.

Alberto Aquilani returned to Liverpool after Juventus decided against making his transfer permanent.

On 4 July 2011, Aquilani started pre-season training with Liverpool, though his agent later confirmed that his wish was to stay at Juventus in Serie A He was included in the squad's pre-season tour of Asia and marked his return to the team in a friendly against Guangdong Sunray Cave on 13 July.

Alberto Aquilani subsequently impressed against a Malaysian XI on 16 July 2011.

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish paid tribute to Alberto Aquilani on his departure, stating that the only reason for the loan was an inability to fit the player into the team's preferred formation.

On 18 September 2011, Alberto Aquilani scored his first goal for Milan in his second Serie A match for the club, heading home a cross from Cassano to open the scoring against Napoli at the San Paolo in Naples.

Alberto Aquilani was included in the squad for Liverpool's pre-season tour of North America and played 45 minutes in the opening match against Toronto FC.

Liverpool allowed Alberto Aquilani to leave the club for free thus Roma received nothing from the bonus clause.

Alberto Aquilani reached the 2014 Coppa Italia Final with Fiorentina that season, where they were defeated by Napoli.

On 25 August 2017 and following his departure from Pescara, Alberto Aquilani signed a two-year contract with Spanish La Liga side Las Palmas.

In July 2018, following the club's relegation, Alberto Aquilani was released from his contract.

On 28 June 2019, after one season without a club, Alberto Aquilani announced his retirement.

At youth level, Alberto Aquilani was capped for Italy at 2001 UEFA European Under-16 Championship qualifying.

Alberto Aquilani won 2003 UEFA European Under-19 Championship with Italy and scored one goal, later being named the tournament's best player.

Alberto Aquilani was then promoted to the U21 team and took part in 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying, but missed out on the final tournament due to injury.

Alberto Aquilani played as a regular during the 2007 U-21 Championship held in the Netherlands, scoring two goals, and being named in the "UEFA Team of the Tournament".

Alberto Aquilani was named to the 23-man roster for Euro 2008, his first major international tournament.

Alberto Aquilani started Italy's quarter-final match against Spain due to the suspensions of Andrea Pirlo and Gennaro Gattuso.

Alberto Aquilani scored his first goal for Italy during the 2010 World Cup qualification match against Montenegro on 15 October 2008, a tally he doubled later in the same match.

Alberto Aquilani took part at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup under manager Cesare Prandelli, where Italy managed a third-place finish; in the victorious bronze medal match against Uruguay, he converted a penalty in the resulting shoot-out.

Alberto Aquilani was an unused member of Italy's 2014 FIFA World Cup squad, as the Italians suffered a group-stage elimination.

Alberto Aquilani was a modern, hard-working and versatile playmaker who was capable of functioning in a number of midfield roles, from a holding role as a deep-lying playmaker, to a more advanced trequartista or attacking midfielder.

Alberto Aquilani's favoured position was that of an offensive-minded central midfielder or box-to-box midfielder, a position known as the "mezz'ala" role, in Italy, which enabled him to make late attacking runs from behind into the penalty area or create space for team-mates with his movement, despite his lack of notable pace or physicality; he was used on the wing, or even as a wing-back on occasion.

On 11 July 2019, Alberto Aquilani was announced as the head coach of Fiorentina's under-18 team, remaining in that position until December, when he joined the first team staff as an assistant to Giuseppe Iachini.