Cristiano Zanetti played for Fiorentina, Venezia, and Reggiana, before he joined the defending UEFA Cup Champions Inter Milan aged 21, in 1998, where he played alongside his unrelated namesake, Argentine fullback Javier Zanetti.
12 Facts About Cristiano Zanetti
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Cristiano Zanetti made his club debut for Internazionale on 26 August 1998 against FC Skonto before joining Cagliari along with Mohamed Kallon.
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In June 2001, Cristiano Zanetti re-joined Inter Milan under manager Hector Cuper; Inter paid 10 billion Italian lire to buy back Cristiano Zanetti.
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Cristiano Zanetti moved to Juventus in 2006 on a free transfer, despite the match-fixing controversy surrounding the Turin giants and their subsequent relegation.
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Cristiano Zanetti was Luciano Moggi's final signing as the Juventus transfer director before his five-year ban due to his role in the Calciopoli scandal.
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Cristiano Zanetti won the Serie B title with Le Zebre in 2007, earning Juventus Serie A promotion.
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Cristiano Zanetti made his debut for ACF Fiorentina on 29 September 2009 against Liverpool in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.
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Cristiano Zanetti's assist led to Fiorentina's first goal, scored by young Montenegrin Stevan Jovetic.
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On 31 January 2011, Cristiano Zanetti signed for Brescia on a two-year contract.
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Cristiano Zanetti represented Italy at Under-21 level on 19 occasions, winning the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship under manager Marco Tardelli; he took part in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney with Italy, where the team was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
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Cristiano Zanetti subsequently played for the Italian senior national team at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and at UEFA Euro 2004.
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In 2013 Cristiano Zanetti accepted an offer to become youth coach at Pisa, heading the Giovanissimi Nazionali.