sandy Posted February 24, 2008 Posted February 24, 2008 Genaro Ivan "Rino" Gattuso, Cavaliere Ufficiale OMRI, (born January 9, 1978 in Corigliano Calabro) is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer. His position is a defensive midfielder; however, he sometimes plays on the right side of midfield. He currently plays for Italian club A.C. Milan, with whom he has twice won the UEFA Champions League, in 2002-03 and 2006-07, and also the Serie A title in 2003-04 Clubs Rangers Gattuso started his career at the Italian side Perugia, but transferred in July 1997, at the age of 19, to the Scottish team Rangers. Walter Smith, who brought Gattuso to Glasgow, left the club in 1998. Smith's successor, Dick Advocaat, did not favour Gattuso and, after being played out-of-position as a right-back, the Italian was sold in October 1998 to then recently promoted to Serie A Salernitana for £4m. Despite his good performances, it was not enough to prevent the relegation of his side. AC Milan Milan spent £8m on Gattuso in 1999. His style allowed Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti to place the midfielder Andrea Pirlo to adopt an attacking approach. Gattuso, who sometimes is listed as a winger, does not deliver many crosses in a way the more conventional winger would normally do. Instead, he plays deeper moving up to central midfield in defence. He will often move forward to win the ball for the forward players and then return to his defensive position. His style of play is characterised by fierce tackling and hard work - a style which has earned him the nickname of Ringhio ("Growl" or "the Snarler"). In December 2005, at the final whistle of Milan's 3-2 defeat of Schalke 04 in the UEFA Champions League, Gattuso was seen seeking out and taunting Schalke's midfielder Christian Poulsen. as a reaction to Poulsen's fierce marking of Kakà in the first leg. Gattuso insisted though that the press exaggerated the significance of the incident. However, his temper has caused him problems in the past. In a Champions League group stage match against AFC Ajax in September 2003, he was sent off during second-half injury time after slapping Ajax striker Zlatan Ibrahimović in the face with the back of his hand. The British press has frequently reported that his ambition is to join Manchester United, although Gattuso has publicly denied these rumours, stating "I am certain that I will remain at AC Milan and that I will play in Serie A next season." He played his 300th game for the club in a goalless Champions League draw against Lille on September 26, 2006, and he extended his current deal with Milan until 2011 on February 1, 2007. On May 23, 2007, Gattuso won the Champions League for the second time in his career when AC Milan beat Liverpool 2-1 in the final. On the 27th December 2007, Gattuso trained with his former club Rangers F.C to regain fitness during the Serie A winter break whilst he was visiting his wife's family in Scotland over Christmas. International The current high profile Gattuso now enjoys is due to his time at Milan and his participation as part of the Italian national squad. He has been capped over fifty times for his country and played in the 2000 Summer Olympics, the 2002 World Cup, the Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup, being one of the key players for the Italian team, winning the Man of the Match award in the 2006 FIFA World Cup knockout stage match against Ukraine. Gattuso achieved a measure of notoriety for his postmatch celebration after Italy won the World Cup, during which he removed his shorts and ran around the pitch pantless, until FIFA officials forced him to cover up. Personal life Gattuso is married to Monica, whom he met while playing for Rangers at an exhibition game in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The couple dated for a long while before marrying. They have a daughter, Gabriella, and also a new-born son Francesco. Monica is the sister of GMTV's Los Angeles correspondent Carla Romano. Gattuso and several of his teammates shaved their heads during a post-match celebration after winning the 2006 World Cup. He kept his hair cropped for a season in honour of the occasion but has since grown his hair back. Honours Club Serie A: 1 2003-04, A.C. Milan Coppa Italia: 1 2002-03, A.C. Milan Supercoppa Italiana: 1 2004, A.C. Milan UEFA Champions League: 2 2002-03, A.C. Milan 2006-07, A.C. Milan UEFA Super Cup: 2 2003, A.C. Milan 2007, A.C. Milan FIFA Club World Cup: 1 2007, A.C. Milan National FIFA World Cup: 1 2006, Italian national team Quote
LuNo Posted February 25, 2008 Posted February 25, 2008 AC Milan 2:1 Palermo - match reportScorers: Bresciano 9 (P), Ambrosini 24 (M), Inzaghi 91 (M)Pippo Inzaghi's first Serie A goal in over a year defeated Palermo in stoppages and put them on a par with Fiorentina in fourth place, but both sides complained about the referee.The Rossoneri needed a victory to keep up with fourth-placed Fiorentina, while Sicilian boss Francesco Guidolin was on thin ice despite a hard-fought 2-1 win over Cagliari. Clarence Seedorf and Paolo Maldini were rested after the 0-0 with Arsenal midweek, but Palermo welcomed back Amauri, Fabrizio Miccoli and Roberto Guana from suspension, though the former Juventus star was only fit for the bench.The Rosanero had a good record here with a 3-3 draw in 2005 that lost Milan the Scudetto and a shock 2-0 victory last term. They had also beaten Carlo Ancelotti's men at the Barbera earlier this season.Palermo took the lead thanks to some confused defending just nine minutes in. Mark Bresciano volleyed a Guana cross from the left and it took a deflection off Massimo Oddo's chest to leave Zeljko Kalac stranded.Amauri went on a slalom including some fancy footwork with his heel, like a rabona mid-sprint, but was eventually closed down by Daniele Bonera.Milan wanted a penalty moments later when Alberto Gilardino's flicked ball struck Andrea Barzagli's arm, but the linesman insisted it was involuntary, as it came off his chest first and ricocheted.Alberto Fontana smothered a cracking Kaka piledriver and was very fortunate as it bounced off the ground and got trapped under his body.The Rossoneri drew level on 24 minutes with captain Massimo Ambrosini. Oddo's sweeping cross to the back post found Ambrosini totally unmarked for a sliding finish, as he had lost marker Cassani.Pirlo curled one of his trademark free kicks from 25 metres under the bar, bringing a fantastic one-handed save out of 41-year-old Fontana. Moments later the veteran tipped another Pirlo set-piece out for a corner.Kaka rolled across for the onrushing Ambrosini, halted by a crucial tackle on the edge of the area. Towards half-time it was turning into a siege on the Sicilian goal and a corner fell kindly for Marek Jankulovski to balloon over.Ambrosini nodded a Pirlo free kick just over the bar, as the midfielder remained Milan's most dangerous attacking figure. Kaka got a knock to the knee, so made way for Yoann Gourcuff at half-time.Kakha Kaladze did well to stand by substitute Fabio Simplicio and protect the ball for Kalac as the Brazilian ran into the box.Pato skipped past Giuseppe Biava with a splendid nutmeg and his deflected snapshot was palmed round the post by the ever-attentive Fontana. From the resulting corner Kaladze complained of a Guana handling offence that took the ball off his foot as he was lining up the volley. It looked like an evident penalty, but the referee and linesman ignored his protests.Yet Palermo risked restoring their lead when Simplicio's free kick went past everyone, Kalac getting a hand to it before the ball could settle into the far bottom corner.Edison Cavani found himself in acres of space on Guana's through ball, but blasted over the bar with only Kalac to beat. Pippo Inzaghi replaced the disappointing Gilardino, but Cavani found another gap in the Rossoneri defence and hesitated, wasting the opportunity.Inzaghi was angry when he was lining up a header, but teammate Gourcuff clattered into him. SuperPippo was also halted for an incorrect offside decision and Barzagli did just enough to keep Inzaghi from turning in a Biava error.This time it was Palermo who had furious penalty appeals in the final minute, as Amauri ran into the area and nutmegged Gennaro Gattuso to fall over the outstretched leg, but once again the referee and linesman waved play on.It's a decision that is bound to cause controversy, as moments later Inzaghi gave Milan the victory. He was left completely unmarked for a free header from six yards on Gourcuff's cross from the left, springing the offside trap. It was his first Serie A goal in over a year.Milan: Kalac; Oddo, Bonera, Kaladze, Jankulovski (Favalli 85); Gattuso, Pirlo, Ambrosini; Kaka (Gourcuff 46); Gilardino (Inzaghi 73), PatoPalermo: Fontana; Zaccardo, Barzagli, Biava; Cassani, Guana, Migliaccio, Bresciano (Simplicio 54), Balzaretti; Cavani (Tedesco 88), Amauri Quote
LuNo Posted February 26, 2008 Posted February 26, 2008 Catania - MilanGOALKEEPERS: Fiori, Kalac, OffrediDEFENDERS: Bonera, Cafu, Digao, Favalli, Maldini, Oddo, SimicMIDFIELDERS: Ambrosini, Brocchi, Emerson, Gattuso, Gourcuff, SeedorfATTACKERS: Gilardino, Inzaghi, Pato, Paloschi Quote
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