Andrea Ranocchia

Andrea Ranocchia

Ranocchia with Inter in 2011
Personal information
Date of birth	16 February 1988
Place of birth	Assisi, Italy
Height	1.95 m (6 ft 5 in)
Playing position	Centre back
Club information
Current team	Internazionale
Number	13
Youth career
1998–2004	Perugia
2004–2006	Arezzo
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2006–2008	Arezzo	56	(1)
2008–2011	Genoa	16	(2)
2008–2010	→ Bari (loan)	34	(3)
2011–	Internazionale	129	(7)
2016	→ Sampdoria (loan)	14	(0)
National team^‡
2007	Italy U20	3	(0)
2007–2010	Italy U21	13	(2)
2010–2016	Italy	21	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23 June 2016. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 29 March 2016

Andrea Ranocchia (Italian pronunciation: [anˈdrɛa raˈnɔkkja]; born 16 February 1988) is an Italian footballer who plays as a defender for Internazionale and the Italy national football team.

Club career

Early career

Born in Assisi in the province of Perugia, Ranocchia started his career at Perugia then in Arezzo. Ranocchia played for Arezzo's Primavera team in 2005–06 season. He made his professional debut with the Arezzo senior side in Serie B under manager Antonio Conte during the 2006–07 season.^[1]

Genoa

Bari loan

In August 2008, Genoa purchased half of the registration rights of Ranocchia for €1.55 million^[2] and sent him on loan to Bari, rejoining Arezzo coach Conte, where he won the Serie B Championship, obtaining promotion to Serie A the following season, and forming a promising defensive partnership with fellow emerging Italian centre-back Leonardo Bonucci.^[1] On 26 June 2009 Genoa signed him outright for another €2.45 million from Arezzo; Genoa paid €4 million in total for him within a year.^[2][3]

Return to Genoa

On 1 July 2010 he moved back to Genoa. After a link with Inter in February 2010, the clubs agreed a deal in June 2010 which involved the transfer of young striker Mattia Destro.^[4] The transfer became official on 20 July 2010, which Inter signed half of the registration rights of Ranocchia for €6.5 million and sent Destro on loan to Genoa with option to sign him in co-ownership deal (who later purchased outright for €4.5 million).^[5][6] Ranocchia also loaned back to Genoa for a season.^[7]

Internazionale

On 27 December 2010, Internazionale bought full ownership of Ranocchia from Genoa for €12.5 million, valuing him at €19 million in total, which was later confirmed by Genoa President Enrico Preziosi who expressed his delight at doing business with Inter.^[8] The president of Inter, Massimo Moratti, spoke on the transfer to Sky Italia and said: "Finally an Italian. We had kept an eye on him from before. It is our project to go ahead with young players."^[9] On 9 January 2011, Ranocchia made his Inter debut in a 2–1 win over Catania. He made his Champions League debut against Bayern Munich in the first leg of the Round of 16; Inter eventually progressed to the quarter-finals where they were eliminated by eventual semi-finalists Schalke 04. Ranocchia completed his first season with Inter by attaining a second-place finish in Serie A, also winning the 2010–11 Coppa Italia; the following season, however, Inter lost out to Serie A Champions and cross-city rivals Milan in the 2011 Supercoppa Italiana Final.^[1]

Ranocchia was appointed as the new Inter captain ahead of the 2014–15 season, replacing the retired Javier Zanetti.^[10] On 30 June 2015 Inter announced that Ranocchia agreed to a four-year contract extension, keeping him with the club until 2019.^[11] During the 2014–15 season, Ranocchia made a total of 42 appearances and scored two goals, but was replaced as the club's captain by the young striker Mauro Icardi at the end of the season.

Loan to Sampdoria

On 28 January 2016, Ranocchia moved on loan to Sampdoria from Internazionale.^[12]

International career

On 21 August 2007 he made his debut with the Italy U21 squad in a friendly match against France, replacing Fabiano Santacroce.^[1] He took part at the 2009 U-21 Championship, where the Italy under-21 side reached the semi-finals, only to be defeated by eventual champions Germany.^[13]

He made his debut with the Italy senior team on 17 November 2010, in a friendly match against Romania, which ended in a 1–1 draw.^[14]

Ranocchia was named to Cesare Prandelli's 32 and 25-man provisional squads for UEFA Euro 2012, but was excluded from the final 23-man squad.^[15]

Ranocchia was later also included in Prandelli's 30-man provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup,^[16] but not the final 23-man squad.^[17]

Style of play

Ranocchia has been described as a large, strong, and physically imposing centre back, with good tactical knowledge and concentration, as well as an ability to read the game and time his tackles well.^[18][19][20] He has predominantly drawn praise for his aerial ability, making him a goal threat from set pieces, and former Inter centre back Marco Materazzi has described Ranocchia as his heir due to his own aerial prowess.^[21] A former attacking midfielder,^[22] he is also known for being comfortable in possession due to his solid technique and reliable distribution.^[18][19] Regarded as one of the most promising Italian defenders of his generation in his youth,^[19] former Inter full-back and captain Javier Zanetti has also praised Ranocchia for his leadership, which eventually saw him inherit the role of club captain.^[18][23] In recent seasons, however, Ranocchia has drawn criticism due to his decision making and proneness to errors when under pressure, as well as his lack of pace, as his fitness has been affected several injuries.^{[19][20][24][25]}

Statistics

Club

As of 27 September 2015.^[26][27][28]

Club	Season	League		Cup		Europe		Other		Total
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Arezzo	2006–07	24	1	5	1	—		—		29	2
	2007–08	32	0	—		—		—		32	0
	Total	56	1	5	1	—		—		61	2
Bari (loan)	2008–09	17	1	0	0	—		—		17	1
	2009–10	17	2	1	0	—		—		18	2
	Total	34	3	1	0	—		—		35	3
Genoa	2010–11	16	2	1	0	—		—		17	2
	Total	16	2	1	0	—		—		17	2
Internazionale	2010–11	18	1	4	0	4[lower-alpha 1]	0	—		26	1
	2011–12	12	1	2	0	2[lower-alpha 1]	0	1[lower-alpha 2]	0	17	1
	2012–13	32	2	3	1	10[lower-alpha 3]	0	—		45	3
	2013–14	24	1	2	1	—		—		26	2
	2014–15	33	2	1	0	8[lower-alpha 3]	0	—		42	2
	2015–16	10	0	0	0	—		—		10	0
Total	129	7	12	2	24	0	1	0	166	9
Career total		235	13	19	3	24	0	1	0	279	16

1. All appearances in UEFA Champions League
2. Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
3. All appearances in Europa League

International

As of 29 March 2016.^[29]

Italy national team
Year	Apps	Goals
2010	1	0
2011	7	0
2012	0	0
2013	4	0
2014	5	0
2015	3	0
2016	1	0
Total	21	0

Honours

Club

Bari^[26]

• Serie B: 2008–09

Internazionale^[26]

• Coppa Italia: 2010–11

Individual

• Armando Picchi Award: 2010–11^[30]
• Serie A Team of the Year (1): 2010–11^[31]

References

1. "Happy Birthday to Andrea Ranocchia, who turns 28 today!". VivoAzzurro.it. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
2. Genoa CFC 2009 annual report. registroimprese.it (in Italian). C.C.I.A.A. 28 April 2010.
3. "Compartecipazioni". AC Arezzo (in Italian). 26 June 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2010.
4. Graziano, Mirko (22 June 2010). "Maicon, ci sono solo due milioni fra l' Inter e il Real". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 20 July 2010.
5. Genoa CFC Report and Accounts on 31 December 2010 (Italian)
6. "Mattia Destro on loan to Genoa". FC Internazionale Milano. www.inter.it. 20 July 2010. Archived from the original on 25 July 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
7. "Andrea Ranocchia signs five-year contract". FC Internazionale Milano. www.inter.it. 21 July 2010. Archived from the original on 24 July 2010. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
8. FC Internazionale Milano Report and Accounts on 30 June 2011 (Italian)
9. Varun Mathure (30 December 2010). "Ranocchia completes second training session with Inter". footballitaliano. footballitaliano.co.uk. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
10. "New Inter captain Rocchia keen to emulate Zanetti". Sportal. 17 July 2014. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
11. "RANOCCHIA SEALS EXTENSION UNTIL 2019". Inter.it. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
12. "Official: Sampdoria sign Ranocchia". 28 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
13. "Europei Under 21: Italia, che sfortuna! Germania in finale" (in Italian). Tutto Sport. 26 June 2009. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
14. "17 November, Andrea Ranocchia's Italy Debut". Inter.it. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
15. "Ranocchia and Destro miss Italy cut". UEFA.com. 29 May 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
16. "World Cup 2014: Striker Giuseppe Rossi in Italy's provisional squad". BBC. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
17. "Italy World Cup squad announced". Football Italia. 1 June 2014. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
18. "Inter, Zanetti: "Ranocchia ha la stoffa del capitano. E Cambiasso..."" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
19. Adam Digby (14 January 2016). "Andrea Ranocchia: The Liverpool target once considered one of Italy's next best defenders". FourFourTwo. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
20. Antonio Labbate (31 July 2012). "Ranocchia needs Inter faith". Football Italia. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
21. "Materazzi: "Cassano, uno vero Non fa male a chi crede in lui"". Retrieved 11 October 2014.
22. Alberto Casavecchia (12 February 2011). "Ranocchia a 360°: "Quella volta che feci da raccattapalle a Materazzi..."" (in Italian). F.C.InterNews.it. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
23. "Serie A - Zanetti: "Io mai allenatore, Ranocchia capitano"" (in Italian). Eurosport. Retrieved 11 October 2014.
24. "Mancosu stuzzica Ranocchia: 'E' lento, spero mi marchi lui!'" (in Italian). CalcioMercato.com. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
25. Christian Liotta (22 March 2011). "Zahovic 'pizzica' Ranocchia: "E' troppo lento"" (in Italian). F.C.InterNews.it. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
26. Andrea Ranocchia profile at Soccerway
27. "Andrea Ranocchia". inter.it. Retrieved 18 June 2015.
28. "Andrea Ranocchia Bio, Stats, News – Football / Soccer – - ESPN FC". ESPN FC. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
29. Andrea Ranocchia at National-Football-Teams.com
30. "Ranocchia Wins Armando Picchi Award". inter.it. 15 April 2011.
31. "Gran Gala' del Calcio 2011: Rizzoli premiato miglior arbitro" [Gran Gala' del Calcio 2011: Rizzoli named best referee] (in Italian). FIGC. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2015.