Nicola Legrottaglie

Early years and Chievo

Born in Gioia del Colle, Province of Bari, Legrottaglie began his career with AS Bari, having loan spells at AC Pistoiese and AC Prato. Following his return in June 1998 he was sold to AC ChievoVerona of the Serie B, appearing rarely in his second season with the team and, in January 2000, moved on loan to AC Reggiana 1919 in the third division; with his new club he also found playing opportunities hard to come by and, after his return to Verona, moved to the same level and also on loan, now with Modena FC. Legrottaglie was ever-present in the starting XI during his spell at Modena, subsequently returning to Chievo for their first-ever season in Serie A. He only appeared in 15 games as the team qualified for the UEFA Cup; in his second season, the defender established himself as a top division player, scoring four goals in 32 league appearances to help to another comfortable mid-table finish (seventh).

Juventus

In the 2003 off-season, Legrottaglie was rewarded with a move to Juventus FC. The club paid €7.55million for his services to Chievo, €0.45 million being used in selling 50% of the rights to Giuseppe Sculli, Matteo Paro and Daniele Gastaldello. Legrottaglie was a full member of the first-team squad in the 2003–04 season, taking part in 21 games and netting twice under coach Marcello Lippi. However, his poor performances during his debut season saw him win the 2004 Bidone d'Oro Award, which is given to the worst Serie A player in…

Legrottaglie made his debut for Italy on 20 November 2002, in a friendly match with Turkey in Pescara, and went on to appear in a further six matches in a one-year span, mostly friendlies. He scored his only goal in April 2003, in a 2–1 victory over Switzerland. Following solid performances at Juventus, Legrottaglie received his first cap in four years, appearing in a friendly against Austria while filling in for injured teammate Chiellini in an 18 August 2008 contest held in Nice. His former Juventus coach Lippi was in charge of the national team. On 2 May 2010, 33-year-old Legrottaglie was included in a 29-man provisional list for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, attending the training camp in Rome, but was subsequently dropped from the 30-player list submitted to FIFA on the 11th, with Villarreal CF's Giuseppe Rossi and AS Roma's Daniele De Rossi taking his place. His only major international tournament was the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa, with Italy exiting in the group stage.

International stats

Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Legrottaglie goal.

Legrottaglie retired at the end of the 2013–14 campaign as Catania suffered top-flight relegation, aged nearly 38. He then returned to Bari after 18 years, being appointed under-17 team manager. Legrottaglie took his first role as a head coach in July 2015, accepting an offer from Sicilian Lega Pro club Akragas. He resigned the following January due to poor results and, on 9 January 2017, was named new assistant to Massimo Rastelli at Cagliari Calcio in the Italian top division; in October, as the latter was dismissed, he too left. On 24 June 2019, Legrottaglie was announced as the new under-19 manager of Delfino Pescara 1936, replacing Luciano Zauri after the latter's promotion as first-team manager. On 21 January 2020, he was promoted to head coach after Zauri's resignation from his post. On 28 June 2023, Legrottaglie was officially unveiled as the new "head of performance" (technical area director) of Sampdoria after the club's takeover by a consortium led by Andrea Radrizzani, working alongside first team head coach and former Juventus teammate Andrea Pirlo.

Legrottaglie was praised by pundits for his physical attributes and his ability in the air, making him a goal threat from set pieces. A strong yet elegant player, he excelled in sliding challenges and at organising high defensive lines, also being gifted with good technical ability, passing range and vision, which allowed him to advance into the midfield. He was also tactically versatile, excelling at reading the game and possessing a powerful shot from distance. Despite his reputation, Legrottaglie was also criticised at times for inconsistency and lapses in man-marking.