Andrés D'Alessandro

D'Alessandro won the 2001 Under-20 World Championship with the Argentine youth side, held in Buenos Aires; due to his performances alongside his club teammate Javier Saviola, he was awarded the Silver Ball as the tournament's second best player. D'Alessandro had originally started the tournament as a substitute, but injuries allowed him a place in the team in later matches. Argentina beat Ghana 3–0 in the final. D'Alessandro has represented Argentina's senior side on 28 occasions, scoring 4 times between 2001 and 2011. He also represented Argentina's under-23 side at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where Argentina won a gold medal. D'Alessandro also took part in the 2004 Copa América with Argentina. He scored his only goal of the tournament in the group stage, in Argentina's 6–1 victory over Ecuador In the final, against rivals Brazil, he missed Argentina's first penalty in the resulting shootout, following a 2–2 draw after extra time; Argentina were defeated 4–2 in the shootout. On 20 August 2010, Sergio Batista recalled D'Alessandro to the national team for a friendly against Spain, which was played on 7 September 2010 at the Monumental Stadium River Plate.

D'Alessandro was best known for his dribbling ability, creativity, and technical skill, and was adept at beating players with body feints and tricks, such as the dragback (boba), nutmeg, or the Blomqvist shuffle; and was also an accurate free-kick taker. D'Alessandro is also known for his short passing ability, which makes him a capable assist provider. In 2001, he was named one of the 100 best young footballers in the world by Don Balón, and he was also labelled one of Maradona's potential heirs by the media and by Maradona himself; despite his precocious talent however, he was not able to fully fulfill the potential he demonstrated in his youth.

Early career

D'Alessandro was born in the La Paternal section of Buenos Aires, Argentina. He joined the labor force as a pizza delivery boy before becoming a professional footballer. He emerged through the River Plate youth system that has produced much of Argentina's top talent over the years. He followed the likes of Santiago Solari and Pablo Aimar through the ranks, together with Javier Saviola, with whom he shared the limelight in the 2001 Youth World Championship. His talent attracted attention from European clubs following his success and performances at the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship. He subsequently spent time on trial at West Ham in 2001 but no deal was agreed, with the management considering Joe Cole too similar and fee too high. With the River Plate senior team, he won the 2001–02 and 2002–03 Primera División; the 2002–03 season was one of his best, scoring 15 goals in 40 appearances. His 15 goals included several memorable performances, most notably River Plate's 5–2 victory over Rosario Central on 29 September 2002, when he scored twice and provided two assists. He also delivered an outstanding display on 8 June 2003, scoring once and grabbing two more assists in a 4–0 win against San Lorenzo. In the 2003 Libertadores, he scored 4 goals, including a free kick in the round of 16 1st leg against Corinthians to help his team win the match 2–1.

Spell in Europe

Following continuing impressive performances, D'Alessandro eventually…

Club

International

Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each D'Alessandro goal.