Giuliano Giannichedda

Born in Pontecorvo, Frosinone, Giannichedda started his senior career with Sora in the fourth division, promoting to the third level at the end of the second of his three years. In the summer of 1995, he moved straight to the Serie A with Udinese, playing an average of 30 league games during his last four seasons at the Stadio Friuli; in 2000, he won the UEFA Intertoto Cup. Giannichedda signed with Lazio for the 2001–02 campaign. He was regularly played as a starter during his four-year spell, winning the 2004 edition of the Coppa Italia. In the summer of 2005, Giannichedda left Rome and joined Juventus, where he struggled for playing time under manager Fabio Capello, often being deployed as a substitute along with Manuele Blasi behind starters Emerson and Patrick Vieira. He only made 24 overall appearances in his first year, winning the league title; the team was stripped of the accolade, however, due to the club's involvement in the 2006 Italian football scandal and, as a result, was also relegated. Giannichedda stayed with Juve for 2006–07, nonetheless. In that season, where the Serie B championship was conquered, he was coached by one of his idols, Didier Deschamps. Giannichedda retired in June 2008 at nearly 34 years of age, after one unassuming campaign with Livorno, featuring in less than a quarter of the matches and suffering top flight relegation.

Giannichedda gained three caps for Italy in 1999, under manager Dino Zoff. His debut came on 31 March, in a 1–1 home draw against Belarus for the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifiers. Giannichedda also represented the country at under-23 level in the 1997 Mediterranean Games, which were held on home soil, winning the gold medal.

A holding midfielder, Giannichedda was known for his ball-winning skills, tactical awareness, and ability to regain possession and help transition play into attack. His style of play occasionally resulted in fouls and disciplinary bookings.

Udinese

UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2000 Lazio

Coppa Italia: 2003–04 Supercoppa Italiana: Runner-up 2004 Juventus

Serie B: 2006–07 Supercoppa Italiana: Runner-up 2005 Italy

Mediterranean Games: 1997