Fabio Grosso

Fabio Grosso (born 28 November 1977) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of Ligue 1 club Lyon.

Grosso joined Renato Curi Angolana in 1994 and played in the club's youth system until 1995.

He was promoted to the senior squad for the 1995–96 season and soon became a key part of the first team.

Following the 1997–98 season, he left the Eccellenza club to join Chieti for an undisclosed transfer fee.

Grosso made 108 official appearances for Renato Curi, scoring 47 goals as an attacking midfielder and left winger.

In summer 1998, Grosso transferred to Chieti of Serie C2.

An attacking midfielder at the time, he again impressed in his three-season spell with Chieti.

He scored 17 goals in 68 league appearances.

He was scouted by Serie A club Perugia in 2001, and in mid-summer, Grosso officially transferred to the club.

In July 2001, Grosso officially joined Perugia.

In his debut Serie A season, he made 24 appearances and scored one goal.

By now, he had been converted into a left wing-back by head coach Serse Cosmi and in his second season in Perugia, he maintained a starting position and made 30 league appearances, scoring four goals.

In his third season with Perugia, Grosso made just 12 appearances in the first six months of the 2003–04 season.

Grosso made 21 appearances for his new club in the latter portion of the 2003–04 season, scoring one goal, as the club won the Serie B title.

Palermo's first season in Serie A was very successful as the club managed a very impressive sixth-place finish, losing just nine matches and also qualifying for the UEFA Cup.

Grosso contributed as a regular starter, making 36 league appearances, also scoring a single goal.

Grosso transferred from Perugia in January 2004 to Palermo, which at the time played in Serie B.

During the winter transfer window in January 2004, Grosso transferred to the Sicilian side and they earned promotion at the conclusion to the season.

During the 2005–06 Serie A season, Grosso made 33 appearances for his club as Palermo impressed, finishing eighth in Serie A. He was one of four Palermo players who made Marcello Lippi's 2006 FIFA World Cup-winning squad, but at the conclusion of the tournament, Grosso was sold to Inter Milan.

After playing for several smaller Italian clubs, such as Renato Curi, Chieti and Perugia, he made his breakthrough during his two seasons with Palermo, which earned him a move to defending Serie A champions Inter Milan in 2006.

During his only season with Inter, he helped the club defend the Serie A title and win the Supercoppa Italiana.

He later also won titles with Lyon in France and with Juventus.

At international level, Grosso made 48 appearances for Italy and scored the decisive late first goal against Germany in the 2006 World Cup semi-final.

He also scored the winning penalty in the penalty shootout against France in the final of the tournament which enabled the Azzurri to win the trophy for the fourth time in their history.

In July 2006, Grosso joined Inter for a reported €5 million transfer fee (plus Paolo Dellafiore).

However, Grosso was in-and-out of the club's starting line-up and was mostly used as a substitute.

He made just 23 appearances for Inter in the league, and scored two goals, as the team captured the 2006 Supercoppa Italiana and the Serie A title.

Following the disappointing season with Inter, Grosso opted to move abroad and was sold to Lyon in the summer of 2007, just one year after his move to Inter.

In July 2007, Grosso moved abroad and signed a four-year contract with Lyon of the French Ligue 1, after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms.

The transfer fee was €7.5 million.

He was issued the number 11 shirt.

In his first season, he was part of the club's starting line-up in both the UEFA Champions League and Ligue 1, and won the league title, the Coupe de France and the Trophée des Champions.

He also represented Italy at UEFA Euro 2008 and at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Grosso was born in Rome but hails from Chieti, Abruzzo, where his family soon returned to.

In his second season with Lyon, Grosso was limited to just 22 league appearances, partially due to injury, but was heavily linked with a move back to Italy during the 2009 summer transfer window.

In August 2009, he officially returned to Italy, joining Juventus.

On 31 August 2009, it was confirmed Grosso had returned to Serie A to join Juventus, following his two-year spell in France.

After chasing the defender all summer long, the parties struck a deal on the final day of the transfer market at a €2 million fee plus bonus up to €1 million.

He was instantly inserted into Juventus' starting XI, and began the season in good form.

Grosso retired in 2012 after winning the Scudetto with Juventus.