Luca Cigarini (; born 20 June 1986) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Club career
Parma Cigarini was one of the notable youth products in the 2005 Parma squad, alongside Daniele Dessena.
Atalanta After Parma was relegated to Serie B in June 2008, Cigarini was sold to Atalanta in join-ownership bid, for €4.5 million on 11 July.Parma FC SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2009 , PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA
Napoli On 3 July 2009, Cigarini signed for Napoli from Atalanta on a five-year deal for €10.5 million.SSC Napoli FC SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2010 , PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA Atalanta paid Parma €3.5 million plus half the registration rights of Alessio Manzoni to sign Cigarini outright.Parma FC SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2010 , PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA
On 2 August 2010, Cigarini joined Sevilla FC on a loan deal for the 2010–11 season who paid €292,500 for the loan and,SSC Napoli FC SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2011 , PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA upon conclusion of the season, had the option to purchase the midfielder for €7 million.
Return to Atalanta Cigarini returned to Atalanta on loan in summer 2011 for free.SSC Napoli FC SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2012 , PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA On 4 July 2012, the loan was renewed for €1.25 million loan fee.
On 5 July 2013, after spending two seasons on loan with Atalanta, a co-ownership deal was agreed to with Napoli for €2.75 million.SSC Napoli FC SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2013 , PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA Cigarini continued to play for Atalanta for the upcoming 2013–14 Serie A season. Cigarini scored his first goal of the season against Lazio on 20 October. In June 2014 Atalanta acquired Cigarini outright for €2.35 million. Atalanta paid €5.75 million transfer fee in total to re-acquire Cigarini.
Sampdoria After spending five years with Atalanta, Cigarini made the switch from Bergamo to Genoa, signing a permanent deal with Sampdoria.
Cagliari In 2017, Cigarini moved to Serie A rivals Cagliari in an exchange deal with Nicola Murru.
Crotone On 8 September 2020, Cigarini signed with Crotone a 2-years contract.
Reggiana On 23 August 2021, he signed a two-year contract with Reggiana in Serie C, returning to the third tier for the first time since his professional debut season with Sambenedettese.
International career On 7 September 2007, Cigarini scored his first ever goal (which was also the winning goal) with the Italy U-21 squad in a 2–1 victory over the Faroe Islands in a UEFA U-21 Qualifying match. He was also part of Pierluigi Casiraghi's Olympic team that won the 2008 Toulon Tournament. He also played for Italy in the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
Cigarini received his first call-up to the senior team on 30 August 2010. New coach Cesare Prandelli named him in the squad for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers as an injury replacement for Claudio Marchisio.
Style of play Luca Cigarini usually plays as a deep-lying playmaker in midfield, although he is also capable of playing as a central midfielder. He is mostly known for his ability to orchestrate his team's attacking moves, courtesy of his technical qualities and precise long passing. As a youngster, he was nicknamed il Professore (The Professor) by Cesare Prandelli, his Parma youth manager at the time, due to his playmaking abilities and intelligent reading of the game. The Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport has also stated that Cigarini has a similar vision of the game to that of fellow Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo.Scheda di Luca Cigarini, amonapoli.itCigarini, il nuovo Pirlo: «Napoli nel mio destino», corrieredellosport.itCigarini: «Stregato dal Napoli e da Donadoni» Corrieredellosport.it
Career statistics
Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsParma2005–06Serie A17040––2102006–0721141603122007–0832300—323Total7048160845Atalanta2008–09Serie A23310––243Napoli2009–10Serie A28210––292Sevilla2010–11La Liga604162163Atalanta2011–12Serie A32100––3212012–1327220––2922013–1433230––3622014–1533011––3412015–1625210––262Total150771001578Sampdoria2016–17Serie A4030––70Cagliari2017–18Serie A26210––2722018–1925030––2802019–2022000––220Total7324000772Crotone2020–21Serie A5011––61Reggiana2021–22Serie C32100––321Career total3911929412243225
Honours Italy U21 UEFA European Under-21 Championship bronze: 2009
References
External links Player profile on Napoli's official website Luca Cigarini National Team Stats at FIGC.it