FIFA World Cup™ Germany 2006 player's profile

Argentine-born Mauro Camoranesi caused a stir in his country when he chose to play for Italy instead of the Albiceleste.
The dynamic midfielder had spells in Argentina and Mexico before joining Italian side Verona and later moving to Juventus in 2002.

A great crosser and box-to-box player, Camoranesi adds aggression to Juve’s and Italy’s midfield. His volatile character sometimes gets him in the referee’s notebook, but it has not prevented him from enjoying league title successes with Juventus.

Camoranesi also reached the final of the UEFA Champions League in 2003 and he played for Italy at UEFA EURO 2004.

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UEFA Champions League 2005-06 player's profile

A dangerous attacking talent and an important creative force in midfield, Mauro Camoranesi has proved a useful addition to Juventus FC's offensive armoury.

National team
Giovanni Trapattoni included the Argentinian-born winger in the for the friendly against Portugal in February 2003 after Camoranesi chose to represent Italy instead of his native country. His first competitive match came against Finland in UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying in March 2003, although his involvement in Portugal was limited to just 76 minutes. Following the appointment of Marcelo Lippi he won a regular role in the 2006 World Cup qualifying campaign.

Club
Unusually for an Argentinian, he started his professional career in Mexico with Club Santos Laguna SC before returning to his homeland, joining CA Banfield. Mexico called again in 1998, and he spent the following two seasons with the Mexico City-based side Club Deportivo Social Y Cultural Cruz Azul, scoring 32 goals in 80 games before being enticed to Italy.

2000: Camoranesi excelled at Hellas-Verona FC, his sterling performances helping his side avoid relegation to Serie B in 2000/01, although they eventually dropped in his final campaign at the Marc Antonio Bentegodi prior to agreeing a four-year deal with Juventus.

2002: Signed to provide cover for Gianluca Zambrotta, Camoranesi found himself appearing frequently on the right flank instead and scored four times in 30 matches as Juve retained the Serie A title. He also featured heavily in the UEFA Champions League, Juve losing to AC Milan in the final, and continued as a first-team regular in 2003/04.

2004/05: Camoranesi's third term with the Bianconeri was probably his best so far, with four goals in 35 games helping the Turin outfit to another Serie A title. His creativity on the wing was particularly valuable immediately after Christmas when Juventus suffered a spate of injuries.

Did you know?
He supports Argentinian club CA River Plate.

©uefa.com 1998-2006. All rights reserved.

UEFA EURO 2004™ player's profile

A dangerous attacking talent and an important creative force in midfield, Mauro Camoranesi has proved a useful addition to the Bianconeri's offensive armoury.

National team
Giovanni Trapattoni included the Argentinian-born winger in the Italy squad for the international friendly against Portugal in February 2003 after Camoranesi chose to represent Italy instead of his native country - a decision prompted by Argentina coach Marcelo Bielsa's decision to exclude him from his party to face the Netherlands.

UEFA EURO 2004™ qualifying
Camoranesi played in four of the last five qualifiers to finish Italy's campaign on a high. His first competitive match came against Finland in March 2003, when he played the entire 90 minutes of a 2-0 home victory.

Club
Unusually for an Argentinian, he started his professional career in Mexico with Club Santos Laguna SC before returning to his homeland, joining CA Banfield. Mexico called again in 1998, and he spent the following two seasons with the Mexico City-based side Club Deportivo Social Y Cultural Cruz Azul, scoring 32 goals in 80 games before being enticed to Italy.

2000: Camoranesi excelled at Hellas-Verona FC, his sterling performances - and occasional scoring feats - helping his side avoid relegation to Serie B in 2000/01, although they eventually dropped in this his final campaign at the Marc Antonio Bentegodi prior to agreeing a four-year deal with Juventus. In 2002/03 although signed to provide cover for Gianluca Zambrotta, Camoranesi found himself appearing regularly on the opposing flank. He scored four times in 30 matches as Juve retained the title. He also featured heavily in the UEFA Champions League, but disappointed in the final loss to AC Milan and was substituted at half-time.

2003/04: Although his second season at Juventus was not as outstanding as his first, Camoranesi retained his place in the side and scored three goals in 26 matches as the club finished third in Serie A.

Did you know?
He supports Argentinian club CA River Plate.

©uefa.com 1998-2006. All rights reserved.