page_title: Demetrio Albertini
section_title: Club career
hierarchical_section_title: Demetrio Albertini / Club career
caption_attribution_description: Italiano: Demetrio Albertini ai tempi del Padova, stagione di Serie B 1990-1991. Licensing 1990-1991 Українська: Деметріо Альбертіні
context_page_description: Demetrio Albertini is the sporting director of Parma and a former professional Italian football midfielder and vice-president of the Italian Football Federation. He is widely considered as one of the legends of the A.C. Milan side of the 90s and a fundamental player for the Italian national team of the same period. He spent most of his career with Milan of the Italian Serie A, winning many trophies, including five Serie A titles and two UEFA Champions League titles with the club. He also played his final season for FC Barcelona, winning the Spanish League before retiring that year.
  A vital member of the Italian national team, Albertini was part of the squads that competed at the World Cups of 1994 and 1998, as well as the 1996 and 2000 European Championships, reaching the finals of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000.
context_section_description: Albertini, born in Besana in Brianza, province of Monza e Brianza near Milan, emerged as a product of A.C. Milan's youth system, and went on to spend 14 highly successful years with the senior club after debuting in Serie A as a 17-year-old during the 1988–89 season under Arrigo Sacchi, on 15 January 1989, in a 4–0 home win over Como. He spent part of the 1990–91 season on loan at Padova Calcio in Serie B, collecting 28 appearances and 5 goals, in order to gain experience, and was subsequently awarded a prize by Diadora as one of the most promising young Italian stars. After a successful season with Padova, he soon established himself in the starting lineup of the Milan senior side during the 1991–92 season under Fabio Capello, wearing the number 4 shirt, and helping Milan to win the title undefeated that season; he would go on to make almost 300 Serie A appearances for the club (293 in total, scoring 21 goals), and 406 total career appearances for Milan, scoring 28 goals in all competitions.
  Albertini won many titles during his years at Milan, and claimed three successive Serie A titles in 1992, 1993 and 1994, and he also managed to capture two further scudetti in 1996 and 1999. In addition, he made 41 Champions League appearances, helping the Rossoneri to reach three consecutive finals between 1993 and 1995, lifting the trophy in 1994. He also won two UEFA Super Cups, three Italian Super Cups, and an Intercontinental Cup during his time at the club. Albertini remained at Milan until 2002, when his manager and former mentor Carlo Ancelotti preferred to play the emerging Andrea Pirlo in his position. During his time at the club, he managed 28 goals in 406 appearances; he also scored a personal record of 8 goals during the 1996–97 season.
  After leaving Milan, Albertini bounced around different teams. He spent the 2002–03 season on loan to Atlético Madrid, scoring 2 goals in 28 caps for the Spanish club. He was eventually traded to Lazio in exchange for Giuseppe Pancaro during the 2003–04 season, with great bitterness, where he finally won the Coppa Italia which had eluded him at Milan, scoring 2 goals in 23 appearances for the club. He started the 2004–05 season with Atalanta, playing 14 matches and scoring a goal on his debut, before transferring to FC Barcelona in January, where he joined his former midfield mentor, manager Frank Rijkaard, and was able to capture La Liga during the final season of his career, with five caps.
caption: A young Albertini during his time with Padova
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