Marco Benassi

For the DJ, see Benny Benassi.
Marco Benassi

Benassi with Torino in 2015
Personal information
Full name Marco Benassi
Date of birth (1994-09-08) 8 September 1994
Place of birth Modena, Italy
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Playing position Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Torino
Number 15
Youth career
2007–2011 Modena
2011–2012 Internazionale
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2012–2014 Internazionale 6 (0)
2013–2014 → Livorno (loan) 20 (2)
2014– Torino 69 (10)
National team‡
2011–2012 Italy U18 8 (1)
2012–2013 Italy U19 13 (1)
2013– Italy U21 22 (5)

* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 26 November 2016.

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 14 November 2016

Marco Benassi (born 8 September 1994) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Torino and the Italy national under-21 team, the latter of which he is captain.

Club career

Early career

Born in Modena, Emilia region, he began his career at Modena. In January 2011 Benassi was signed by Internazionale in temporary deal. After a half-season with Inter U17 youth team, Benassi was signed for Inter in co-ownership deal for €180,000.[1] Benassi was a member of both Inter U18 and U19 team in 2011–12 season, winning the Primavera league and European title – NextGen Series. He also played for U18 team in the league playoffs round, winning the Berretti league.

Benassi was included in summer training camp by his former U19 team coach Andrea Stramaccioni, winning pre-season TIM Trophy. Benassi was also included in the 25-men List A squad for 2012–13 UEFA Europa League, as one of the 4 essential association trained player (local player) as required by UEFA.[2] In October 2012 he signed a new 5-year contract.[3]

Benassi made his debut on 22 November 2012 against Russian side FC Rubin Kazan as starting XI. Fielding a younger squad, Inter lost 3–0. On 12 January 2013 he made his Serie A debut for Inter, starting in a 2–0 victory over Pescara. On 21 February 2013, he scored his first senior goal against CFR Cluj.

Loan to Livorno

On 9 July 2013 he was transferred on loan to Livorno in Serie A, making his competitive debut on 17 August in a Coppa Italia defeat against Siena (0–1). He scored his first goal in the Italian top flight on 26 January 2014 at home to Sassuolo, before scoring his second of the season on 16 March against Bologna.

Torino

On 1 July 2014 it was officially announced that he was sold to Torino under a co-ownership agreement, as part of the transfer that brought Danilo D'Ambrosio to Inter in January.[4][5][6][7] Benassi made his debut for the Granata during the third round of the 2014–15 Europa League won 3–0 against Swedes Brommapojkarna as a substitute.[8] On 18 January 2015 he scored his first goal for Torino against Cesena. He scored again on 8 March after entering as a substitute for Alessandro Gazzi, marking the final goal in a 3–2 defeat at the Stadio Friuli against Udinese. He returned to the scoresheet in the final game of the season against Cesena (the match ended 5–0 in favour of Torino).

On 25 June 2015, the deadline for the expiration of the co-ownership, Torino acquired the other half of his contract for an additional €3.319 million,[9] after winning a blind auction against the reported €2.9 million offered by the Nerazzurri.[10][11] At the start of his second season with the club he changed shirt number, from 94 to 15. During a 2–1 win over Palermo on 27 September 2015, Benassi scored with a volley reminiscent of Marco van Basten's strike in the final of Euro 88.[12][13][14] On 7 February 2016 he opened the score for Torino in a home match lost 1–2 against Chievo Verona.[15] He closed the season with 32 appearances in which he scored three goals.

He scored his first goal of the 2016–17 season in a 2–1 win against Fiorentina on 2 October 2016; a match in which he also wore the captain's armband for the first time for Torino.[16]

International career

He played all 3 games in the 2013 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship qualification.[17] He made his debut with the Italy under-21 squad on 14 August 2013, under Luigi Di Biagio, in the friendly match Slovakia-Italy (1–4). From 10–12 March 2014, he was called up by the head coach of the senior national team, Cesare Prandelli, in order to evaluate young players ahead of the 2014 World Cup.[18]

He took part in the 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship in the Czech Republic where he scored a brace in the last game of the group stage against England.[19] At the beginning of the next biennial cycle he became captain of the under-21 squad.

In May 2016 he was called up to the senior national team by coach Antonio Conte in preparation for the UEFA Euro 2016. He was subsequently included in the list of 30 provisional players for the tournament.[20] On 31 May, he was named one of three reserves for the senior side for Euro 2016.[21]

Style of play

A talented, hard-working, well-rounded and versatile two-way midfielder,[22][23][24] Benassi is capable of playing both as a defensive midfielder[25] or as a more offensive minded central midfielder;[26][27] skilled in the tackle, he is a physically strong and dynamic player, with good vision and technique, as well as an ability to make attacking runs, who also possesses a good shot from distance.[28][29][30]

Career statistics

Club

As of 26 November 2016[31]
Club Season League Cup Europe Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Internazionale 2012–13 Serie A 6 0 3 0 4[lower-alpha 1] 1 — 13 1
Livorno (loan) 2013-14 Serie A 20 2 1 0 — — 21 2
Torino 2014–15 Serie A 25 3 0 0 11[lower-alpha 1] 0 — 36 3
2015–1632311——334
2016–1712400——124
Total 691011110—8111
Career Total 95 12 5 1 15 1 — 115 14
  1. 1 2 All appearances in Europa League

Honours

Club

Internazionale

References

  1. ↑ FC Internazionale Milano SpA Report and Accounts on 30 June 2012 (Italian)
  2. ↑ "Europa League, group stage: Inter's squad list". www.inter.it. FC Internazionale Milano. 3 September 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  3. ↑ "Marco Benassi re-signs with Inter until 2017". www.inter.it. FC Internazionale Milano. 23 October 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  4. ↑ "D'Ambrosio-Inter ok, al Toro soldi e Benassi". Tuttosport (in Italian). 28 January 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  5. ↑ "UFFICIALE - Benassi è un nuovo giocatore del Torino". torinogranata.it (in Italian). Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Official: Benassi to Torino". football-italia.net. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "Benassi al Toro". torinofc.it (in Italian). Torino Football Club. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  8. ↑ "BROMMAPOJKARNA VS. TORINO 0 - 3". soccerway.com. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  9. ↑ Torino F.C. S.p.A. bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 31 December 2015, PDF purchased from Italian C.C.I.A.A. (in Italian)
  10. ↑ http://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/torino/?action=read&idtmw=696459
  11. ↑ "CO-OWNERSHIP SETTLEMENTS". Inter.it. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  12. ↑ http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2572642-marco-benassi-scores-stunning-van-basten-esque-volley-for-torino
  13. ↑ http://ilbuzz.it.eurosport.com/stars/benassi-si-inventa-un-gol-alla-van-basten-e-fa-impazzire-il-popolo-granata-2898/
  14. ↑ http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Serie-A/Torino/27-09-2015/benassi-golazo-van-basten-non-ho-capito-ancora-cosa-ho-fatto-130290050352.shtml
  15. ↑ http://www.sportmediaset.mediaset.it/calcio/chievo/serie-a-birsa-rilancia-il-chievo-crisi-torino_1089264-201602a.shtml
  16. ↑ http://int.soccerway.com/matches/2016/10/02/italy/serie-a/torino-fc/acf-fiorentina/2305820/
  17. ↑ http://www.uefa.com/under19/season=2013/teams/player=250053173/index.html
  18. ↑ "STAGE A ROMA DAL 10 AL 12 MARZO: SONO 31 I CONVOCATI DI PRANDELLI". figc.it (in Italian). Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
  19. ↑ "Under-21 2015 - England-Italy – UEFA.com". uefa.com. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
  20. ↑ http://www.sportmediaset.mediaset.it/calcio/Nazionale/benassi-e-zappacosta-coro-pro-ventura-sarebbe-ottimo-ct-_1099324-201602a.shtml
  21. ↑ "Rugani in Azzurri reserves". Football Italia. 31 May 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  22. ↑ Alessandro Massimo (24 June 2015). "Benassi: "Vietato sbagliare"" (in Italian). UEFA.com. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  23. ↑ Benedetto Ferrara (2 October 2016). "Pagelle: nel Torino Benassi con personalità, nella Fiorentina si salva Sanchez" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  24. ↑ Federico Bosio (20 November 2015). "Atalanta-Torino: scende in campo l'azzurro del futuro" (in Italian). Toro News. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  25. ↑ Gualtiero Lasala (8 January 2016). "Torino, l'assenza di Acquah spiana la strada a Benassi" (in Italian). Toro News. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  26. ↑ "Lukic, il raggio di luce del Torino sta per accendersi" (in Italian). Tutto Sport. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  27. ↑ "Vivo x Lei, Borioni risponde: chi saranno i nuovi Buffon, Barzagli, Pirlo e Di Natale?" (in Italian). CalcioMercato.com. 23 January 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  28. ↑ "Il pagellone 2014/2015: Marco Benassi" (in Italian). Toro.it. 23 June 2016. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  29. ↑ Giovanni Battista Terenziani (23 January 2013). "Benassi, Livaja, Longo: l'Inter giovane" (in Italian). CalcioMercato.com. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  30. ↑ "Torino-Sampdoria, torna Benassi: vivo il ballottaggio con Acquah" (in Italian). Toro News. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  31. ↑ Marco Benassi profile at Soccerway
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