About Federico Balzaretti
Federico Balzaretti (Italian pronunciation: [fedeˈriːko baldzaˈretti, - baltsa-]; born 6 December 1981) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a left-back. Currently is the Loan Manager of Roma. A product of the Torino youth system, his first experience as a professional footballer was on loan to Varese and Siena, returning to Turin to play a year in Serie A and two in Serie B. Later he moved to Juventus, playing a year in Serie A and the Champions League and winning the Scudetto, later revoked for the events of Calciopoli and the next season in the lower division that ended in promotion. Sold to Fiorentina in 2007, after half a season he moved to Palermo, with whom he played in the Europa League. In 2010, he was called up to the Italy national team and took part in the UEFA Euro 2012, where Italy finished as runners-up. The same summer, he moved to Roma. After struggling with injuries, on 12 August 2015, he announced his retirement from football after having made a total of 221 appearances and scored 4 goals in Serie A and 130 appearances and 3 goals in Serie B. == Club career == === Torino === Balzaretti began his playing career at the age of 6 for hometown club Torino, playing in the various youth teams. He soon gained a reputation as an athletic wing-back with enormous potential, and was soon loaned out to provincial sides Varese and Siena between 1999 and 2002. A local, Balzaretti identified with the supporters and shortly became a symbol for Torino supporters, kissing the badge under the curva at the end of games. In 2004–05, he was heavily involved in the campaign for promotion, which brought the team back to Serie A. However, the promotion, achieved on the field, was lost during the difficult pre-season retreat after the bankruptcy of Torino Calcio.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.