Manuele Blasi Italian footballer, defensive midfielder. Date of Birth: 17.08.1980 Country: Italy

1. Early Career
2. Debut and Loans
3. Juventus and Controversy
4. Return to Juventus
5. Post-Calciopoli
6. Napoli and Later Career
7. Palermo and Parma
8. International Career

Early Career

Manuele Blasi began his footballing journey as a product of AS Roma's youth system. In 1998, he was loaned out to Lecce, where he made 12 Serie A appearances. Despite returning to Roma, Fabio Capello remained skeptical of the young midfielder, granting him only seven first-team matches.

Debut and Loans

On January 22, 2000, Blasi finally made his Serie A debut for Roma in a 2-1 victory over Piacenza. Later that year, he was sent on loan to Perugia as part of a deal that brought Hidetoshi Nakata to the capital. After an impressive season, Perugia signed Blasi permanently for €700,000. It was at Perugia that the Italian was first deployed as a defensive midfielder.

Juventus and Controversy

In 2003, Blasi joined Juventus on a free transfer, but was immediately loaned out to Parma. His stay at the club was short-lived after testing positive for nandrolone following a match against his former side, Perugia. He was handed a six-month ban, reduced to five months on appeal.

Return to Juventus

Despite the setback, Blasi returned to Juventus in 2004 and established himself as a key player, displacing Alessio Tacchinardi and Stephen Appiah. However, the arrival of Patrick Vieira the following season pushed him down the pecking order, leading to sporadic appearances as a left-back or left-winger.

Post-Calciopoli

After Juventus' relegation to Serie B due to the Calciopoli scandal, Blasi was loaned to Fiorentina in 2006. He scored his first Serie A goal on October 22, his 139th appearance in the Italian top flight. Despite becoming a regular starter for Fiorentina, the club opted not to make his move permanent.

Napoli and Later Career

In August 2007, Blasi joined Napoli for €2.5 million. He flourished in his first season with the club, playing primarily as a right-sided midfielder and becoming one of their leaders. Napoli acquired the remaining half of his contract for €2.4 million in May 2008. Blasi remained a crucial part of the team for another season.

Palermo and Parma

In August 2009, Palermo secured Blasi on loan with an option to purchase. He made his debut in the third round of Serie A against Bari. On July 1, 2011, he was transferred to Parma in an exchange deal involving Blerim Dzemaili. His final club was Lecce, where he signed on January 25, 2012.

International Career

Blasi represented Italy at all youth levels. He made his senior team debut on August 18, 2004, in a friendly against Iceland, which marked Marcello Lippi's first match in charge of the national side. Blasi accumulated eight caps for Italy.