Luca Cigarini


Luca Cigarini is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.

Club career

Parma

Cigarini was one of the notable youth products in the 2005 Parma squad, alongside Daniele Dessena.

Atalanta

After Parma was relegated to Serie B in June 2008, Cigarini was sold to Atalanta in join-ownership bid, for €4.5 million on 11 July.

Napoli

On 3 July 2009, Cigarini signed for Napoli from Atalanta on a five-year deal for €10.5 million. Atalanta paid Parma €3.5 million plus half the registration rights of Alessio Manzoni to sign Cigarini outright.
On 2 August 2010, Cigarini joined Sevilla FC on a loan deal for the 2010–11 season who paid €292,500 for the loan and, upon conclusion of the season, had the option to purchase the midfielder for €7 million.

Return to Atalanta

Cigarini returned to Atalanta on loan in summer 2011 for free. On 4 July 2012, the loan was renewed for €1.25 million loan fee.
On 5 July 2013, after spending two seasons on loan with Atalanta, a co-ownership deal was agreed to with Napoli for €2.75 million. Cigarini continued to play for Atalanta for the upcoming 2013–14 Serie A season. Cigarini scored his first goal of the season against Lazio on 20 October. In June 2014 Atalanta acquired Cigarini outright for €2.35 million. Atalanta paid €5.75 million transfer fee in total to re-acquire Cigarini.

Sampdoria

After spending five years with Atalanta, Cigarini made the switch from Bergamo to Genoa, signing a permanent deal with Sampdoria.

Cagliari

In 2017, Cigarini moved to Serie A rivals Cagliari in an exchange deal with Nicola Murru.

Crotone

On 8 September 2020, Cigarini signed with Crotone a 2-years contract.

Reggiana

On 23 August 2021, he signed a two-year contract with Reggiana in Serie C, returning to the third tier for the first time since his professional debut season with Sambenedettese.

International career

On 7 September 2007, Cigarini scored his first ever goal with the Italy U-21 squad in a 2–1 victory over the Faroe Islands in a UEFA U-21 Qualifying match. He was also part of Pierluigi Casiraghi's Olympic team that won the 2008 Toulon Tournament. He also played for Italy in the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship.
Cigarini received his first call-up to the senior team on 30 August 2010. New coach Cesare Prandelli named him in the squad for the upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers as an injury replacement for Claudio Marchisio.

Style of play

Luca Cigarini usually plays as a deep-lying playmaker in midfield, although he is also capable of playing as a central midfielder. He is mostly known for his ability to orchestrate his team's attacking moves, courtesy of his technical qualities and precise long passing. As a youngster, he was nicknamed il Professore by Cesare Prandelli, his Parma youth manager at the time, due to his playmaking abilities and intelligent reading of the game. The Italian sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport has also stated that Cigarini has a similar vision of the game to that of fellow Italian midfielder Andrea Pirlo.

Honours

Italy U21