Ignazio Abate

Ignazio Abate
Abate with Italy in 2012
Personal information
Full name Ignazio Abate[1]
Date of birth (1986-11-12) 12 November 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth Sant'Agata de' Goti, Italy
Height 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Right back
Team information
Current team
 Ternana (head coach)
Youth career
Rescaldina
1999–2004 AC Milan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2007 AC Milan 0 (0)
2004–2005 → Napoli (loan) 29 (2)
2005–2006 → Piacenza (loan) 13 (0)
2006–2007 → Modena (loan) 38 (1)
2007–2008 Empoli 24 (1)
2008–2009 Torino 25 (1)
2009–2019 AC Milan 243 (3)
Total 372 (8)
International career
2004 Italy U18 3 (0)
2005 Italy U19 2 (1)
2005–2006 Italy U20 6 (0)
2006–2009 Italy U21 10 (1)
2008 Olympic Italy 8 (1)
2011–2015 Italy 22 (1)
Managerial career
2024– Ternana
Medal record
Men's Football
Representing  Italy
UEFA European Championship
Runner-up 2012 Poland–Ukraine
FIFA Confederations Cup
Third place 2013 Brazil
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ignazio Abate (Italian pronunciation: [iɲˈɲattsjo aˈbaːte]; born 12 November 1986) is an Italian professional football coach and a former full-back. He is the head coach of Serie C Group B club Ternana. Although naturally a winger, he could also play as a wide midfielder, wing-back,[2] and on rare occasions, as a centre-back.[3] As a player, Abate was renowned for his stamina, quick sprints, and ability to make attacking runs down the right flank.[4] In his prime, he was considered one of the fastest players in the top leagues of European football.[5][6]

Abate started playing football with amateur club Rescaldina, before joining Milan's youth system in 1999 and making his professional debut for the club in December 2003. From 2004 to 2009, he spent five years on various loan spells with several Italian clubs, before going back to Milan. During the 2010–11 Serie A season, Abate contributed to Milan winning their 18th Scudetto as a first-choice in the right full-back position. After ten consecutive seasons with Milan and 306 competitive appearances for the team, Abate became a free agent in July 2019 and announced his retirement as a player in 2020. In 2021, he returned to the club as a youth coach.

Abate has represented the Italy national team and the Italy U21 national team, and also played for the Italian U19 national team and the Italian U20 national team. Prior to starring for the senior team, he represented his country in the 2008 Summer Olympics and 2009 European U-21 Championship. He made his senior international debut in November 2011, in a friendly match against Poland, and has since then represented the country in UEFA Euro 2012, winning a runners-up medal, at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, winning a bronze medal, and at the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Nearly two years after his debut, Abate scored his first international goal against Germany in November 2013.

  1. ^ "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players: Italy" (PDF). FIFA. 14 July 2014. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2019.
  2. ^ Matteo Calcagni (22 February 2010). "Il transformer Ignazio Abate" [Ignazio Abate the Transformer] (in Italian). Milan News. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  3. ^ Edoardo Allegrucci (2 December 2018). "Milan, un super Abate da difensore centrale contro il Parma" (in Italian). calcionews24.com. Archived from the original on 4 December 2018. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Abate da difensore centrale was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Vincenzo Vasta (5 May 2010). "Abate: velocità al servizio del gruppo" [Abate: speed at the group's service] (in Italian). Milan News. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  6. ^ Luca Persico (2 June 2014). "Italy's World Cup 23". Football Italia. Retrieved 2 February 2017.