Alberto Gilardino

Who is Alberto Gilardino?

Alberto Gilardino, Ufficiale OMRI is an Italian footballer who plays as a striker for Chinese Super League club Guangzhou Evergrande.

In his early career, he was compared to Filippo Inzaghi, and Christian Vieri described him as the fusion of both players. Gilardino currently holds the record for being the second youngest player to have scored 100 goals in Serie A, after Altafini. With 175 Serie A goals, Gilardino is currently among the top 15 all-time scorers in Serie A history and ranks 3rd among active players after Francesco Totti and Antonio Di Natale.

With Milan he has won the UEFA Champions League 2006-07, 2007 UEFA Super Cup and the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup. He was named Serie A Young Footballer of the Year in 2004, Serie A Footballer of the Year and the Italian Footballer of the Year in 2005.

Gilardino has represented Italy at under-19, under-20, under-21, and senior levels. Gilardino was a part of the Italian side that won the 2004 UEFA U-21 Championship where he became the tournament's leading goalscorer. He was also named as the best player of the tournament and one of two strikers in the UEFA Team of the Tournament.