Adaílton Martins Bolzan (born 24 January 1977 in

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

, Brazil), best known as Adaílton, is a Brazilian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

coach and a former player who played as a striker. He is the current assistant manager of Juventude. Adaílton holds Italian nationality, thus he was not restricted by labour law for non-European Union citizen.

Club career

Adaílton began his career in 1994 with Juventude before moving to Guarani. In 1997, he joined

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

but failed to impress and as the club already had

Enrico Chiesa Enrico Chiesa (; born 29 December 1970) is an Italian football coach and former striker. A prolific goalscorer, Chiesa played for several Italian clubs throughout his career, and performed regularly in Serie A for over a decade, winning titles ...

and

Hernán Crespo Hernán Jorge Crespo (; born 5 July 1975) is an Argentine professional football coach and former player. He is the current manager of Qatari club Al-Duhail. A prolific striker, Crespo scored over 300 goals in a career spanning 19 years. At in ...

, it was rumored that he would leave in January 1998, after having then played only three times in Serie A, including his debut on 21 September 1997 against

Piacenza Calcio Piacenza Calcio 1919, commonly referred to as Piacenza, is an Italian football club based in Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna. The club currently plays in Serie C. Re-founded in 2012, Piacenza Calcio 1919 acquired the rights to use the brand of the ori ...

when he was substituted for Crespo in the 74th minute. He started his first game on 9 November and scored the opening goal in a 2–0 win against

Empoli Empoli () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, about southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Roman times. The comm ...

. Following the win he did not start again until 1 February 1998 when he appeared against

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...

. He started twice more in nine more league appearances following the transfer of

Faustino Asprilla Faustino Hernán Asprilla Hinestroza (born 10 November 1969) is a Colombian former professional footballer who most notably played for Parma, Newcastle United and the Colombia national team as a forward. Club career Early years After starting ...

to the ''Gialloblu''. In the next season he left for

Paris Saint Germain Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (), commonly referred to as Paris Saint-Germain, Paris, Paris SG or simply PSG is a professional football club based in Paris, France. They compete in Ligue 1, the top division of French football. As Fr ...

before returning in the summer of 1999 to join Serie A newcomer

Hellas Verona Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as Hellas Verona or simply Verona, is a professional Italian football club based in Verona, Italy, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won the Serie A Championship in 1984–85. His ...

in a co-ownership deal and was closely followed at the club by the arrival of

Robert Špehar Robert Špehar (born 13 May 1970) is a Croatian football coach and a former international footballer who played as a striker. During his 18 years long senior career he played for Croatian Prva HNL teams NK Zagreb and NK Osijek in three occas ...

. Under

Cesare Prandelli Claudio Cesare Prandelli (; born 19 August 1957) is an Italian football coach and former player. He was most recently head coach of Fiorentina. Career Player Prandelli was a midfielder who moved from Atalanta to Juventus in 1979. His first game ...

, he started to play more regularly. Verona acquired the full rights to the player in June 2004. In the summer of 2006, Adaílton joined Serie B side

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

along with

Giuseppe Sculli Giuseppe Sculli (born 23 March 1981) is a retired Italian footballer who played in several positions; primarily a striker, he could play anywhere along the front-line, and also played as a winger, as a second striker, and even as a right-sid ...

Luciano Figueroa Luciano Gabriel "Lucho" Figueroa Herrera (; born 19 May 1981) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a forward. Club career Figueroa was born in Santa Fe. He began his professional career with Primera División club Ro ...

and

Ilyos Zeytulayev Ilyos Zeytulayev ( uz, Илёс Зейтулаев, born 13 August 1984) is an Uzbekistan, Uzbek retired Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder or as a Forward (association football), forward. He is currently the head coach ...

as part of the club's push for promotion. In January 2007 the club also signed

Marco Di Vaio Marco Di Vaio (; born 15 July 1976) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a striker. A prolific goalscorer, in his long club career, Di Vaio scored over 200 league goals while playing for several clubs, mainly in Italy, as ...

Julio César de León Julio César de León Dailey (; born 13 September 1979) is a Honduran footballer who currently plays for Olancho F.C. in the Honduran Liga Nacional de Ascenso as a midfielder. He is known for being a free-kick specialist and was an importan ...

and

Mirco Gasparetto Mirco Gasparetto (born 2 February 1980) is an Italian footballer who played as a forward. Gasparetto has played over 100 matches in Serie B. Although contracted for by then Serie A clubs Empoli, Genoa and Chievo, he played very few match in the ...

. Adaílton was paired with Di Vaio as the club's strike force in January, and helped Genoa to finish third and promotion to Serie A. For the following season Genoa signed

Marco Borriello Marco Borriello (; born 18 June 1982) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Throughout his career, Borriello played for several Italian clubs, including Treviso, Triestina, Milan, Empoli, Reggina, Sampdoria, Geno ...

and Adaílton was sold to Serie B side

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

on 31 August 2007. where he won promotion to Serie A again. For the 2008–09 season, Bologna signed Di Vaio, and paired him with Adaílton again, with Di Vaio ending the season as the team's top scorer and helping the club avoid relegation to Serie B.

Vaslui

2010–2011

On 3 August 2010, Adaílton signed a two-year contract with

Liga I The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...

club

FC Vaslui CS Sporting Juniorul Vaslui (), commonly known as Sporting Vaslui, Juniorul Vaslui or simply as Vaslui, is a Romanian professional football club based in Vaslui, Vaslui County, founded in 2002 and re-founded in 2014. The club is currently playin ...

. He made his competitive debut for Vaslui on 14 August, in a 2–1 home win against FC Brașov. On 13 September, he scored his first Vaslui goals, netting twice in the emphatic 4–0 home league win over Oţelul Galaţi. On 25 September, he scored his first three-points goal, netting the winning goal against

Gloria Bistriţa Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

. On 15 October, Adaílton scored two more goals, in a 5–3 home victory over

CFR Cluj Fotbal Club CFR 1907 Cluj, commonly known as CFR Cluj ( or ), is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, which competes in the Liga I. It was founded in 1907 as ''Kolozsvári Vas ...

Adaílton had worn the number 14 during the first half of the season, but switched during the winter break to the number 10 shirt. On 7 March 2011, he scored his sixth league goal for Vaslui, in a 2–0 home victory against

Universitatea Cluj Fotbal Club Universitatea Cluj (), commonly known as Universitatea Cluj or simply as U Cluj, is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, that competes in the Liga I, the first ...

. On 19 March, he scored the equalizer from a 16-yard free kick, in a 1–1 draw against Steaua București. The next round, he repeated the performance, in a 2–0 home victory against

Unirea Urziceni Asociația Sportivă Fotbal Club Urziceni, commonly known as FC Urziceni (), is a Romanian professional football club based in Urziceni, Ialomița County which currently plays in fourth division, Ialomița County. Unirea became national champion ...

, scoring from a 20-yard free kick. At the end of the season, the 11 goals scored and the 11 assists provided for his teammates were enough for Adaílton to be awarded the Vaslui Player of the Year award.

2011–2012

At the beginning of the 2011–12 season, due to the major squad problems, Adaílton began playing as a right winger. His new role helped him to provide three assists for his teammates in the 3–0 victory against

Concordia Chiajna Clubul Sportiv Concordia Chiajna, commonly known as Concordia Chiajna, is a Romanian professional football club based in Chiajna, Ilfov County, which competes in the Liga II. Founded in 1957, the team's best period was between 2011 and 2019, when ...

. However, one day later Viorel Hizo announced that Adaílton will not play in the UEFA Europa League play-off against Sparta Prague, due to an injury suffered with Concordia. On 11 September, he provided two more assists in the 3–1 home league win against Dinamo București. Four days later, he assisted Wesley's equalizer in the first match from the group stages of the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

against

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; the game ended in a 2–2 draw. On 3 October, he scored twice against

CS Mioveni Clubul Sportiv Mioveni (; ''Mioveni Sports Club''), commonly known as CS Mioveni, or simply as Mioveni, is a Romanian professional football club based in Mioveni, Argeș County, currently playing in the Liga I. They were founded in 2000 as ''AS ...

, ending a twelve Liga I matches goalless strike. Following

Gabriel Cânu Gabriel Cânu (born 18 January 1981) is a Romanian former footballer. He was best known for his impressive height, powerful header and aerial game effective both defensively and in attack. He was also regarded for his leadership qualities, becom ...

's long-term injury, and Wesley's red card received for hitting an opponent, Adaílton became captain for the Europa League matches. On 22 December, Adaílton finished second on the vote for ''

Gazeta Sporturilor ''Gazeta Sporturilor'' ( en, The Sports Gazette) is a daily Romanian newspaper, and the country's largest and most read sports-related publication. It is owned by Ringier Sportal S.R.L—a joint venture of Ringier Romania S.R.L. and the Bulgarian ...

's'' Liga I Foreign Footballer of the Year Award, behind teammate Wesley. On 16 June 2012, Adaílton decided to retire from professional football, in order to be with his family. He announced that he might return to Vaslui, not as a football player but as a member from the technical staff.

International career

Adaílton was the top goalscorer and winner of the Golden Shoe with

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

at the

1997 FIFA World Youth Championship The 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, known as the 1997 FIFA/Coca-Cola World Youth Championship for sponsorship purposes, was the 11th staging of the FIFA World Youth Championship. It was held from 16 June to 5 July 1997 in Malaysia. It was th ...

. His record of 6 goals in a single match stood until 2019, when it was beaten by

Erling Haaland Erling Braut Haaland (; born 21 July 2000) is a Norwegian professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Manchester City and the Norway national team. Considered one of the best players in the world, he is known for his speed, stre ...

with 9.

Coaching career

On 7 October 2019, he left Italian

Serie D The Serie D () is the top level of semi-professional football in the country. The fourth tier of the Italian league system, the competition sits beneath the third professional league, Serie C. It is administered by the Lega Nazionale Dilettant ...

club Vigor Carpaneto by mutual consent.

Career statistics

Club

''Statistics accurate as of match played 20 May 2012'' ¹Include 2 matches at Serie A playoff for relegation

Honours

Club

;Bologna *

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...

runner-up (1) : 2007–08 ;FC Vaslui *

runner-up (1) : 2011–12

Individual

FIFA World Youth Championship The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the biennial football world championship tournament for FIFA members’ men's national teams with players under the age of 20. The competition has been staged every two years since the inaugural tournament in 1977 wh ...

Golden Shoe (1) :

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

Player of the Season (1) : 2010–11

References

External links

* * * * *
Adaílton
at Footballdatabase {{DEFAULTSORT:Adailton 1977 births Living people Brazilian footballers Brazil under-20 international footballers Brazilian expatriate footballers Brazilian emigrants to Italy Naturalised citizens of Italy Expatriate footballers in Italy Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Italy Expatriate footballers in France Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in France Expatriate footballers in Romania Brazilian expatriate sportspeople in Romania Association football forwards Sportspeople from Rio Grande do Sul Esporte Clube Juventude players Guarani FC players Campeonato Brasileiro Série A players Ligue 1 players Serie A players Serie B players Liga I players Parma Calcio 1913 players Paris Saint-Germain F.C. players Hellas Verona F.C. players Genoa C.F.C. players Bologna F.C. 1909 players FC Vaslui players Brazilian football managers Campeonato Brasileiro Série D managers Sociedade Esportiva do Gama managers