Marco Sansovini (born 17 June 1980) is an Italian professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who last played as striker for 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 San Nicolò Notaresco. Sansovini was nicknamed "Il Sindaco".

Career

Early career

Born in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, capital of Italy, Sansovini started his professional career at

A.S. Roma ' (''Rome Sport Association''), commonly referred to as Roma (), is a professional football club based in Rome, Italy. Founded by a merger in 1927, Roma has participated in the top tier of Italian football for all of its existence, except for ...

. He was loaned to

Serie C1 Lega Pro Prima Divisione was the third highest football (soccer), football league in Italy. It consisted of 33 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 16 and 17 teams for group A and B respectively. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1 ...

club

Foggia Foggia (, , ; nap, label= Foggiano, Fògge ) is a city and former ''comune'' of Apulia, in Southern Italy, capital of the province of Foggia. In 2013, its population was 153,143. Foggia is the main city of a plain called Tavoliere, also known ...

in 1998–99 season. In mid-2000 he left for

Serie C2 Lega Pro Seconda Divisione was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consisted of 36 teams, but in the 2011–12 season, there were 41 teams divided geographically into two divisions of 2 ...

club

Viareggio Viareggio () is a city and ''comune'' in northern Tuscany, Italy, on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. With a population of over 62,000, it is the second largest city within the province of Lucca, after Lucca. It is known as a seaside resort as ...

in a co-ownership deal for a peppercorn fee of 1 million

Italian lire The lira (; plural lire) was the currency of Italy between 1861 and 2002. It was first introduced by the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy in 1807 at par with the French franc, and was subsequently adopted by the different states that would eventually f ...

(about €516) along with Andrea Giallombardo. He only scored twice in

2000–01 Serie C2 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

. In June 2001 Roma gave up the remain 50% registration rights of both Giallombardo and Sansovini. In 2001–02 Serie C2, Sansovini found a way to score with 8 goals. In 2002–03 he changed to play for Serie C1 club

Sassari Torres Torres is an Italian football club based in the city of Sassari. It plays in Serie C, the third division of the Italian football league system. Re-founded in 2017, the club is the continuation of the Società per l'Educazione Fisica Torres, bor ...

. However, he only scored once in the first half of the season. In January 2003 he was loaned to fourth-tier team Tivoli. Sansovini only played 9 times, but with an impressive 4 goals, nearly 0.44 goals per game. Sansovini returned to

Sardegna Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

2003–04 Serie C1 The 2003–04 Serie C1 was the twenty-sixth edition of Serie C1, the third highest league in the Italian football league system. League standings Serie C1/A Play-off =Semifinal= , - , style="background:#eee" colspan=4 , , - =Final= ...

. However, he only played 615 minutes in the whole season with 2 goals. Sansovini transferred to

Pro Sesto Pro Sesto 1913 S.r.l. (formerly ''Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Nuova Pro Sesto'' and initially ''Associazione Calcio Pro Sesto'') is an association football club, based in Sesto San Giovanni, Lombardy, Italy. Pro Sesto currently plays ...

of Italian fourth-tier in mid-2004. He netted 7 goals for the 2004–05 Serie C2 Group A champion. He also scored even more goals in

2005–06 Serie C1 The 2005–06 Serie C1 was the twenty-eighth edition of Serie C1, the third highest league in the Italian football league system. It was divided into two phases: the regular season, played from 28 August 2005 to 7 May 2006, and the playoff phase ...

(11 goals). Sansovini previously only had 3 Serie C1 goals in his accounts, with Torres. However Pro Sesto also had a second least goal scoring record and none of a players scored in the relegation "play-out". His striking partners, all failed to score. (

Marcos de Paula Marcos Ariel de Paula (born 19 December 1983) is a Brazilian football player. He plays as a striker. Career De Paula was spotted by Chievo scouts while playing for Bauru in the 2001 Torneo di Viareggio. He was loaned to A.C. Milan for the 2001� ...

, 4 goals in half season;

Leandro Lázzaro Leandro Lázzaro (born 8 March 1974) is a former Argentine football striker, who is currently playing in Indoor Football. Career Lázzaro started his career in 1994 with Nueva Chicago in the 2nd division of Argentine football. In 1998 Láz ...

, twice; Claudio Salvi, once) However Pro Sesto re-admitted to Italian third-tier as numbers of club was expelled from that division due to different reasons. Despite remaining in Serie C1, Sansovini was sold to fellow third-tier club

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the Ombrone river. It is the m ...

Grosseto

Sansovini was signed by

in mid-2006. He had a mix seasons with the Tuscany club. Sansovini did not have a place in

2006–07 Serie C1 The 2006–07 Serie C1 was the twenty-ninth edition of Serie C1, the third highest league in the Italian football league system. It was divided into two phases: the regular season, played from 3 September 2006, to 13 May 2007, and the playoff pha ...

. He also failed to score in the first half of the season until he left for

Manfredonia Manfredonia is a town and commune of Apulia, Italy, in the province of Foggia, from which it is northeast by rail. Manfredonia is situated on the coast, facing east, to the south of Monte Gargano, and gives its name to the gulf to the east of i ...

. In late August 2007 he left for

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

. The team was newly relegated from

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 ...

while Grosseto promoted to

2007–08 Serie B The 2007–08 Serie B regular season is the seventy-sixth since its establishment. It started on August 25, 2007, and ended with the promotion playoff final on June 15, 2008. At the end of the year, three teams were promoted to Serie A, the fir ...

as third division group A winner. Once again Sansovini won a place in starting eleven and converted the chance to 16 goals. However

Franco Lerda Franco Lerda (born 19 August 1967) is an Italian football manager and a former player who played as a forward. Club career Lerda began his career with the Torino youth system, at the age of 16, joining the first team during the 1985–86 season. ...

did not trust any one of the rest of the strikers, while he used forwards such as Luis Maria Alfageme (half-season), Nico De Lucia (half-season) and Nicola Falomi (half-season) as the partner of Sansovini in the formation. Despite the rotation of the squad, Pescara collected the most goals among the group and missed the promotion both by aggregate result against

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

and 1 point penalty. Sansovini's ability made Grosseto offering second chance to him. In his maiden second division, Sansovini scored 15 goals, a goal shy than last season (16 goals). His goal scoring partner

Thomas Pichlmann Thomas Pichlmann (born 24 April 1981) is an Austrian footballer, who last played as a striker for Innsbruck. Club career Pichlmann first made his name at Second Division DSV Leoben before moving to top flight outfit SV Pasching. In 2006, he joi ...

also scored a considerable goals (12 goals) but not for

Alessandro Pellicori Alessandro Pellicori (born 22 July 1981) is a former Italian footballer and football coach. He played as a striker. On 11 August 2012 he was suspended 3 year for alleged match-fixing. Career Pellicori started his professional career at Cosenza ...

, Ferdinando Sforzini (half-season) and Marco Carparelli (half-season). Grosseto entered the promotion play-off, losing to

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 158,493 residents in December 2017. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn (pronou ...

4–3 in the first round/semi-finals. Eventually Livorno was the winner. Sansovini played both match with only one goal, while his partner Pichlmann (first match) and Pellicori (second match) failed to score. In

2009–10 Serie B The 2009–10 Serie B season is the seventy-eighth edition since its establishment in 1929. Serie B is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega ...

, Sansovini was the starting forward along with Pichlmann. He failed to score and he was surprisingly sold to third division club Pescara on the last day of summer transfer window. On the same day Grosseto signed

Joelson Joelson is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name * Joelson Santos Silva or Joelson (born 1980), Brazilian footballer * Joelson José Inácio (born 1983), Brazilian footballer People with ...

as replacement and Alfageme few days earlier, in temporary deal and co-ownership deal for peppercorn respectively.

Return to Pescara

On 31 August 2009, he returned to

in a definitive deal, in a four-year contract for €600,000 transfer fee, rejoining former Grosseto coach

Antonello Cuccureddu Antonello Cuccureddu (, ; 4 October 1949) is an Italian association football coach and former player who played as a defender. He last managed Lega Pro Prima Divisione club Grosseto in 2014. Club career A central defender, Cuccureddu spent hi ...

. Despite Sansovini was one of the starting forward with 26 starts, Sansovini only scored 4 times, only 1 more than his backup

Francesco Zizzari Francesco Zizzari (born 31 May 1982) is an Italian footballer who plays as a forward for Sporting Recco. Career Early career Born in La Spezia, Liguria (some reported in Foggia, Apulia, ) Zizzari started his career in Serie D teams in Lugo, E ...

and Mario Artistico (half-season). Another new signing

Massimo Ganci Massimo Ganci (born 17 November 1981) is an Italian former footballer who last played for Unipomezia Virtus as a forward. He played 10 games in the Serie A in the 2004–05 season for Reggina Calcio. Career Ganci started his professional care ...

scored 8 goals with lesser start and Samuele Olivi scored 4 goals as a defender. Both Sansovini and Ganci scored in the promotion playoffs of the third division and Pescara promoted. Sansovini again found his shoes in

2010–11 Serie B The 2010–11 Serie B (known as the Serie bwin for sponsorship reasons) is the seventy-ninth season since its establishment in 1929, and the first one under the rule of the new Lega Serie B. A total of 22 teams contest the league, 15 of which ret ...

with 11 goals. However Ganci and new signing Cristian Bucchi and

Stefano Giacomelli Stefano Giacomelli (born 30 April 1990) is an Italian footballer who plays as a forward for Serie B club LR Vicenza. Club career Foligno Born in Spoleto, Umbria, Giacomelli started his career with Foligno. He made his league debut during 2006– ...

all failed to score. Instead, winger Massimo Bonanni was the second goalscorer of the team with 5 goals only. Pescara finished in the mid-table (13th /22teams) with 16th goal scored and 9th least goal conceded. Sansovini remained in the starting XI in

2011–12 Serie B The 2011–12 Serie B (known as the Serie bwin for sponsorship reasons) was the eightieth season since its establishment in 1929. A total of 22 teams will contest the league: 15 of which returning from the 2010–11 season, four of which promo ...

. That season

Zdeněk Zeman Zdeněk Zeman (; born 12 May 1947) is a Czech-Italian football coach. Known for his exciting, offensive footballing tactics and use of the 4–3–3 formation, Zeman has managed numerous teams over the years, mostly in Italian football. He has ...

used 4–3–3 formation. That season, Sansovini played 41 rounds with 16 goals. Pescara also signed Juventus wonder-kid

Ciro Immobile Ciro Immobile (born 20 February 1990) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie A club Lazio, which he captains, and the Italy national team. Immobile began his career at Sorrento. In 2009, he was purchased by Ju ...

and Napoli rising star

Lorenzo Insigne Lorenzo Insigne (; born 4 June 1991) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Major League Soccer club Toronto FC and the Italy national team. Insigne began his professional career with čelik Niksic in 2009, making his ...

. The team had the most powerful goal scoring ability with 90 goals; Immobile was the league topscored with 28 goals, while Insigne had 18 goals and Sansovini was the third of the team.

Spezia

Despite failed to keep Immobile and Insigne whom both joined Pescara in temporary deals, as well as coach Zeman, Sansovini also left the club on 21 June 2012 to Serie B newcomer

Spezia La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second largest city ...

for €150,000 fee in a two-year contract. On 25 July 2013, Sansovini added one more year to the contract. On 10 January 2014, he was signed by

Novara Novara (, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous city in Piedmont after Turin. It is ...

in temporary deal.

Virtus Entella

On 19 July 2014, he was signed by

Virtus Entella Virtus Entella, commonly referred to as Entella, is an Italian professional football club based in Chiavari, Liguria. Founded in 1914, the club currently competes in the . History 1914: Foundation The club was founded in 1914 as Foot-Ball Club ...

Second return to Pescara

On 2 February 2015, Sansovini returned to Pescara in a temporary deal; Aniello Cutolo moved to opposite direction on the same day. On 27 June Pescara signed him outright. On 27 January 2016, Sansovini was signed by

Lega Pro The Serie C () is the third-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie B and Serie A. The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico (Lega Pro) is the governing body that runs the Serie C. The unification of the Lega Pro ...

club

Cremonese Cremona (, also ; ; lmo, label= Cremunés, Cremùna; egl, Carmona) is a city and ''comune'' in northern Italy, situated in Lombardy, on the left bank of the Po river in the middle of the ''Pianura Padana'' (Po Valley). It is the capital of the ...

in a temporary deal.

Teramo

On 20 July 2016, Sansovini left for

Teramo Teramo (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Tèreme ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo. The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines (Gran Sasso d'Italia) ...

in a two-year loan.

Serie D

On 5 August 2019, he joined

club San Nicolò Notaresco.

Honours

Pro Sesto *

Lega Pro Seconda Divisione Lega Pro Seconda Divisione was the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consisted of 36 teams, but in the 2011–12 season, there were 41 teams divided geographically into two divisions of 2 ...

: 2004–05 Grosseto *

Lega Pro Prima Divisione Lega Pro Prima Divisione was the third highest football league in Italy. It consisted of 33 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 16 and 17 teams for group A and B respectively. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1. Before the 1978� ...

: 2006–07 Pescara *

: 2011–12

References

External links

Football.it Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sansovini, Marco 1980 births Living people Italian men's footballers Serie B players Serie C players Serie D players AS Roma players Calcio Foggia 1920 players ASD Viareggio Calcio players Pro Sesto 1913 players US Grosseto 1912 players Manfredonia Calcio players Delfino Pescara 1936 players Spezia Calcio players Novara FC players Virtus Entella players SEF Torres 1903 players Modena FC 2018 players Men's association football forwards Footballers from Rome