Patrizio Billio (19 April 1974 – 23 January 2023) was an Italian footballer who played as a midfielder.

Biography

Billio was born in Treviso, Italy on 19 April 1974. He had a degree in Sports Management from the Catholic University of Milan.

Career

Billio started his professional career at A.C. Milan, playing with the youth academy before being promoted to the senior squad. He then played for Ravenna, Verona (both Serie B), Casarano (Serie C1),

Ternana Ternana Calcio, commonly referred to as Ternana, is an Italian football club based in Terni, Umbria. The club was founded in 1925 and refounded in 1993. In its history, Ternana has twice played in Serie A (in the 1972–73 and 1974–75 ...

(Serie C2), Ancona. In January 1998, he joined Crystal Palace in the Premier League, making his debut as a substitute in a win against

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

at St James' Park. Billio then played for Ancona for a short period of time before signing with

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

in October 1999. After excellent performances, the club renewed for three more seasons. Not long after, however, he and fellow Italian player Marco De Marchi had major conflicts with the new management, most notably manager Ivano Bonetti. They were removed unfairly from the first team and within a few months were required to practice alone or with the youth team. In January 2002, Billio alleged that he was headbutted by a man with a skinhead haircut outside of Dens Park and that his car was stolen from his home. There was speculation about whether Dundee executive Paul Marr had been involved in the attack, but he was later acquitted in court.

FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...

decided to release him from his contract shortly thereafter and was signed by Aberdeen on a free transfer in August 2002. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 win over

Dunfermline Dunfermline (; sco, Dunfaurlin, gd, Dùn Phàrlain) is a city, parish and former Royal Burgh, in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. The city currently has an estimated population of 58,508. Accord ...

. He decided to leave Aberdeen in December 2002, and he signed for

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 ...

of Serie B. He then played for Sora (Serie C1, 2003–04, 2004-5 January), Pro Sesto (January 2005 – 2006, Serie C1 &C2) and Massese (Serie C1). He returned to Pro Sesto in 2008 Serie C1 and successively returned to Tuscany in January 2009 to join

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 ...

club Colligiana, where he finished his career.

Retirement

Following his retirement in 2011, Billio joined the LOYAC AC Milan Soccer School in Kuwait as the technical director and head coach. He had expressed interest in opening an AC Milan Soccer School arm in

Death

Billio died from a heart attack on 23 January 2023, at the age of 48.Attacco cardiaco, è morto l’ex calciatore Patrizio Billio

References

External links

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Profile at massesecalcio.itCurriculum Giocatore
{{DEFAULTSORT:Billio, Patrizio 1974 births 2023 deaths Sportspeople from the Province of Treviso Italian footballers Footballers from Veneto Association football midfielders Serie B players Premier League players Scottish Premier League players A.C. Milan players Ravenna F.C. players Hellas Verona F.C. players Ternana Calcio players A.C. Monza players Crystal Palace F.C. players A.C. Ancona players Dundee F.C. players Aberdeen F.C. players U.S. Livorno 1915 players S.S.D. Pro Sesto players U.S. Massese 1919 players A.S.D. Olimpia Colligiana players Italian expatriate footballers Italian expatriate sportspeople in England Expatriate footballers in England Italian expatriate sportspeople in Scotland Expatriate footballers in Scotland