Nicolás Andrés Burdisso (born 12 April 1981) is an Argentine

football manager ''Football Manager'', also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008, is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...

and former professional player who played as a

centre back In the sport of association football, a defender is an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Defenders fall into four main categ ...

. Burdisso began his career with

Boca Juniors Club Atlético Boca Juniors () is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Boca, a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. The club is best known for its men's professional Association football, football team which, since its promotion in 1913 ...

. Here, he won Argentine Championships, three

Copa Libertadores The CONMEBOL Libertadores, also known as Copa Libertadores de América (), is an annual continental club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in South American club football. The tournam ...

and two Intercontinental Cups. In 2004, he was sold to Italian club

Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...

, winning four Serie A titles, a

Coppa Italia Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

and

Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana, also known as the Italian Super Cup, is an annual super cup tournament in Italian football. Founded in 1988 as a two-team competition, it has featured four teams since 2023 (the winners and runners-up of the previous ...

. In 2009, he moved to

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: People, characters, figures, names * Roma or Romani people, an ethnic group living mostly in Europe and the Americas. * Roma called Roy, ancient Egyptian High Priest of Amun * Roma (footballer, born 1979), born ''Paul ...

, and later

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

and

Torino Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

. A former

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

international, he made 49 appearances since his debut in 2003. He was selected for two

FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...

s and two

Copa America Copa or COPA may refer to: COPA COPA may refer to: * Child Online Protection Act The Child Online Protection Act (COPA) was a United States law, law in the United States, United States of America, passed in 1998 with the declared purpose of ...

s and was part of the team which won gold at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

. Nicolás Burdisso was

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

in 2019 and in 2021 became the Technical Director of

Fiorentina ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as Fiorentina (), is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football clubs in Italy, club based in Florence, Tuscany. The original team was founded by a merger in August 1926, while ...

Club career

Boca Juniors

Burdisso is a product of

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

club

's youth system. He began his professional career with them in 1999 at age 18. With Boca Juniors, he won two Argentine Championships (2000 Apertura and 2003 Apertura), three

(2000, 2001, 2003), and two Intercontinental Cups (2000, 2003).

Inter Milan

In 2004, Burdisso moved to

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

, signing a four-year contract. However, he missed almost all of the 2004–05 season after Inter allowed him to return to Argentina to support his daughter Angela, who was fighting

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

. He returned to action in October 2005 when he played as a second-half substitute in the 5–0 hammering of

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

. On 31 August 2006, he extended his contract until 2009. On 8 September 2006, four days after

Giacinto Facchetti Giacinto Facchetti (; 18 July 1942 – 4 September 2006) was an Italian footballer who played as a left-back for Inter Milan from 1960 to 1978. He later served as Inter chairman from January 2004 until his death in 2006. He played 634 official ga ...

died, Burdisso was given the number 16 jersey for the retirement of Facchetti's beloved number 3 jersey. Burdisso enjoyed his most prolific campaign during the 2006–07, when he was named the Coppa Italia top scorer with 4 goals jointly with four other players. This also included his first career brace on 29 November 2006 in the 4–0 victory against

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

. He again scored twice on 24 January 2007, in the 3–0 victory against

Sampdoria Unione Calcio Sampdoria, commonly referred to as Sampdoria (), is an Italian professional football club based in Genoa, Liguria. Sampdoria was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the ...

. Inter eventually made their way to the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

, where they faced Roma; Burdisso played in the second leg which Inter won 2–1, but they lost the trophy 7–4 on aggregate. In addition to that, he also scored two goals in the championship which ended in conquest. During the Champions League tie between

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

and Inter on 5 March 2007, a fracas broke out between players of the two teams. Burdisso suffered a broken nose from a punch in the face from Valencia defender David Navarro. As punishment for his part in the brawl, Burdisso was handed a six-match ban from all European club competitions, with an additional two match suspension. Navarro was sentenced to a seven-month ban from domestic, European and international matches. The match at the Mestalla ended in a goalless draw, which sent Inter out of competition on away goal rule. Burdisso eventually returned to duty on 12 March 2008 in the second leg of the Champions League match against

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, but was sent off in the 60th minute after receiving his second

yellow card Yellow card may refer to: * Yellow card (sport), shown in many sports after a rules infraction or, by analogy, a serious warning in other areas * Yellowcard, an American alternative rock band * Yellow Card Scheme, a United Kingdom initiative co ...

of the game. With Inter, he played left and right back and central defender as a key member of the squad in three different competitions. Burdisso left the club in August 2009 after playing 139 matches and scoring eight goals in all competitions, winning nine trophies in the process.

Roma

upBurdisso with Roma in 2012 On 22 August 2009, Burdisso was signed by

on loan, which offered him €3.04 million (gross) salary per year. He played the opening match of the league on 23 August. He scored his first goal for Roma on 20 December 2009, opening the scoring in a 2–0 win over

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

. Burdisso was then signed by Roma permanently on 28 August 2010 for an €8 million transfer fee. He signed a four-year contract, in which he would earn €3.8 million (pre-tax) his first year, increasing to €4.5 million pre-tax in the next three years. He scored his fifth goal—first in the

2011–12 Serie A The 2011–12 Serie A (known as the Serie A TIM after its headline sponsors) was the 110th season of top-tier Italian football, the 80th in a round-robin tournament, and the second since its organization under a league committee separate from S ...

—for Roma against

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

on 29 October. Roma lost that game 3–2. On 15 November 2011, he suffered a serious injury to his left knee which will force him out of action for six months. In 2007, Burdisso expressed his desire to finish his career at

. In 2012–13 season under

Zdeněk Zeman Zdeněk Zeman (; born 12 May 1947) is a Czech-Italian football manager. 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 ...

, Burdisso was relegated to the bench. He played only eight matches in the first part of the season, scoring the opener in a 4–2 win over Milan. Prospects in the starting XI remained dismal after the arrival of new manager

Rudi Garcia Rudi José Garcia (; ; born 20 February 1964) is a French professional football manager and former player who is currently the head coach of the Belgium national team. Garcia began his professional career with Lille, and went on to have stints ...

, typically serving as third-choice centre-back behind starters Mehdi Benatia and Leandro Castán.

Genoa

On 23 January 2014, Burdisso signed with

. He played for Genoa for four seasons, making 113 appearances.

Torino

On 31 August 2017, Burdisso was signed by Torino on a free transfer on an annual contract. He concluded the season with 25 appearances for Torino. He announced his retirement on 10 October 2018.

International career

Burdisso starred in the Argentina under-20 team along with

Javier Saviola Javier Pedro Saviola Fernández (; born 11 December 1981) is an Argentine former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He represented both FC Barcelona, Barcelona and Real Madrid ...

and Maxi Rodríguez. All three won the

2001 FIFA World Youth Championship The 2001 FIFA World Youth Championship took place in Argentina between 17 June and 8 July 2001. The 2001 championship was the 13th contested. The tournament took part in six cities, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Mendoza, Rosario, Salta, and Mar del ...

together. On 15 May 2006, Burdisso was named as a squad member for the

2006 FIFA World Cup The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international Association football, football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which had won the right to FIFA World Cup hosts ...

by his former U-20 coach José Pekerman, going on to play in all three group matches. He also played for Argentina in the Copa América 2007, where the team went on to reach the final. On 4 June 2008, Burdisso scored his second goal for Argentina during a friendly against

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, California. Burdisso was selected to the Argentina squad for the

2010 World Cup The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010. ...

by manager

Diego Maradona Diego Armando Maradona Franco (30 October 196025 November 2020) was an Argentine professional association football, football player and manager. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, he was one of the two ...

and for the Copa América 2011 by manager Sergio Batista. On 15 November 2011, Burdisso injured his left knee during a World Cup qualifying match against

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. During a disputed ball with

James Rodríguez James David Rodríguez Rubio (born 12 July 1991) is a Colombian professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or Winger (association football), winger for Liga MX club Club León, León and Captain (associ ...

, Burdisso partially tore his left knee ligaments, with initial assessments predicting a recovery period of six-to-eight months.

Personal life

Burdisso has a younger brother, Guillermo Burdisso, who is currently playing for Universidad Católica, had previously played for

as well. The Burdisso brothers hold Italian passports due to their family origins in

Collegno Collegno (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about west of Turin. It occupies an alluvial plain at the end of the Val di Susa, between Rivoli and Turin, at the foot of ...

(

Turin Turin ( , ; ; , then ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The city is main ...

) and

Revello Revello (Arvel in Piedmontese language, Piedmontese, Revel in Occitan language, Occitan) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italy, Italian region Piedmont, located about southwest of Turin and about northwest of Cuneo ...

(

Cuneo Cuneo (; ; ; ) is a city and in Piedmont, Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area. It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in the south-west of Piedmont, at the confluence of the ri ...

), their grandparents' birthplaces in the Italian region of

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

After retirement

Retiring in the summer 2018, it was confirmed at the end of December 2018, that Burdisso had been appointed sporting director of his former club,

, signing a deal until December 2020. However, he resigned from the position at the end of 2019. On 6 July 2021, Burdisso was appointed technical director of

. He left the position at the end of 2023-24 season.

Career statistics

Club

International

International goals ''Scores and results list Argentina's goal tally first.''

Honours

Boca Juniors * Primera División: 2000 Apertura, 2003 Apertura *

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

* Intercontinental Cup:

Inter Milan *

: 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09 *

: 2004–05, 2005–06 *

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Argentina U20 *

FIFA U-20 World Cup 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 when i ...

Argentina U23 *

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic Tournament The CONMEBOL Preolímpico () is an international association football event in the South America region organized by CONMEBOL. It is the qualification tournament for the football at the Summer Olympics, football tournament at the Olympic Games. ...

Argentina *

Copa América The CONMEBOL Copa América (; known until 1975 as the South American Football Championship), often simply called the Copa America, is the top men's quadrennial association football, football tournament contested among list of men's national ass ...

runner-up:

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

Individual *

top-scorer: 2006–07

References

External links

Official Websitenicolasburdisso.com

Stats and profile (footballdatabase.com)inter.it profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burdisso, Nicolas 1981 births Living people Footballers from Córdoba Province, Argentina Argentine sportspeople of Italian descent Argentine men's footballers Men's association football central defenders Boca Juniors footballers Copa Libertadores–winning players Inter Milan players AS Roma players Genoa CFC players Torino FC players Serie A players Argentina men's international footballers Argentina men's under-20 international footballers Footballers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers for Argentina Olympic gold medalists for Argentina 2006 FIFA World Cup players 2007 Copa América players 2011 Copa América players Argentine Primera División players Argentine expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Italy 2010 FIFA World Cup players Argentine expatriate sportspeople in Italy 21st-century Argentine sportsmen