Christian Panucci (Italian pronunciation: [ˈkristjan paˈnuttʃi]; born 12 April 1973) is a retired Italian footballer who currently works as an assistant coach for the Russian national team under Fabio Capello. He was a member of the Italian national team. Panucci was a right back, but also played as a central defender.
After a great deal of travelling throughout his career, Panucci finally settled at Roma. He joined the Roman club in the 2001–02 campaign, the year after the Giallorossi won the national title. He went on to become a key player and one of the leaders of the club. In July 2002, he was signed permanently for €9.81 million.
Panucci, a reliable leader both on and off the field, has often taken the responsibility to speak for the team in moments of difficulty, as seen after Roma's shock elimination from the Champions League in 2007. In January 2009, Panucci was dropped from Roma's first team squad after refusing to sit on the bench for a league match against Napoli and was later also excluded from the Champions League squad list. He then announced his intention to leave Roma, but no serious bidder was found in the January transfer window and he ultimately stayed, returning to the first team on 28 February after he apologised to his fellow players and the club management. He was sent off in the second Derby della Capitale of the 2008-09 season after a heated on-pitch clash with Lazio player Stephan Lichtsteiner following his hard challenge on the Swiss defender. His contract with Roma ended on 30 June 2009, which he had signed in October 2005.
He played a total of 311 matches, scoring 29 goals for Roma, becoming the highest-scoring defender in the club's history.
Another one requested by my friend to cover up his regular Panucci card. Enjoy !
