UEFA honours
UEFA European Championship: runner-up 2012

• Born in Turin, he joined Juventus and worked his way diligently through the youth ranks before attaining first-team status in 2006/07, the season La Vecchia Signora spent in Serie B as punishment for the sporting fraud scandal.

• Made 25 Serie B appearances to help the club win immediate promotion under coach Didier Deschamps, but given his Serie A and European debuts (in the UEFA Cup) not by Juventus but Empoli FC, where he was despatched on loan for the 2007/08 campaign.

• Achieved his Serie A breakthrough with Juventus under Claudio Ranieri in 2008/09, his first two top-flight goals being responsible for 1-0 wins against ACF Fiorentina and SSC Napoli; also made his debut that season in the UEFA Champions League.

• Awarded his first Italy cap by Marcelo Lippi on 12 August 2009 and made it into the 2010 FIFA World Cup squad, starting the 1-1 draws against Paraguay and New Zealand; retained by new Azzurri boss Cesare Prandelli for UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying, making two starts and four substitute appearances.

• Reached 100 Serie A outings for Juventus midway through an impressive 2011/12 campaign in which he registered a career-best goal tally as the unbeaten Bianconeri won the title.

• Played every game at UEFA EURO 2012 and impressed as Italy reached the final, ultimately falling to a 4-0 defeat by Spain.