Leonardo Bonucci is a very famous Italian soccer player. He is the deputy captain of the Italian national team where he plays as a center back. Moreover, he has played in two FIFA World Cups, two European Titles, and one FIFA Confederations Cup for Italy. His form, ball-playing skill, and defensive acts earned him a move to Juve. There, he later became a key element of the club’s three-man defensive line. As a result, he is popular as one of the top defenders in the world. He has also received several honors for his performances.
Read along as we shed light on Leonardo Bonucci. Scroll over to know more about his life on and off the field.
Leonardo Bonucci Biography/Wiki
| Full Name: | Leonardo Bonucci |
|---|---|
| Born Date: | 01 May, 1987 |
| Age: | 35 years |
| Horoscope: | Taurus |
| Lucky Number: | 4 |
| Lucky Stone: | Emerald |
| Lucky Color: | Green |
| Best Match for Marriage: | Virgo, Cancer, Capricorn |
| Gender: | Male |
| Profession: | Football Player |
| Country: | Italy |
| Height: | 6 feet 3 inches (1.91m) |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Wife | Martina Maccari |
| Net Worth | 22 million euro |
| Salary | 7.5 million euro |
| Birth Place | Viterbo |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Siblings | Riccardo Bonnucci |
| Kids | Three |
Birth
Born on 1 May 1987, Leonardo’s birthplace was in Viterbo, Italy. His father, Claudio Bonucci was a business person who dealt in paints. On the other hand, his mother, Dorita Bonucci was a housewife. Riccardo Bonucci (born November 1982) is Leonardo’s brother and is five years older than him. He was also a footballer who played earlier as a central defender for Viterbese in Serie C1.
Leonardo grew up in Pianoscarano, a town famous for Gothic architecture. Since his early years, he has picked up a knack for football. His family soon followed suit, offering ample scope for him to reveal his love for the sport.
Career
Leonardo began his career at Inter Milan in 2005. He did not fit into Inter’s starting line up. Thus, he was loaned out to FC Treviso in the summer of 2007. Furthermore, he began the 2007-2008 season as a fill-in for Treviso. However, he eventually moved into the starting line up. Leonardo began seeing more playing time during his second season at Treviso, thanks to the head coach’s faith in him. He played 40 games for the Italian club in two years, scoring four goals.
Leonardo is one of the best center backs in football history with the ability to score goals. He has a long list of awards for his feats while playing for various clubs. Leonardo has won Serie A Team of the Year, Serie A Footballer of the Year, and so on. He is a great defender with an EA Sports FIFA 18 rating of 88 out of 100.
Leonardo Bonucci Start of Career
Leonardo’s position was uncertain initially, and he played as a center midfielder or wing-back. However, at the age of 16, he switched to central defense following a talk with his coach Carlo. He was on the team’s bench in Serie C2 when he was 17 years old.
Additionally, he had a trial with Inter and two matches with Inter Milan’s young team in Abu Dhabi and Parma. Furthermore, the club signed him for €40K to join the youth team on July 11, 2005.
Leonardo thus began his professional career as a member of Viterbese’s youth team. However, in the summer of 2005, he was loaned to Inter Milan. He began his Inter career in 2005. Further, he spent the next few seasons on loan at Treviso and Pisa before joining Bari in 2009.
Leonardo Bonucci & His Profile
Leonardo won the Primavera Italian Cup with Inter’s young squad in the 2005-2006 season. The win came under the direction of Daniele. However, Leonardo himself did not take part in the double final versus AC Milan. Meanwhile, on 14 May 2006, Roberto, the first-team coach, presented Leonardo to Serie A. Leonardo came on as a fill-in for Solari at 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw at San Siro against Cagliari.
The next season, he stayed at Inter Milan but did not appear in any Serie A games. Leonardo made his Italian Cup debut on November 9, 2006. He came on in the 86th minute to replace Fabio Grosso in a match against Messina (0-1). Further, he made two more appearances in the match. While one was against Empoli (2-0) on January 17, the other was against Sampdoria (0-0) on February 1. However, his club lost in the final against AS Roma. Nevertheless, as captain, he won the youth league.
Leonardo Bonucci & Juventus
It sounded too weird to be real at first. Once, rumors were afloat that Leonardo had informed AC Milan about wanting to leave just a year after joining. Some reports even stated that he was looking for a surprise return to Juve. Leonardo had left Juve just a year before and he was selected captain of the San Siro team.
Leonardo started every game that season for Juve. They were currently in first place in Serie A, one point ahead of Inter Milan in second. Since joining Juve from Bari nine years ago, he has won 14 cups, including seven Scudetto wins.
After seven years at Juve though, Leonardo admitted that his bond with the club had faded. As a result, this led to his surprise exit to AC Milan.
Leonardo Bonucci & Milan
Leonardo’s first return to the San Siro was one of the strangest transactions in recent Serie A history.
As Milan struggled in the early part of the season, Leonardo’s form dipped. He was severely blasted. However, he claimed to have gone from being one of Europe’s most sought defenders to one of its most vulnerable. And that too, in a very short period.
Leonardo Bonucci’s Transfer
Leonardo returned to Juve from AC Milan after only a season at the San Siro. That was a swap deal that saw defender Mattia Caldara move the other way.
Leonardo and Mattia got swapped out in a deal. According to Football Italia, the loan was costly. Thus, Milan is almost surely going to use their clause.
Leonardo Bonucci On FIFA 18
In FIFA 18, he has an overall rating of 86, with a potential of 86. Leonardo’s skill moves are rated as 2-stars. He prefers to shoot with his right foot. Moreover, his work rates keep varying between low and high.
Leonardo Bonucci currently plays with a number 19 jersey. Interceptions: 90, Stand Tackle: 88, Composure: 86, Heading: 86, Long Pass: 85 are his finest numbers.
Leonardo Bonucci & His Club Stats
As of February 6, 2021, Leonardo has played 585 matches in all. In addition, he has scored 38 goals since the start of his career in 2005. He spent the most of his career with Juve, appearing in 432 games for them.
Leonardo Bonucci & His International Stats
Leonardo has scored 7 goals in 99 matches for Italy as of October 14, 2020. Additionally, he has played 14 international matches for his country this year. Moreover, he has also scored one goal against Norway.
Leonardo Bonucci & Match-Fixing
Leonardo, along with Simone Pepe, Antonio Conte, as well as other players, were accused of match-fixing in May 2012. These charges came up against them during the 2011-2012 Italian football scandal investigations. Leonardo was referred to the Italian Football Federation’s (FIGC) Federal Prosecutor’s Office in the summer of 2012. Leonardo was especially accused of helping to fix the result of a 3-3 draw against Udinese in May 2010. This was during his time with Bari. The federal attorney Stefano requested a 3-year, 6-month expulsion for Leonardo. Further, in the following weeks, the sporting justice cleared him in both the first and second instances. Leonardo, on the other hand, denied any such conduct.
However, there was a judicial fallout from the case. Nonetheless, the player’s case was logged in February 2015.
Leonardo Bonucci & His Playing Style
Leonardo is famous for his passing range, playing form, and ability to attack from the back with long passes. Besides his ball skills, he is also a tall, mobile, and strong defender. He has superb forecast, solid tackling, and the ability to read the game and mark opponents. Moreover, he also excels in the air and often provides a goal threat from set-pieces.
Leonardo is a talented and promising young defender. However, some experts criticize him for being irregular and prone to errors or lapses in focus in his youth. The Italian media dubbed it as ‘Bonucciate’. During the 2014-2015 season, though, he made notable progress and proved himself as one of the greatest full backs ever.
Leonardo has received praises for his influence and ability to organize his back-line. Additionally, his defensive playmaking and technical skills are worthy too. Many consider him as the best defender in the world.
Leonardo Bonucci & His Honors
Let us take a glance at the center back’s coups to date.
Inter Milan
- 2005-2006 – Serie A
- 2006 – Coppa Italia Primavera
- 2007 – Campionato Nazionale Primavera
Juve
- 2011-2012, 2012-2013, 2013-2014, 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2018-2019, 2019-2020 – Serie A
- 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2020-2021 – Italian Cup
- 2012, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020 – Italian football Super Cup
Italy
- 2012, 2020 – UEFA European Championship runner up
- 2013 – FIFA Confederations Cup 3rd place
Individual
- 2017 – FIFA FIFPro World 11; 2016 – 4th team
- 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2019-2020 – Serie A Team of the Year
- 2015-2016 – Serie A Footballer of the Year
- 2016 – UEFA Team of the Year
- 2013-2014, 2017-2018 – UEFA Europa League Squad of the Season
- 2017 – Ballon d’Or nominee
- 2016-2017 – UEFA Champions League Team of the Season
- 2016-2017 – ESM Team of the Year
- 2016 – L’Équipe Team of the Year
- 2017 – IFFHS Men’s World Team
- 2017 – EA Sports FIFA Team of the Year
- 2011-2020 – IFFHS UEFA Team of the Decade
- 2020 – UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament
Leonardo Bonucci & His Net Worth
Leonardo’s probable salary is around 7.5 million euros. He has a net worth of $22 million and makes $4 million each year. Leonardo lately got his hands on a brand new Aston Martin luxury car for $250K.
From Juve & Bari, he gets a salary of around $5.1 million. In addition, he has rich sponsors like Nike, Jeep, and Adidas that help him earn a fortune of $20 million. The player joined Juve FC on July 1, 2011. He signed a $17.7 million contract with Juve FC from 2011 to 2017.
Personal Life
Leonardo married Martina Maccari, a former model and blogger, on June 18, 2011. They had met through a mutual friend in 2008 and began dating shortly after. The couple has three kids together – two sons and a daughter.
While Lorenzo (born – July 2012) and Matteo (born – May 2014) are their sons, Matilda (born – February 2019) is their daughter. Although Leonardo played for Juve for many seasons, his eldest son, Lorenzo, is a Torino fan.
Matteo had to once undergo emergency surgery in July 2016 after an acute illness. Leonardo revealed in a 2017 interview that his son’s condition had made him consider retiring from the sport.
An armed robber once attacked Leonardo, Martina, and their five-month-old infant in October 2012. His demand was that Leonardo should hand over his watch to him. Meanwhile, Martina locked herself up in the car with their son, Lorenzo. Leonardo reportedly punched the robber and chased him down the street as he ran out to take the watch. However, the robber and his partner fled on a bike.
Leonardo Bonucci & Social Work
On the other hand, Leonardo is a strong anti-bullying advocate. In December 2017, he made a cameo in Benji and Fede’s music video ‘Buona Fortuna’, which dealt with bullying. Moreover, he co-wrote and released ‘Il Mio Amico Leo’ in October 2019, alongside writer and editor Francesco Ceniti. This book partly derived inspiration from his own experiences and was meant to provide help to bullying victims.
Leonardo Bonucci & COVID
He tested positive for COVID-19 on April 1, 2021, during the pandemic in Italy. Nonetheless, he recovered by April 12.
More Facts about Leonardo Bonucci
Henceforth, we bring you the most common searches on the web about Leonardo Bonucci.
Leonardo Bonucci Birthday
His birthday falls on May 1 every year.
Leonardo Bonucci Age
The famed footballer is 35 years old currently.
Leonardo Bonucci Real Name
His name at birth was Leonardo Bonucci Cavaliere OMRI.
Leonardo Bonucci Zodiac
Taurus is his zodiac sign.
Leonardo Bonucci Height
He is 6’3″ or 1.90 m tall.
Leonardo Bonucci Weight
He weighs 198 lbs or 90 kg.
Leonardo Bonucci Physical Stats
- Body Type – Slim
- Chest – 44″
- Waist – 34″
- Biceps – 16″
- Hair Color – Dark brown
- Eye Color – Dark brown
Leonardo Bonucci Family
- Father – Claudio Bonucci
- Mother – Dorita Bonucci
- Brother – Riccardo Bonucci
- Spouse – Martina Maccari
- Sons – Lorenzo and Matteo Bonucci
- Daughter – Matilda Bonucci
