Liverpool FC player profile - Alberto Aquilani

Alberto Aquilani is a professional footballer who was born on 07 July 1984 in Rome, Italy. At the age of sixteen Alberto Aquilani turned down lucrative contracts from Premier League sides Arsenal and Chelsea in favour of playing for Roma, the club he supported as a child. Two years later on 10 May 2003, under the managerment of Fabio Capello, Alberto Aquilani made his Serie A debut in a match against Torino. Soon after his Serie A league debut Alberto Aquilani went out on loan to Serie B side Triestina where he scored 4 goals in 41 appearances during 2003/04 before returning to Roma for the 2004/05 Season. Alberto Aquilani finally managed to cement his place in the starting lne-up for Roma during the 2005/06 season when he made 34 appearances, including his Champions League debut, and scored 6 goals in all competitions. 

Alberto Aquilani made his international debut on 15 November 2006 in a friendly against Turkey. Over the following seasons Alberto Aquilani was plagued with injury at Roma, he spent several months out through injury towards the end of the 2006/07 season coming back only in May 2007.  He then picked up another injury in October 2007 which sidelined him until January 2008. Alberto Aquilani was named in Italy's Euro 2008 squad and featured in matches against France and Spain. The following October (2008) saw him score his first international goal in a World Cup 2010 qualifier against Montenegro but then he picked up another injury which sidelined him once again, this time until January of the following year (2009). In February 2009 Alberto Aquilani was again injured and didn't fully recover for the rest of the season, despite this Roma agreed a 3 year extension to Alberto Aquilani's contract taking it to 2013.

Regardless of the extension to Alberto Aquilani's contract it emerged in August 2009 that Roma had agreed the transfer of Alberto Aquilani to Premier League club Liverpool FC subject to a medical examination. Alberto Aquilani duely passed the medical and on 07 August 2009 signed a 5 year contract with the Anfield side. Alberto Aquilani made his first team debut for Liverpool FC in the Carling Cup when he came on as a 77th minute substitute in a 2-1 loss against Arsenal on 28 October 2009. The following month saw Alberto Aquilani make his Premier League debut against Birmingham City on 09 November 2009 and his '30 second' Champions League debut against Debrecen on 24 November 2009.