A Juventus academy graduate, Claudio Marchisio has been a respected figure at the club from a very young age. Captain of the youth teams as he was rising through the ranks, the midfielder famed for his strong personality is now one of Bianconeri’s great hopes for the future.
He made his first-team debut for the Turin giants on 29 October 2006 and, with Didier Deschamps installed in the dugout, went on to make a significant contribution as the club ended the 2006/07 campaign earning promotion back to Serie A.
To procure more playing time the following season, he was loaned out along with Sebastian Giovinco to Empoli, for whom he made 26 appearances before returning to Juve at the start of 2008/09. Back with the Bianconeri, Marchisio was quickly introduced to the UEFA Champions League, taking his first strides in the competition in a 1-1 draw with third qualifying round opponents Artmedia Bratislava.
Identified by The Times as the tenth best young player in Europe on 14 January 2009, he has steadily been earning his stripes as a starter for Juventus, despite the club’s obvious wealth of talent.
On the international stage, Marchisio represented Italy every step of the way as a youngster and contested 13 matches with the Under-21s. He also took part in the Toulon Tournament for U-21 sides in 2008, only to make one appearance before suffering a serious muscle tear that hindered his development.
Desperate for a player with precisely his attributes, Marcello Lippi tried Marchisio out for the first time in a friendly against Switzerland on 12 August 2009. He was fielded a few days later too as the Azzurri took on Bulgaria in a 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ qualifier, and he returned to the squad for the friendly against Cameroon in March.
