Francesco_Ruopolo
Francesco Ruopolo
Italian footballer
Francesco Ruopolo (born 10 March 1983) is an Italian former footballer who played as a forward. He spent most of his career in the 2nd highest division of Italian football, Serie B.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1983-03-10) 10 March 1983 (age 41) | ||
| Place of birth | Aversa, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 000?–2002 | Parma | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2002–2006 | Parma | 16 | (0) |
| 2002–2003 | → Pro Patria (loan) | 32 | (4) |
| 2003–2004 | → Cittadella (loan) | 31 | (6) |
| 2005 | → Lokomotiv Moscow (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2006–2007 | Triestina | 13 | (0) |
| 2007–2010 | AlbinoLeffe | 137 | (40) |
| 2010–2011 | Atalanta | 31 | (8) |
| 2011–2012 | Padova | 33 | (7) |
| 2013–2015 | Reggiana | 56 | (15) |
| 2015–2017 | Mantova | 33 | (5) |
| 2017–2018 | AC Rezzato | (8) | |
| 2018 | Nuova Bagnolese | (1) | |
| 2018–2019 | Castelvetro Calcio | 16 | (6) |
| International career | |||
| 2000 | Italy U16[1] | 5 | (1) |
| 2002–2004 | Italy U20[1] | 23 | (4) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Parma
Born in Aversa, Campania region, Ruopolo started his career at Emilia–Romagna side Parma. He was the member of Primavera under-20 team[2] and in 2002 made his professional debut with Pro Patria of Serie C1, where he was sent on loan for a season.
He was then loaned to Cittadella, again in Serie C1, where he scored six goals. On 1 July 2004, he returned to Parma, playing 21 games (9 in the UEFA Cup, 1 in the Coppa Italia, and 1 in the relegation playoffs) without scoring any goals; however noted by FC Lokomotiv Moscow, that signs him on loan for the 2005 Russian season.[3] He played seven Russian league matches for Lokomotiv, made two substitution appearances in UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, and started 4 games and made 2 substitution appearances in UEFA Cup, scored two goals against S.K. Brann and Maccabi Petah Tikva FC. He returned to Parma in January 2006, and made six more Serie A appearances and 1 more at Cup for the Gialloblu.
Triestina & AlbinoLeffe
In July 2006, Ruopolo was signed by Serie B club Triestina in co-ownership deal, but he failed to impress in Trieste and moved to AlbinoLeffe in January 2007[4] in another co-ownership deal. He scored 8 league goals for AlbinoLeffe in his first season, and the club decided to buy him outright.[5] He then scored an average of 10 Serie B goals a season in the next 3 seasons for the Province of Bergamo based side.
Atalanta
On 5 July 2010, he moved to cross-town "rival" Atalanta Bergamo,[6] which they shared the same stadium on free transfer.[7] He signed a 3-year contract. Atalanta Bergamo was relegated from Serie A in May 2010 and had sold numbers of players to AlbinoLeffe in previous seasons. In the 2010–11 season, Ruopolo played 31 matches and scored 8 times for the Dea.
In May 2012, Atalanta received two penalty points and a €25,000 fine as several players, including Ruopolo, had been accused of match fixing.[8]
Padova & football scandal
In July 2011, Ruopolo was moved to Calcio Padova on free transfer.[9] He was banned for 16 months after plea bargain for involvement in 2011–12 Italian football scandal. He was released by Padova in July 2012.[10]
During the "Festival International Espoirs de Toulon et du Var" in 2003, Ruopolo scored one goal against Portugal in the final of the tournament.
- "National Team data". FIGC (in Italian). Retrieved 7 July 2010.
- "La Primavera 2000/2001 (1981-82-83)". Parma AC (in Italian). Archived from the original on 15 March 2001. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
- "Ruopolo on board at Lokomotiv". UEFA. 12 July 2005. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
- "Numero 28 per Ruopolo". UC AlbinoLeffe (in Italian). 18 January 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
- "Acquistato anche Francesco Ruopolo". UC AlbinoLeffe (in Italian). 20 June 2007. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
- "MERCATO NERAZZURRO: RUOPOLO E FREZZOLINI A TITOLO DEFINITIVO". Atalanta BC (in Italian). 5 July 2010. Retrieved 6 July 2010.[permanent dead link]
- "Atalanta handed two-point penalty". football-italia.net. 31 May 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- "Risolto il contratto di Francesco Ruopolo" (in Italian). Calcio Padova. 24 July 2012. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- Profile at La Gazzetta dello Sport (2007–08) (in Italian) [dead link]
- Profile at La Gazzetta dello Sport (2009–10) (in Italian) [dead link]
- Francesco Ruopolo at WorldFootball.net
- Francesco Ruopolo at Soccerway
- Francesco Ruopolo at ESPN FC
- Profile at AIC.Football.it (in Italian) [dead link] (in Italian) [dead link]
- Francesco Ruopolo at TuttoCalciatori.net (in Italian)