Cristiano Piccini

Cristiano Piccini (Italian pronunciation: [kriˈstjaːno pitˈtʃiːni]; born 26 September 1992) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a defender.

Club career

Fiorentina

Born in Florence, Piccini joined Fiorentina's youth setup in 2002, aged ten, after starting it out at Sporting Arno. On 5 December 2010, he made his first team – and Serie A – debut, coming on as a substitute for Manuel Pasqual in a 1–0 home win against Cagliari.

On 30 August 2011, Piccini was loaned to third division club Carrarese, in a season-long deal. He scored his first professional goal on 4 April of the following year, netting the first in a 3–1 home loss against Virtus Lanciano.

The following season, Piccini joined Spezia of Serie B on loan until the end of the season. After being an undisputed starter, he was loaned to the top level's Livorno, with a buyout clause.

Betis

On 27 August 2014, Piccini moved to Spanish Segunda División side Real Betis. He made his debut on 7 September, starting in a 4–1 away loss against SD Ponferradina in which he played a part in Jorge Molina's goal, and made 11 more appearances as they won the title.

Piccini signed a permanent four-year deal with the Verdiblancos on 9 July 2015, with Fiorentina holding a buyback option. He made his La Liga debut on 23 August, starting in a 1–1 home draw against Villarreal CF.

On 8 January 2017, Piccini scored his first top-flight goal to conclude a 2–0 win over CD Leganés at the Estadio Benito Villamarín, and followed it two months later to open a 1–1 draw at Deportivo de La Coruña. He was also sent off twice over the course of the season, the first coming after 16 minutes of a 3–1 loss at SD Eibar for a foul on Takashi Inui.