Andrea Dossena

Andrea Dossena (born 11 September 1981) is an Italian football coach and former player who played as a left winger or left back.

He is the head coach of club Pro Vercelli.

Dossena started his professional career at Verona in 2001, having progressed through the club's youth ranks.

He made his Serie A debut on 18 November 2001 in the city derby against Chievo.

Having made 99 league appearances for Verona, he joined Treviso in 2005, and made 21 league appearances for the club.

Italian Serie A team Treviso signed Dossena in a co-ownership deal in 2005.

It was Treviso's first season in Serie A after they were promoted due to Genoa being denied this privilege as a result of their role in Caso Genoa.

He then joined Udinese in 2006, and had a successful two-year spell, which, after making 63 league appearances, saw him switch to English side Liverpool in July 2008.

Udinese signed him in 2006 in a co-ownership with Treviso, which became permanent in June 2007.

He was given the number 2 jersey and made 63 appearances in the two seasons with Udinese, scoring 2 league goals there.

He made his full international debut for Italy in 2007, and was part of their team at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, earning 10 caps in total.

Dossena began his career at Verona as a youth player before playing 4 seasons in their senior squad.

On 4 July 2008, Liverpool confirmed the signing of Dossena on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the region of £7 million, becoming the second Italian to play for the club, behind Daniele Padelli.

Dossena was signed as a direct replacement for John Arne Riise who left for Roma.

On 10 July 2008, it was announced that Dossena would wear the number 2 shirt.

His debut for Liverpool came on 16 August in the 1–0 Premier League win over Sunderland at the Stadium of Light.

The start to his career at Liverpool was marked by poor form and he was unsatisfied with his performances, telling The Guardian:

"'I am not fully happy with my level. I must now get to a high level and maintain that, but first I have to battle to win selection. I am learning all the time'."

Dossena reinforced that he was committed to the club and explained that he was having difficulties adjusting because the pace of English football was significantly different from what he had experienced in Serie A.

Despite his largely unimpressive performances, he received more opportunities to prove himself in the first team as Fábio Aurélio, Liverpool's favoured left back, suffered an injury in late November.

He lost his first team slot with Aurelio's return from injury combined with the emergence of Emiliano Insúa.

He scored his first goal for Liverpool on 10 March 2009 against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League after coming on as a substitute.

He scored his first goal in the Premier League four days later, on 14 March in the 4–1 victory against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

He scored both goals playing as an auxiliary left-winger as a late substitute in both games.

However, he struggled to adapt to the English game, making just 18 league appearances in two seasons, and he returned to Italy in January 2010, when he signed for Napoli.

On 8 January 2010, Dossena signed for S.S.C. Napoli in a four-year contract, and was given the number eight shirt The fee quoted was €4.25 million and Andriy Voronin left on the same day.

He made his debut for Napoli on 13 January 2010 in a Coppa Italia match against Juventus.

His Serie A debut for Napoli came on 17 January 2010 in the 0–0 against Palermo at the San Paolo Stadium.

Although he quickly established himself in the team, he fell out of favour during the 2012–13 season, and was loaned to Palermo, where he made 11 league appearances.

In October 2007, he was awarded an improved contract which last until 30 June 2012.

Dossena netted a brace in the final game of the season against Siena on 13 May 2012, sending Napoli to a 2–1 win and guaranteeing Europa League football.

In September 2013, having made 83 league appearances for Napoli, Dossena returned to England when he joined Sunderland.

In January 2013 Dossena went on loan to Palermo.

Following the return of Dossena's former Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez to Napoli, Dossena was told he would be allowed to look for a new club.

On 2 September 2013, he moved to Sunderland on a free transfer.

Dossena made his Sunderland debut on 27 October, playing at left back in a 2–1 victory over local rivals Newcastle United.

However, Dossena was sent off in Sunderland's next game at Hull City for a stamp on David Meyler.

In November 2014 it was announced that Dossena had joined Leyton Orient on a free until the end of the season.

He joined Chiasso in 2015.

He last played for Piacenza in 2017.