*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 2 March 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15 June 2023
Leonardo BonucciCavaliere OMRI (Italian pronunciation:[leoˈnardoboˈnuttʃi]; born 1 May 1987) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe and the Italy national team.[4][5][6] Considered one of the best defenders of his generation, Bonucci is known for his technique, ball-playing skills, tackling and his ability to play in either a three or four-man defence.[7][8][9]
After beginning his career with Inter Milan in 2005, Bonucci spent the next few seasons on loan at Treviso and Pisa, before moving to Bari in 2009. His defensive performances alongside fellow Italian centre-back Andrea Ranocchia earned him a move to Juventus the following season, where he later became a key member of the club's three-man defensive line, alongside Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli, establishing himself as one of the best defenders in world football. Among other titles, he went on to win six consecutive Serie A titles with the team between 2012 and 2017, having also played two UEFA Champions League finals in 2015 and 2017. In 2017, he moved to AC Milan, and one season later returned to Juventus, winning two more consecutive league titles.
At the international level, Bonucci has earned over 120 caps since his senior debut in 2010, representing Italy at two FIFA World Cups (2010 and 2014), three European Championships, (2012, 2016, and 2020), and a FIFA Confederations Cup (2013); he won Euro 2020 and earned a runners-up medal at Euro 2012 and a third-place medal at the 2013 Confederations Cup.
Bonucci has also won several individual honours for his performances: he was named to the UEFA Europa League Squad of the season during the 2013–14 and 2017–18 seasons, and is a four-time member of the Serie A Team of the Year. He was named the Serie A Footballer of the Year in 2016, and was also included in the UEFA Team of the Year in the same season. In 2017 and 2021, he was included in the FIFA FIFPro World11 and the IFFHS Men's World Team. He was also selected to the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League Team of the Season and the 2016–17 ESM Team of the Year.
^"2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of Players: Italy" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 14 July 2014. p. 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2019.
^Cite error: The named reference figc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Leonardo Bonucci". Fenerbahçe S.K. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
^"The 11 best defenders in the world". FourFourTwo. 18 December 2015.
^"For the love of defending! – Five of the best Italian defenders of modern times". The Football Faithful. 20 August 2021.
^"For the love of defending! – Five of the best Italian defenders of modern times". The Football Faithful. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
^"Top Facts About Leonardo Bonucci, The Best Defender in The World". SportMob. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
^Lopresti, Sam (17 September 2013). "Serie A: The League's 20 Best Defenders of the Past 25 Years". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
^Sargeant, Jack (1 June 2017). "An homage to Leonardo Bonucci". SB Nation. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
LeonardoBonucci Cavaliere OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [leoˈnardo boˈnuttʃi]; born 1 May 1987) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back...
Bonucci is an Italian surname. Notable people with the surname include: Alberto Bonucci (1918–1969), Italian film actor LeonardoBonucci (born 1987), Italian...
fastest goal ever scored in a European Championship final, only for LeonardoBonucci – who was later named the man of the match – to equalise midway through...
Chiellini: 2015, 2018 Most appearances: 1 Gianluigi Buffon: 2014, LeonardoBonucci: 2014, Andrea Pirlo: 2014, Carlos Tévez: 2014 Serie A Footballer of...
back-line, which was predominantly composed of Giorgio Chiellini, LeonardoBonucci, and Andrea Barzagli, was regarded to have played a large part in the...
marking, players such as Daniele De Rossi, Jérôme Boateng, Mats Hummels, LeonardoBonucci, and David Luiz have played a similar role as a ball-playing centre-back...
goals. In the 2015–16 season, another Juventus player won the award, LeonardoBonucci, becoming only the second defender to do so. The following season,...
Cannavaro, 4 each Most appearances at the UEFA European Championship LeonardoBonucci, 18 Most appearances in UEFA European Championship qualifying Gianluigi...
lapses or errors. In October 2019, his Juventus defensive teammate LeonardoBonucci said he believes that De Ligt will overcome these weaknesses with time...
established 3–5–2 formation, made up predominantly of Giorgio Chiellini, LeonardoBonucci and Andrea Barzagli, Buffon obtained a league record of 21 clean sheets...
Juventus won the match 2–0 with two first-half goals from Dani Alves and LeonardoBonucci, winning their third consecutive Coppa Italia title and 12th title...
players chosen included Gianluigi Buffon as goalkeeper, Dani Alves, LeonardoBonucci, Sergio Ramos, and Marcelo as defenders, Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos, and...
the left corner of the net, which deflected in off the right foot of LeonardoBonucci. Juventus responded with a goal seven minutes later to bring the score...
received five Inter players: Robert Acquafresca, Francesco Bolzoni, LeonardoBonucci, Ivan Fatić and Riccardo Meggiorini. Motta's agent, Dario Canovi, later...
left-back Giorgio Chiellini, and centre-backs Andrea Barzagli and LeonardoBonucci formed a Juventus core to the defence, having gone the entire 2011–12...