Born on 17 September 1977 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, England, Simone Perrotta would go on to become a versatile and dynamic midfielder and a World Champion in Germany in 2006.

After growing up in the province of Cosenza, he made his professional football debut for Reggina. In 1998, he joined Juventus, where he took to the pitch for the first time in Serie A and the UEFA Champions League. However, it was at Bari and then Chievo where he really established himself as an accomplished player, earning his first Azzurri call-up and a move to Roma. He remained at the Giallorossi for the rest of his career: during his nine-year spell in the capital, he won two Coppa Italia trophies and one Supercoppa Italiana.

As for his international career, he was first called up by Marco Tardelli, then the Head Coach of the Under-21 National Team. He went on to win the 2000 European Championship with the Azzurrini. In 2002, at the age of 25, he made his debut for the senior side in a friendly against Turkey. His performances convinced Giovanni Trapattoni to name him in Italy’s squad for the 2004 European Championship, during which he scored his first goal for his country against Bulgaria. Two years later, he started all seven of the Azzurri’s games at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where Marcello Lippi’s side became World Champions. Perrotta was also involved in the 2008 European Championship, following which he made his 48th and final Italy appearance in a friendly against Brazil in London in 2009.