Liverpool Legend

Biography
Andrea Dossena is a defender for Italy and Liverpool in the English Premier League. He is a left-footed player who operates best as a left-back, although he can step in and operate as a left-sided centre-back. He is better-known for his tough tackling than in venturing forwards, but can cross the ball well if he finds himself in a position to do so. He is a regular member of the Italian national squad. 

Childhood 
Andrea was born on 11th September 1981 in Lodi, in the suburbs of Milan. As a child he supported AC Milan, although he switched allegiances when he was taken on as a youngster by Verona. He worked his way up through the youth ranks, and impressed the coaches with his tenacity and determination.

Early Career
Dossena signed a professional contract when he was still learning the game, at 17 years old, but he was only brought into the first-team squad at Verona in 2001, when he was 20. He was used sparingly at first, as Verona battled to stay in Serie C. He started to establish himself in the team the following season, and was a first team regular by the time the team won promotion in 2004/05.

Udinese were happy to gamble on this promising youngster, though he still needed match practice at the highest level. A year on loan at Treviso (Serie B) showed that he was capable of playing with classier players, and he became a first-teamer at Udinese the following season.

Representing Udinese in the Champions League and Serie A as their first choice left-back ensured that he was noticed, both by the Italian national side (Donadoni gave him his debut) and by other top clubs.
Current Club
Andrea Dossena signed for Liverpool on 4th July 2008, for around £7m. Big things were expected of the Italian international, with manager Rafa Benitez selling off crowd favourite John Arne Riise because he had such faith in Dossena.

At first Dossena struggled to keep up with the physical demands and pace of the English game, but in time he has changed his game and become better equipped to deal with lightning-quick wingers and counter-attacks.

International
Dossena first donned the azzurri blue shirt in 2007, in a friendly against South Africa. Whilst he has been a regular member of the squad since then, he just missed out on representing Italy at Euro 2008, with Zambrotta recovering from injury just in time. He remains an important member of the squad, and since his move abroad has seen his first-team opportunities increase.