Nicola Legrottaglie (Italian pronunciation: [niˈkɔːla leɡrotˈtaʎʎe]; born 20 October 1976) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a centre back.
In a senior career that lasted two full decades, he amassed Serie A totals of 259 matches and 22 goals over 12 seasons, representing in the competition Chievo, Juventus, Bologna, Siena, AC Milan and Catania. He won the 2011 national championship with the fifth club.
Legrottaglie earned 16 caps for Italy, appearing for the nation at the 2009 Confederations Cup.
Born in Gioia del Colle, Province of Bari, Legrottaglie began his career with local club Bari, having loan spells at Pistoiese and Prato. Following his return in June 1998, he was sold to Chievo of the Serie B, appearing rarely in his second season with the team; in January 2000, he moved on loan to Reggiana in the third division. With his new club, he also found playing opportunities hard to come by and, after his return to Verona, he moved to the same level and also on loan, now with Modena.
Legrottaglie was ever-present in the starting XI during his spell at Modena, subsequently returning to Chievo for their first-ever season in Serie A. He only appeared in 15 games as the team qualified for the UEFA Cup; in his second season, the defender established himself as a top division player, scoring four goals in 32 league appearances to help to another comfortable mid-table finish (seventh).
In the 2003 off-season, Legrottaglie was rewarded with a move to Juventus. The club paid €7.55million for his services to Chievo, €0.45 million being used in selling 50% of the rights to Giuseppe Sculli, Matteo Paro and Daniele Gastaldello.
Legrottaglie was a full member of the first-team squad in the 2003–04 season, taking part in 21 games and netting twice under coach Marcello Lippi. However, his poor performances during his debut season saw him win the 2004 Bidone d'Oro Award, which is given to the worst Serie A player in a particular season. Following the appointment of new manager Fabio Capello, he fell down the defensive pecking order, making just two appearances in five months; he thus moved on loan to Bologna in the 2005 January transfer window, playing eleven matches – including twice in the promotion playoffs – for the Emilia-Romagna side.
Legrottaglie returned to Juventus in the summer of 2005, but was instantly loaned out to Siena for the 2005–06 campaign, alongside teammate Igor Tudor and some youth players. While at the latter he was again a regular, as his team finally avoided relegation.
Back at Juve, and as an experienced player, Legrottaglie was expected to play a role in the club's attempt to return to the top level following the 2006 Calciopoli scandal. However, he would only take the field in ten fixtures out of 42 – also being shown a red card – in a promotion as champions.
Subsequently, Legrottaglie came very close to complete a transfer to Beşiktaş on a three-year contract, worth £1.1 million per season. The Turks were set to pay £1.6 million to acquire his services, but negotiations broke down at the last minute and hence, the player remained in Turin; under Claudio Ranieri, he started the new season right where he left off, on the substitutes' bench, being fourth-choice behind Jorge Andrade, Jean-Alain Boumsong and Domenico Criscito.
Just four matches into the season, however, a serious knee injury sidelined Andrade for several months, and Legrottaglie was promoted to the starting eleven for the game against Reggina on 26 September, scoring the opener in a 4–0 rout. Criscito was loaned out to Genoa in January 2008 and, from then onwards, he was paired with Giorgio Chiellini in central defence, as the side allowed just nine goals in the first 14 matches following Andrade's injury (37 overall), finishing in third place. His contract ran originally until 30 June 2008; but, in October 2007, due to his excellent form, he was awarded a two-year extension.
In the 2008–09 season, Legrottaglie continued to be first-choice despite the arrival of Olof Mellberg from Aston Villa (Andrade also was expected to return to first-team action, but he suffered a second serious knee injury). In September 2008, one month shy of his 32nd birthday, he signed another deal until June 2011, and played 27 league matches in a runner-up finish, thus qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the second consecutive year; veteran Fabio Cannavaro returned to the club following his spell with Real Madrid, and this relegated him to the bench for parts of the 2009–10 campaign. He ended the season with 19 league appearances, netting once.
Legrottaglie was injured during training in late May 2010, and thus missed out on the United States tour.
On 31 January 2011, after Juventus signed central defender Andrea Barzagli, the 34-year-old Legrottaglie – who made just eight appearances in all competitions comprised during the first half of the season, under new manager Luigi Delneri – left on a free transfer for fellow league side AC Milan, signing a six-month deal. However, he was only able to make one league appearance for the eventual champions due to a serious head injury suffered during a 0–0 draw with Lazio.
Legrottaglie was released on 30 June, following the expiration of his contract.
On 24 August 2011, Legrottaglie joined Catania on a two-year contract. He scored on his official debut, a 3–3 away draw against Novara.
Legrottaglie revived his career overall under Vincenzo Montella. He finished 2011–12 with 35 official games and six goals, helping the Sicilians to a fourth successive season in which they broke their record points total in Serie A, finishing 11th.
Legrottaglie made his debut for Italy on 20 November 2002, in a friendly match with Turkey in Pescara, and went on to appear in a further six matches in a one-year span, mostly friendlies. He scored his only goal in April 2003, in a 2–1 victory over Switzerland.