Ignacio Alberto Piatti (born 4 February 1985) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a winger.[1]

Ignacio Piatti
Piatti playing for Montreal Impact in 2015
Personal information
Full name Ignacio Alberto Piatti
Date of birth (1985-02-04) 4 February 1985 (age 39)
Place of birth General Baldissera, Argentina
Height 1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s) Winger
Youth career
2000 Club Mitre de General Baldissera
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2004–2006 Chacarita Juniors 50 (11)
2006 Saint-Étienne 4 (0)
2007–2009 Gimnasia LP 81 (10)
2009–2010 Independiente 35 (8)
2010–2012 Lecce 36 (3)
2012–2014 San Lorenzo 66 (19)
2014–2019 Montreal Impact 135 (66)
2020 San Lorenzo 9 (1)
2021 Racing Club 20 (2)
Total 436 (120)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Piatti has played professional football in Europe with Saint-Étienne and Lecce. In his native Argentina, he has played for Chacarita Juniors, Gimnasia LP, and Independiente.

On 17 August 2012 Piatti signed for the Argentine club San Lorenzo de Almagro for a reported fee of €1 million. He debuted against Colon de Santa Fe in the sixth match of Torneo Inicial 2012, Ignacio was the player of the match.[2]

On 2 July 2014, Piatti signed a transfer agreement with Canadian club Montreal Impact of Major League Soccer. However, he remained with San Lorenzo until the team completed their Copa Libertadores campaign. He reported to Montreal on 13 August 2014,[3] and debuted for Montreal against the Chicago Fire on 16 August.[4] When Piatti joined the Impact, he was an instantaneous success, scoring 4 goals in 6 games. He started all six games in the 2014–15 CONCACAF Champions League Championship Stage and helped the team reach the final, where they lost out against Mexican giants Club América, recording two goals and one assist in 526 minutes played. He also helped the team reach the Eastern Conference Final of the 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs.[5] He and the club mutually agreed to terminate the contract on 10 February 2020, allowing him to sign a new contract with first division Argentine club San Lorenzo. At the time of his departure, Piatti was the all-time top goalscorer of the Montreal Impact, with 78 goals in all competitions, and the second all-time assist leader. Piatti also ranked first in Impact club history with 130 regular-season starts, 66 MLS goals, 11,427 minutes played, 35 assists, 15 penalty goals, 15 game-winning goals, 13 game-winning assists, and 14 multi-goal games. He also registered five goals and three assists in eight starts in the MLS Cup playoffs during his time with the club.[6]

Style of play

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A dynamic attacker,[7] Piatti is a technically skilled dribbler, who is capable of both creating and scoring goals, and is able to play in several midfield roles. Although he is capable of playing in the centre, behind another striker, he usually plays on the left-wing, which is his favorite position, as it enables him to cut into the centre and shoot on goal with his stronger right foot; regarding his preference for this position, he has stated, "I played on the left for a long time, in Argentina, for example...I’d rather play on the left. I’m comfortable there."[8][9][10] Although he is usually deployed in midfield,[11] Piatti has also been fielded in several more offensive roles,[12] and has been used as a second striker,[13] as a false-9,[14] or even as an out-and-out striker on occasion.[15]

Personal life

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Pedro, the grandfather and first coach of Piatti, died in March 2015. Piatti paid tribute to him by lifting his jersey to reveal the message ‘Abuelo te amo’, which translates to 'Grandfather, I love you', on a couple of occasions, most notably at Estadio Azteca after he scored the opener in the first leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Finals.[citation needed]

Honours

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San Lorenzo

Montreal Impact

Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Nacho Piatti largó el fútbol". 13 December 2021.
  2. ^ Max Bentley (17 August 2012). Ignacio Piatti signs for San Lorenzo. goal.com
  3. ^ Graham Neysmith (12 August 2014). Ignacio Piatti Arrives in Montreal lametropolesports.com
  4. ^ Graham Neysmith (17 August 2014). Montreal Impact top Chicago Fire lametropolesports.com
  5. ^ "Impact and Ignacio Piatti agree to the termination of his contract". Impact Montreal. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  6. ^ "Montreal Impact, franchise-leading scorer Ignacio Piatti agree to terminate contract". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The Canadian Press. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Ignacio Piatti". MLS Soccer. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  8. ^ John Molinaro (26 August 2017). "TFC's Vazquez vs. Impact's Piatti a battle of MLS's finest". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  9. ^ Olivier Tremblay (6 November 2015). "After enduring a tough year off the field, Montreal Impact's Ignacio Piatti looks to close 2015 on high". MLSSoccer.com. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  10. ^ "Impact signs Argentina's Piatti as designated player". The Gazette. Montreal. 2 July 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  11. ^ Bill Beacon (17 March 2018). "Toronto FC shaded by Montreal Impact, despite possession edge". Toronto Star. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  12. ^ Anthony Lopopolo (21 September 2017). "Watch: Bono's clearance backfires as TFC gives up ugly goal". The Score. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  13. ^ Lloyd Barker (25 August 2015). "Lloyd Barker: Tepid dawn to Drogba Era for Impact". The Gazette. Montreal. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  14. ^ John Molinaro (17 March 2018). "MLS takeaways: Piatti excels for Impact in win over TFC". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  15. ^ "Vancouver turns the tide and defeats Montreal". Canada Soccer. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  16. ^ Sean Gordon (29 April 2015). "Impact's CONCACAF Champions League trophy chances dashed after home defeat". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 31 August 2016.
  17. ^ "2018 MLS Best XI". MLS Soccer. 11 November 2018.
  18. ^ "Impact wins Voyageurs Cup in Toronto". Montreal Impact. 25 September 2019. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
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