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Andres D'Alessandro

Topics: Argentina international footballers Argentine footballers Argentine Roman Catholics Italian-Argentines Olympic footballers of Argentina Olympic gold medalists for Argentina

'''Andres Nicolas D'Alessandro''' is a left-footed Argentine footballer who currently plays for San Lorenzo de Almagro in Argentina. He is best known for his flashy world-class dribbling and his short passing ability.

D'Alessandro started off his working career as a young pizza delivery boy in Argentina before becoming a professional footballer. Known as El cabezon ("The Big Headed") for how large his head looks on his small frame (he is only 5'6") rather than any ego connotations, he emerged through the River Plate youth system that has produced much of Argentina's top talent over the years. He followed the likes of Santiago Solari and Pablo Aimar through the ranks, together with Javier Saviola, with whom he shared the limelight in the 2001 Youth World Championship held in Buenos Aires. D'Alessandro started out that tournament as a substitute, but injuries in the team allowed him a place in the team during the later games. Argentina won the title after beating Ghana 3-0.

Portsmouth snap up D'Alessandro from the BBC Sport website