Ezequiel Schelotto

Summary

Ezequiel Matías Schelotto (Spanish pronunciation: [eseˈkjel maˈti.as eskeˈloto], Italian: [skeˈlɔtto]; born 23 May 1989) is an Argentine-Italian footballer who plays for Italian Serie D side Barletta. A versatile player on the right flank, he started his career as a winger and was later converted into a full-back.

Ezequiel Schelotto
Schelotto with Brighton in 2018
Personal information
Full name Ezequiel Matías Schelotto[1]
Date of birth (1989-05-23) 23 May 1989 (age 34)[2]
Place of birth Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)[3]
Position(s) Right-back, Right midfielder
Team information
Current team
Barletta
Youth career
1995–2003 Vélez Sársfield
2003–2008 Banfield
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2008–2009 Cesena 6 (1)
2009–2013 Atalanta 53 (2)
2009–2011Cesena (loan) 57 (6)
2011Catania (loan) 14 (1)
2013–2015 Internazionale 12 (1)
2013–2014Sassuolo (loan) 11 (1)
2014Parma (loan) 16 (4)
2014–2015Chievo (loan) 29 (0)
2015–2017 Sporting CP 37 (0)
2017–2020 Brighton & Hove Albion 28 (0)
2019Chievo (loan) 4 (0)
2021–2022 Racing Club 5 (0)
2022–2023 Aldosivi 3 (0)
2023 Deportivo Morón 0 (0)
2023– Barletta 0 (0)
International career
2009–2010 Italy U21 7 (0)
2012 Italy 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 16 May 2023

Born in Argentina of Italian descent, Schelotto moved to Italy in 2008 to play for Cesena. He chose to represent Italy at international level, earning a full cap for the national side in 2012 while an Atalanta player. In 2013, he joined Internazionale and spent the next two years on loan at several Serie A sides before making a move to Sporting CP in Portugal and then to Brighton & Hove Albion in England. Following a brief loan spell at Chievo in 2019, he was released from his contract with Brighton, after which he agreed to return to Argentina with Racing in early 2021. Despite his contract only running out in December 2023, Racing Club allowed Schelotto to leave on a free transfer to Aldosivi in the summer of 2022.

He is nicknamed El Galgo ("The Greyhound" in Spanish) due to his running skills and, less frequently, El Mosquetero ("The Musketeer").

Club career edit

Club Banfield edit

Schelotto began his football adventure in his native country, Argentina, in the minor divisions of Club Banfield. But he did not debut in the first team as he emigrated to European football.

Cesena edit

Schelotto joined Lega Pro Prima Divisione side Cesena in July 2008.[4] Then, in April 2009, his transfer was finally cleared by FIFA.[5] During that season, following his approved transfer, Schelotto played six matches out of a possible seven for Cesena, scoring one goal and helping Cesena to promotion back up to the second tier Serie B.

Atalanta edit

Cesena (loan) edit

In June 2009, Schelotto was signed by Serie A side Atalanta on a co-ownership deal for €250,000[6] and, in July 2009, he was instantly loaned back to his previous club, Cesena. During the 2009–10 Serie B campaign, Schelotto made 40 league appearances, scoring six goals. Of his 40 matches, 33 of them were from the starting XI. He earned just €82,750 in the 2009–10 season.[7]

On 24 June 2010, Schelotto was signed outright by Atalanta for an additional €2.5 million fee,[6] which were just relegated to the Serie B following an 18th-place finish during the 2009–10 Serie A, whilst Cesena earned their second consecutive promotion as the club earned promotion to the top flight following a top three Serie B finish. Following his purchase, the player was again loaned back to the Emilia-Romagna-based club, along with veteran midfielder Fabio Caserta and central defender Maximiliano Pellegrino.[8] Schelotto wage was also increased significantly. As he left the club in January 2011, he earned €268,333.31 from Cesena for the first seven months of the 2010–11 season.[7]

Schelotto had a bitter Serie A season with Cesena, one in which the team started brightly, even topping the league table by round three, but then endured a landslide that saw the team drop to 18th place and into the relegation places by November. He lost his starting place on 24 October as the coach used Luis Jiménez as a new supportive striker in the three-forward formation. Since then, he only made four starts to replace Giuseppe Colucci (who was injured) and Stephen Appiah (twice), respectively, as one of the midfielders. His last start – and last match – with Cesena was on 23 January 2011, a match where Cesena fielded an inferior squad against Milan where the three forwards, Schelotto, Igor Budan, and Dominique Malonga, were not regular starters.

During the first half of the 2010–11 campaign, Schelotto made 17 league appearances with one goal. On 31 January 2011, he was transferred to Serie A side Catania on loan.

Catania (loan) edit

On 31 January 2011, Schelotto transferred to Catania in Sicily on loan from Atalanta. In his transfer deal, Catania also received the option to sign the player on a co-ownership basis by the end of the ongoing season.[9] Schelotto started his first match for the Sicilians on 6 February 2011, a match that Catania lost 1–0 away to Bologna, in part due to an early red card to defender Pablo Álvarez.

Return to Atalanta edit

Schelotto returned to Atalanta on 1 July 2011. He was included in the first team squad of Atalanta for 2011–12 Serie A campaign, which the club was promoted back to the top tier as the champions of Serie B in May 2011. During his 1+12 seasons with the Serie A club, he earned a transfer to F.C. Internazionale Milano for €6 million transfer fee in January 2013, despite in a cash-plus-player deal.

Internazionale edit

Schelotto joined Italian giants Internazionale on 31 January 2013 for €3.5 million cash plus 50% "card" of Marko Livaja (Inter valued 50% rights of Livaja for €2.5 million but bought the rights back from Cesena for €1.5 million cash).[10][11] Schelotto made his debut on 3 February in a 3–1 loss against Siena, playing the first 45 minutes before giving way to Mateo Kovačić. He scored his only goal for the club in the 1–1 draw against city rivals Milan on 24 February 2013.

Successively, Schelotto spent two seasons on loan to other Italian clubs, and on 31 August 2015, it was agreed between the two parties Schelotto would terminate his contract by mutual consent.

Sassuolo (loan) edit

On 29 August 2013, Schelotto signed on loan with Serie A side Sassuolo.[12] On 29 September he scored his first league goal for Sassuolo in a 2–2 draw with Lazio.[13]

Parma (loan) edit

On 22 January 2014, Schelotto joined Parma along with his Sassuolo compatriot, Jonathan Rossini, signing on a loan deal.[14]

Chievo (loan) edit

On 25 August 2014, Schelotto joined Chievo on loan for the 2014–15 season.

Sporting CP edit

On 20 November 2015, Schelotto joined the Portuguese side Sporting Clube de Portugal on a three-and-a-half-year contract after being released by Internazionale in the summer of that year.[15]

Brighton & Hove Albion edit

2017–18 edit

 
Schelotto playing for Brighton & Hove Albion.

On 31 August 2017, Schelotto completed a transfer to Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion, signing a three-year contract at the south coast club.[16] Schelotto made his Albion debut on 1 October 2017 coming on as a substitute in the 2–0 away defeat to Arsenal in the league.[17] In his next game for the Sussex club he came on again as a substitute this time away to West Ham where Brighton won 3–0.[18] Schelotto made his home debut for The Seagulls on 20 November coming on as a sub in a 2–2 draw against Stoke City.[19] Schelotto made his first start for Brighton in an away match in the league against Spurs where they lost 2–0 on 13 December.[20]

2018–19: Loan to Chievo edit

After not making any appearances for Brighton in the first half of the 2018–19 season, Schelotto signed on loan to Chievo Verona – for the second time in his career – for the rest of the season on 28 January 2019.[21] His first appearance of this loan spell came as a 72nd minute substitute on 8 February in a 3–0 home loss against Roma.[22] He made four appearances for the Veronese side where they were relegated from Serie A for the first time in 12 years.[23]

2019–20: Back to Brighton edit

On 26 October 2019, after almost 18 months without making an appearance for The Seagulls Schelotto came on as a substitute in a home tie against Everton in which Brighton won 3–2.[24] He came on again as a sub a week later in Brighton's next match at home to Norwich in a 2–0 victory.[25] After making nine appearances in all competitions at the end of the 2019–20 season Schelotto was released by Brighton, making a total of 32 appearances across his spell at the Sussex club.[26]

Racing Club edit

On 4 February 2021, Schelotto returned to Argentina and joined Racing Club on a two-and-a-half-year deal.[27]

Aldosivi edit

On 2 August 2022, Schelotto joined Aldosivi on a free transfer from Racing Club on a one-and-a-half-year deal that runs until December 2023. His contract with Racing Club was initially due to expire only in December 2023; however, a mutual agreement was reached between all three parties - Racing Club, Aldosivi, and Schelotto, for the termination of his contract with Racing Club to allow him to join Aldosivi more than a year before the expiration of his contract.

Deportivo Morón edit

On 17 February 2023, Schelotto joined Deportivo Morón on a one-year deal after terminating his contract with Aldosivi.

Barletta edit

In July 2023, Schelotto agreed to return to Italy, signing for Serie D club Barletta.[28]

International career edit

As a dual citizen of Argentina and Italy (the latter due to his ancestry), Schelotto was eligible to play internationally for both countries. In November 2009, he was called up to the Italian national under-21 team,[29] and was immediately featured in the starting lineup in a game against Hungary on 13 November.

Since making his debut, he played all available 2011 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification matches, and unusually as right back in the last qualification match against Wales in September.[30] In that match, Italy beat Wales 1–0 and narrowly topped Wales as the group winner. He assisted Stefano Okaka to score the second goal in the first leg of the playoff round against Belarus but missed the second leg due to suspension.[31] Italy were eventually eliminated due to a 0–3 loss against Belarus in Borisov.

On 10 August 2012, he was called up by Cesare Prandelli to the Italian senior team for a friendly against England, where he made his debut in the 2–1 defeat.[32]

Personal life edit

Born in Buenos Aires,[2] Schelotto also holds an Italian passport due to his Italian descent from Cogoleto (GE), in Liguria, where his great-great-grandfather Giovanni Battista Francesco Schelotto emigrated from in the late 19th century. He is the fifth of seven children – including five males – two of whom are also footballers.[33][34]

Career statistics edit

Club edit

As of end of 2019–20 season[35]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Cesena 2008–09 Lega Pro Prima Divisione 6 1 0 0 2[a] 0 8 1
2009–10 Serie B 40 6 2 0 42 6
2010–11 Serie A 17 0 1 1 18 1
Total 63 7 3 1 2 0 68 8
Catania (loan) 2010–11 Serie A 14 1 0 0 14 1
Atalanta 2011–12 Serie A 37 2 1 0 38 2
2012–13 Serie A 16 0 2 0 18 0
Total 53 2 3 0 56 2
Internazionale 2012–13 Serie A 12 1 1 0 0 0 13 1
Sassuolo (loan) 2013–14 Serie A 11 1 1 0 12 1
Parma (loan) 2013–14 Serie A 16 4 0 0 16 4
Chievo (loan) 2014–15 Serie A 29 0 0 0 29 0
Sporting CP 2015–16 Primeira Liga 14 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 17 0
2016–17 Primeira Liga 23 0 0 0 0 0 3[b] 0 26 0
Total 37 0 0 0 3 0 3 0 43 0
Brighton & Hove Albion 2017–18 Premier League 20 0 2 0 1 0 23 0
2018–19 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2019–20 Premier League 8 0 1 0 0 0 9 0
Total 28 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 32 0
Chievo (loan) 2018–19 Serie A 4 0 0 0 4 0
Career total 267 16 11 1 4 0 5 0 287 17

International edit

As of match played on 15 August 2012[35]
Italy national team
Year Apps Goals
2012 1 0
Total 1 0

Honours edit

Cesena

References edit

  1. ^ "Squads for 2017/18 Premier League confirmed". Premier League. 1 September 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Schelotto: Ezequiel Matías Schelotto: Player". BDFutbol. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Plantel Profesional: Matías Ezequiel Schelotto".
  4. ^ "I convocati per il ritiro di Castrocaro" (in Italian). AC Cesena. 20 July 2008. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  5. ^ "Arrivato il transfer di Schelotto" (in Italian). AC Cesena. 4 April 2009. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  6. ^ a b AC Cesena SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2010 (in Italian)
  7. ^ a b "Dott. Augusto Carpeggiani / Sig. Ezequiel Matias Schelotto" (PDF). Tribunale Nazionale di Arbitrato per lo Sport (in Italian). Italian National Olympic Committee. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  8. ^ "Accordo con l'Atalanta per la cessione di Schelotto". AC Cesena (in Italian). 24 June 2010. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
  9. ^ "Matias Ezequiel Schelotto al Catania" (in Italian). Calcio Catania. 31 January 2011. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  10. ^ AC Cesena S.p.A. bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2013 (in Italian)
  11. ^ FC Internazionale Milano SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2013 (in Italian)
  12. ^ "Transfers, Schelotto moves to Sassuolo". FC Internazionale Milano. 29 August 2013. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  13. ^ "Sassuolo vs. Lazio – Football Match Report – September 29, 2013". ESPN.
  14. ^ "Jonathan Rossini and Ezequiel Schelotto presented by general manager Pietro Leonardi". Parma FC. 22 January 2014. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ "Sporting sign Schelotto". Football Italia. 20 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
  16. ^ "Albion Sign Argentine Defender". Brighton & Hove Albion Official Site. 31 August 2017. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 31 August 2017.
  17. ^ "Arsenal 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport. 1 October 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  18. ^ "West Ham 0-3 Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport. 20 October 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  19. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion 2-2 Stoke City". BBC Sport. 20 November 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  20. ^ "Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Brighton & Hove Albion". BBC Sport. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2019.
  21. ^ "UFFICIALE: Chievo Verona, fatta per il ritorno di Schelotto" (in Italian). Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  22. ^ "Fixtures and Results – Season 2018-19 – 23a Match Day – Lega Serie A". 8 February 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  23. ^ "Chievo relegated from Serie A – OneFootball". 14 April 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  24. ^ "Brighton 3-2 Everton: Lucas Digne scores late own goal to hand win to Seagulls". BBC Sport. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  25. ^ "Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 Norwich City". BBC Sport. 2 November 2019. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  26. ^ "Potter confirms Brighton are to release Ezequiel Schelotto". WeAREBRIGHTON.COM. 18 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  27. ^ "Galgo Schelotto: "Es un sueño hecho realidad, me encanta"" [Galgo Schelotto: "It's a dream come true, I'm delighted"] (in Spanish). Olé. 4 February 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  28. ^ "Schelotto è già leader a Barletta: ora vuole convincere anche Zarate" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. 18 July 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  29. ^ "Ezequiel Schelotto convocato nell'Under 21" (in Italian). AC Cesena. 6 November 2009. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
  30. ^ "Europei U.21, l'Italia vince e si qualifica per i playoff". Corriere dello Sport – Stadio (in Italian). 7 September 2010. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  31. ^ "U-21: No replacements". Football Italia. 9 October 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2010.
  32. ^ "England 2–1 Italy". BBC Sport. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  33. ^ "Schelotto, parla il "levriero": "Dopo il ko ci rialzeremo"". ecodibergamo.it. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 28 October 2012.
  34. ^ "Schelotto wants Azzurri career". football-italia.net. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  35. ^ a b "E. Schelotto". Soccerway. Perform Group. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  36. ^ Quartarone, Roberto (1 June 2018). "Italy Serie C Super Cup 2008/09". RSSSF. Retrieved 7 June 2018.

External links edit

  • Profile at AIC.Football.it (in Italian)
  • Profile at Cesena (in Italian)
  • Ezequiel Schelotto at Soccerway