Man Of Many Clubs – Fabricio Coloccini

Given that he has had almost as many clubs as the proverbial Jack Nicklaus, it's amazing that Coloccini was only 23 years old when he joined Deportivo La Coruna in January 2005. Fabricio arrived in Milan two years after making his first team debut for Boca Juniors at the age of 16. He was viewed as a long-term replacement for Alessandro Costacurta. However, despite five years on AC Milan’s books, he spent little time in Italy. He got to know Spain a lot better; spending yearlong loan deals with Alaves, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal, respectively. Prior to all that he also had a short loan spell back in his native Argentina with San Lorenzo.

Coloccini has clocked up almost thirty appearances for his country. He played at the 2004 Copa America in Peru, where Argentina lost the final to Brazil on penalties. However, the same year he was part of Argentina’s successful Olympic team in Athens.

After such international success the original intention was for the player known as “Colocho” to join Depor on another loan deal from Milan, but he was tired of living out of a suitcase and the Italians were persuaded to let him go. Colocho was keen to join fellow Argentines, Lionel Scaloni and Aldo Duscher, on Spain’s north-west coast.

Coloccini’s first season with Depor was a mixed bag. It was a disappointing one for the Galician club as they failed to qualify for Europe only a year after making the Champions League semis. Coloccini was sent off twice, including a red card in a 2-0 home defeat to Celta in a Galician derby. However, his performances were deemed good enough to earn a call-up to the 2006 World Cup, where he played in the quarter final match against Germany.

The following season started well. Colocho scored in a 3-1 win over his old club AC Milan in a pre-season friendly. It was a season that often saw Colocho deployed effectively as a defensive midfielder. However, an off-the-field dispute with then coach Caparrós, led to a period on the sidelines. Coloccini was unsettled again and word spread that cash-strapped Depor may be willing to sell one of their biggest assets, which saw him sidelined yet further. Intriguingly, one of the clubs said to be interested in his services were Newcastle – then managed by Glenn Roeder.

It was widely believed that Coloccini would leave Deportivo at the end of the 2006-2007 season. Real Zaragoza pursued their interest throughout that summer but never matched the asking price of the Galician club.

Coloccini stayed on for a third year in La Coruña and has arguably just completed his best season with Deportivo. He received an ovation in Riazor in May, having played every minute of every league game throughout the 2007-2008 campaign. Surely a sign of not only a strong and fit defender but also one whose disciplinary record has improved immeasurably. Fabricio only picked up four yellows all season and avoided suspension.

Next stop, Newcastle. A club where many players, particularly high-profile foreigners, have found it both hard to settle and to live up to expectations. He will hope to do better than the last player to make the crossing from La Coruña to Tyneside: Albert Luque. If he is given time to adapt to a different style of football and way of living in the north-east, the 26-year-old has every chance of being a success at St James’ Park.


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