Giovinco Sebastian
Sebastian Giovinco is an Italian professional footballer who plays for Canadian club Toronto FC, and the Italian national team as a forward. A creative player on the ball, with excellent vision and technical skill, he is a free kick specialist and capable of playing in several offensive positions. Due to his short stature, dynamic abilities and pace, Giovinco acquired the nickname formica atomica (“atomic ant”, after the eponymous Hanna-Barbera character) in his youth. In 2015, he was named one of the 100 best footballers in the world by The Guardian, FourFourTwo, and L’Équipe. Giovinco began his professional footballing career with Italian club Juventus in Serie B in 2006, where he was promoted to the first team after his success with the club’s youth squad; in his first season, he helped the senior side win the title and earn promotion to Serie A, establishing himself as a promising prospect in the number 10 role. After struggling to break into the starting line-up however, he spent successful stints on loan with Italian clubs Empoli and Parma, where he matured as a player, before earning a move back to Juventus in 2012. Upon his return to the Turin club, he won two consecutive league titles, but once again struggled to maintain a spot in the team’s starting eleven, resulting in a high-profile move to MLS side Toronto FC in January 2015, in a deal which made him the league’s highest paid player. After joining the Canadian club, he soon established himself as one of the best players in the MLS: he broke the league’s record for most combined goals and assists in a single season during his first year with the club, also helping Toronto to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in the club’s history, and winning himself the MLS Golden Boot, the MLS Newcomer of the Year Award, and the MLS MVP Award. The following season, he won his first title with Toronto, the 2016 Canadian Championship, and became the club’s all-time top goalscorer, helping the club to qualify for the Playoffs once again, reaching the MLS Cup Final. At international level, Giovinco has represented Italy at all levels since first being called up by the under-16 side in 2003; at youth level, he took part at the 2008 Summer Olympics with the Italian under-23 side, and later helped the Italy under-21 side to the semi-finals of the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship. He made his debut with the Italy senior side in 2011, and he later took part at UEFA Euro 2012; winning a runners-up medal, and at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup; winning a bronze medal, and also scoring his first international goal during the tournament.
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This shirt comes from the game when Juventus made its Serie B debut on 9 September 2006, earning their first ever point in Serie B with a 1-1 draw away to Rimini. Giovinco was promoted to the first team during the 2006–07 season and also played his last season in the Primavera squad. His professional debut came on 12 May 2007, in the Serie B match against Bologna; he came on as a substitute in place of Raffaele Palladino, and marked his first appearance with an assist for David Trezeguet’s tap-in. Since then, he had been tipped to be Alessandro Del Piero’s heir in the creative number 10 role behind the main striker, known as the trequartista, rifinitore, or fantasista, in Italian. Juventus won the Serie B title that season, earning promotion to Serie A the following season.
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After joining the Juventus youth system, Giovinco flourished through the ranks of the club and impressed especially during the 2005–06 season, winning the Campionato Primavera, as well as the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Primavera, and also reaching the final at the Viareggio Tournament, where he was named best player of the competition. Giovinco was promoted to the first team during the 2006–07 season and also played his last season in the Primavera squad.
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Giovinco has represented Italy at every youth level from the under-16 level onwards. He was called up to Italy under-21 by head coach Pierluigi Casiraghi to make his U-21 debut in the 2009 European Championship opening qualifier on 1 June 2007 and helped in their 4–0 defeat of Albania. He also played at the 2008 Toulon Tournament, where he was voted most valuable player, scoring two goals in the opening game against the Ivory Coast, and netting the winning penalty in the semi-final match against Japan. Italy ultimately won the competition, defeating Chile 1–0 in the final. That summer, he and Juventus teammates Claudio Marchisio and Paolo De Ceglie were named in the squad for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. On 7 August 2008, he scored the opening goal in a 3–0 win against Honduras in the first match of the competition where he struck the ball from outside of the box with his weaker left foot. In the summer of 2009, Giovinco was called up to the U-21 side for the European Championships in Sweden after playing a part in their successful qualifying campaign. Giovinco started in every single match at the tournament, but Italy lost to eventual winners Germany 1–0 in a tightly contested semi-final.
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Giovinco was born in Turin to a Sicilian father, Giovanni, originally from Bisacquino in the province of Palermo, and a Calabrian mother, Elvira, originally from Catanzaro, who moved from Southern Italy. He grew up in Beinasco, a comune southwest of the city, in a family of Milan fans, and joined the Juventus youth system in 1996, when he was nine. His younger brother Giuseppe was also part of the Juventus Youth Academy and currently plays in Lega Pro. On 4 July 2007, Giovinco was loaned out to Empoli. He made his Serie A debut on 26 August, coming on as a substitute against Fiorentina. Giovinco scored his first Serie A goal on 30 September against Palermo in a 3–1 win. He made his European debut in the UEFA Cup on 4 October against Zürich. Giovinco finished his first season in Serie A with 6 goals in 35 appearances, and was given the Leone d’Argento award, by the club. Despite Giovinco’s promising performances, Empoli were unable to avoid relegation, and he returned to Juventus at the end of the season.
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On 26 June 2008, Giovinco officially returned to Juventus. Giovinco played his first Serie A match for Juventus on 24 September, against Catania, before assisting both goals for Vincenzo Iaquinta in the 2–2 draw with BATE Borisov in the Champions League on 30 September, his first start for the club. On 7 December, he scored his first goal for Juventus, a free kick against Lecce in a 2–1 win. In October 2008, he signed a contract extension, tying him to Juventus until the summer of 2013.
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Giovinco is a small, quick, technically gifted, and agile player, with noted dribbling skills, balance, acceleration, and excellent ball control; these characteristics allow him to beat opponents, hold up the ball with his back to goal or in tight spaces, and create space or chances for teammates, despite his lack of strong physical attributes. Although he is capable of scoring goals, he also possesses notable playmaking skills, and he is known for his vision, creativity, and his passing and striking ability with both feet, despite being naturally right footed, as well as his accuracy and ball delivery from free kicks. Giovinco is capable of playing in several offensive positions, and he is usually deployed in a free role as a second striker, although he is also capable of playing as a winger, on either flank, or in the centre as a creative attacking midfielder; he has also been used in a more offensive, central role as a main striker.
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On 19 January 2015, Giovinco signed with Canadian team Toronto FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). He was set to join the team upon the completion of the Serie A season in July 2015. He signed a five-year contract with a reported annual salary of $7 million, making him the highest paid player in MLS ahead of Orlando City SC’s Kaká, and the highest paid Italian player in all leagues until the arrival of Andrea Pirlo to New York City FC later that year. On 2 February, Juventus announced that Giovinco had left the club five months earlier than originally expected in order to kick-start his career in MLS with Toronto FC. Giovinco made his debut for Toronto FC against Vancouver Whitecaps on 7 March. In 2016 after an eight-game goal drought, Giovinco scored a hat-trick against D.C. United, on 23 July, in a 4–1 home win, also surpassing De Rosario’s previous all-time record as Toronto FC’s top scorer by two goals to 35 goals. With two goals from free kicks during the match, including his seventh in the MLS, he broke David Beckham’s record for most goals from set-pieces in the league since 2010. In 2017 another record was smashed. On 30 July, Giovinco scored two goals and set up another in a 4–0 home win over New York City FC; his second goal of the match, which came from a free kick, was his 50th MLS goal, and his record-breaking 10th MLS goal from a free kick. On 30 November 2018, Giovinco was named to the MLS Best XI for the third season in a row. On 9 December, in a rematch of the previous year’s final at BMO field, Toronto defeated Seattle 2–0 in the 2017 MLS Cup, and became the first MLS team to complete a domestic treble with their victory, as well as the first Canadian team to win the MLS Cup; Giovinco was involved in both goals, and gave the final pass to goalscorer Altidore for the opener.
TORONTO F.C.
November 30th 2016
MLS Eastern Conference Finals
Montreal Impact vs Toronto
Match Worn Unwashed & Signed Shirt
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Giovinco started off his 2016 season with an 82nd-minute penalty in a 2–0 away win over Supporters’ Shield holders New York Red Bulls, on 6 March; he later also set up Marky Delgado’s goal in added time. On 16 April, he scored the fastest goal in Toronto FC history at 57 seconds in a 1–0 away win over D.C. United, surpassing the previous record holder Reggie Lambe’s by one minute and 50 seconds set in 2012.[95] A week later, he scored both goals in a 2–0 win away to the Montreal Impact in the 401 Derby; with these goals, he equalled De Rosario as the club’s all-time top scorer in the MLS with 28 goals in 40 appearances. Giovinco was named to the Team of the Week for his performances. On 7 May, Toronto’s home opener, he set up rookie Tsubasa Endoh for his first ever MLS goal in a 1–0 win over FC Dallas, at the newly renovated BMO Field. On 14 May, Giovinco overtook De Rosario as the club’s outright all-time top scorer in the MLS, scoring two goals and setting up another in a 4–3 home defeat to Canadian rivals Vancouver. On 29 June, Giovinco helped Toronto FC win the Canadian Championship over Vancouver 2–2 on aggregate, winning on away goals, as he scored the only goal in the first leg on 21 June.[101] On 14 July, he won the 2016 Best MLS Player ESPY Award. In July 2016, Giovinco was included in the roster for the 2016 MLS All-Star Game. After an eight-game goal drought, Giovinco scored a hat-trick against D.C. United, on 23 July, in a 4–1 home win, also surpassing De Rosario’s previous all-time record as Toronto FC’s top scorer by two goals to 35 goals. With two goals from free kicks during the match, including his seventh in the MLS, he broke David Beckham’s record for most goals from set-pieces in the league since 2010. He was named to the Team of the Week once again for his performances, and was also named MLS Player of the Week for the first time that season. On 27 August, Giovinco was brought off the field after the later diagnosis of strains in his quadriceps and adductor in the eventual 1–0 loss in the 401 Derby with Montreal at home; although he was initially expected to be sidelined for a month, the injury was more severe than expected, and he ended up missing seven weeks of play. He finally returned to action on 16 October, against Montreal once again, helping to set up Toronto FC’s equaliser in a 2–2 away draw. On 26 October, Giovinco scored the opening goal of a 3–1 home win over Philadelphia, both his and Toronto FC’s first MLS Playoff goal in the MLS Cup Playoffs, and was later involved in his team’s next two goals; this was Toronto FC’s first ever playoff win, which enabled the team to progress to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals for the first time. On 6 November in the second leg of the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, Giovinco scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 away win over New York City FC, 7–0 on aggregate, to progress to the Eastern Conference Finals in an all Canadian derby against Montreal Impact. In the first leg of the Eastern Conference Final on 22 November, Giovinco set up Jozy Altidore’s goal in a 3–2 away loss to Montreal. Toronto FC later beat Montreal Impact 5–2 in extra time in the return leg at home on 30 November, as Giovinco once again set up Altidore’s goal, winning on an aggregated score of 7–5, making Toronto FC the first Canadian team to compete in an MLS Cup Final; although he was forced off in the 97th minute due to cramp in his calf, he was later declared fit to play against Seattle Sounders in the 2016 MLS Cup Final. On 5 December, he was named to the MLS Best XI for the second season in a row, despite being left off the finalists list for the MLS MVP. In the 2016 MLS Cup Final against Seattle, held at BMO Field on 10 December, Giovinco’s performance was largely stifled by Seattle’s heavy and aggressive defending, despite initially creating an early goalscoring chance for Altidore; throughout the match, he was fouled a total of six times and had several shots blocked. A scoring opportunity came in the 48th minute, but his shot was skewed wide of the near post. He was eventually substituted for Tosaint Ricketts in the 103rd minute, due to an apparent injury, and consequently, despite being the club’s main penalty kick taker, was not used in the resulting shoot-out, which Toronto FC lost 5–4, following a 0–0 draw after extra-time. Regarding Giovinco’s substitution, coach Greg Vanney stated in the post-match press conference: “He couldn’t move. He looked at me. It’s not like I take him off because I want to. I look at him and he gives me the sign that he can’t go any more and when he feels like he can’t go, he feels like he’s more of a liability to the group than anything. That’s the decision. It’s not one that I generally want to make, but we had to.”
