10 things you need to know about Riccardo Montolivo

By Ian Cruise in 2010 World Cup Blog

Published 16:45 21/06/10

10-Things-You-Should-Know-Riccardo-Montolivo

Arsenal are reportedly keen on Italian midfield star Riccardo Montolivo.

Transfer news, rumours and gossip from Monday's papers

But what do we know about the Fiorentina midfielder? MirrorFootball's Jack Noble is here with your essential need to know guide...

1) Montolivo was born on January 18, 1985 in Caravaggio. He is actually of German descent, his mother being from Kiel and his grandparents from Schleswig- Holstein. He speaks fluent German but opted to represent the Italian national team.

2) Unlike many of his Italian team-mates, Montolivo is openly an atheist. Those beliefs have previously caused a stir amongst certain sections of Italian fans.

3) He started his career with Atalanta and played 73 league games for them before moving to Fiorentina in 2005. He has recently been named captain of the Viola.

4) The 25-year-old is regarded as one of the hottest prospects in Italian football. He is expected to be the long-term successor to Andrea Pirlo in the heart of the Azzurri midfield.

5) Montolivo played 20 times for the Italian Under-21 side before making his senior international debut in October 2007 in a 2-0 friendly win over South Africa.

6) He has now won 14 caps for his country, and also represented Italy as the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

7) Renowned for his powerful shooting, he scored just one goal in his debut season for Fiorentina - with a strike against Ascoli that was measured at 72mph.

8) Montolivo has blamed the Italians' poor start to their World Cup defence on 'stress'. But he is confident they can put things right. He vowed: "I have always been criticised over these past two years, but it's not a problem. We want to leave people stunned."

9) Arsenal are likely to face competition from close to home for Montolivo's signature as he has previously been linked with their north London rivals Tottenham.

10) Montolivo's current squeeze is Cristina De Pin, Italy's Playmate of the Year for 2009. She prides herself on the fact that she used her brain and not her good looks to 'win Montolivo's heart.' Yeah, and he likes her for her mind, we imagine...!