Marco Sau (Italian: [ˈmarko ˈsau], Sardinian: [ˈmaɾku ˈzau]; born 3 November 1987) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker.[1]

Marco Sau
Sau playing for Juve Stabia in 2011
Personal information
Date of birth (1987-11-03) 3 November 1987 (age 37)
Place of birth Sorgono, Italy
Height 1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Position(s) Forward
Youth career
1996–2005 Tonara ASD
2005–2007 Cagliari
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2007–2018 Cagliari 194 (45)
2007–2008Manfredonia (loan) 31 (10)
2008–2009AlbinoLeffe (loan) 18 (0)
2009–2010Lecco (loan) 30 (4)
2010–2011Foggia (loan) 33 (20)
2011–2012Juve Stabia (loan) 36 (21)
2019 Sampdoria 5 (0)
2019–2022 Benevento 67 (18)
2023–2024 Feralpisalò 16 (1)
International career
2013 Italy 1 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10 June 2024

Early life

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Sau has been nicknamed Pattolino (Duckling) since childhood. His idol growing up was the striker Gianfranco Zola, also from his native Province of Nuoro in Sardinia.[2]

While visiting an uncle in Scotland in his early teens, Sau played in the youth ranks of Livingston and a local team in Gourock.[3]

Club career

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Cagliari

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Sau turned professional at Cagliari in 2007. On 25 June 2008 he was signed by AlbinoLeffe.[4] On 15 July 2009, he was loaned to Lecco.[5]

Foggia

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In August 2010 Sau was acquired by Foggia of Lega Pro Prima Divisione by head coach Zdenek Zeman in co-ownership deals, for a peppercorn of €500,[6] scoring 20 league goals that season. In June 2011 Foggia acquired Sau and Salvatore Burrai outright for a total of €207,000 by a closed tender mediated by Lega Serie A.[6][7] However they were returned to Cagliari on 31 August 2011 for the same total price (Burrai for free and Sau for €207,000).[8][9] Foggia later brought the transfer to court to claim the transfer documents were falsified.[10]

Return to Cagliari

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Sau with Cagliari in 2017

Sau was re-acquired by Cagliari on 31 August 2011 on a two-year contract.[9] He played at S.S. Juve Stabia in 2011–12 Serie B season,[11] scoring 21 goals. This form allowed him into the Cagliari first team for 2012–13.[3]

Sau scored both of Cagliari's goals in a 2–2 draw against Inter on 18 November 2012.[3]

On 29 August 2014, Sau renewed his contract with Cagliari until 2017.[12]

Later career

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On 31 January 2019, Sau signed with Sampdoria after seven years at Cagliari.[13] After five goalless substitute appearances, he signed a two-year contract at Serie B's Benevento on 22 July.[14] He scored a hat-trick on 29 December in a 4–0 home win over Ascoli,[15] and the following 29 June he came off the bench to score the only goal against his former club Juve Stabia to win promotion to Serie A as champions with seven games left.[16]

In February 2023, Sau signed for Serie C Group A club Feralpisalò on a contract until the end of the season with the option for a further year.[17]

International career

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Sau made his international debut on 31 May 2013, coming on as a 49th-minute substitute against San Marino in a friendly 4–0 win at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara in Bologna.[18]

Honours

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Cagliari

Benevento

References

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  1. ^ Marco Sau at Soccerway
  2. ^ Sergio Cadeddu. "Sau innamorato: "Che bello giocare per il Cagliari, per la Sardegna"" (in Italian). Cagliari News 24. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Fleming, Scott (20 December 2012). "Born in Sardinia, made in Gourock". The Herald. Herald & Times Group. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
  4. ^ "Sau all'AlbinoLeffe" (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. 25 June 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  5. ^ "E' rientrato Larrivey" (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. 15 July 2009. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  6. ^ a b Cagliari Calcio SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2011 (in Italian), PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA
  7. ^ ""Buste": Burrai e Sau al Foggia" (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. 25 June 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  8. ^ "Sau e Burrai tornano al Cagliari" (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  9. ^ a b Cagliari Calcio SpA bilancio (financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2012 (in Italian), PDF purchased from Italian CCIAA
  10. ^ "Cagliari in Tribunale: il Foggia contesta il contratto di Sau" (in Italian). fantagazzetta. 20 March 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  11. ^ "Sau alla Juve Stabia" (in Italian). Cagliari Calcio. 31 August 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  12. ^ "Sau ha rinnovato fino al 2017". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 29 August 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  13. ^ "UFFICIALE: Sampdoria, arriva Sau dal Cagliari a titolo definitivo" (in Italian). Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  14. ^ "UFFICIALE: Benevento, ecco Marco Sau. Due anni di contratto". Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  15. ^ "La nuova sfida di Marco Sau lontano dall'Isola" [Marco Sau's new challenge far away from the Island]. L'Unione Sarda (in Italian). 29 January 2020. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  16. ^ a b Blackburn, Liam (30 June 2020). "Filippo Inzaghi leads Benevento back to Serie A". Goal. Retrieved 1 July 2020.
  17. ^ "𝙈𝘼𝙍𝘾𝙊 𝙎𝘼𝙐, COMUNICATO UFFICIALE" [𝙈𝘼𝙍𝘾𝙊 𝙎𝘼𝙐, OFFICIAL RELEASE]. www.feralpisalo.it (in Italian). 25 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Marco Sau - national football team player". Eu-football.info. Retrieved 20 June 2014.
  19. ^ "Serie B: Cagliari title, Livorno relegated - Football Italia". 20 May 2016.
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