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Pavel Nedvěd

Personal information
Date of birth	(1972-08-30) 30 August 1972 (age 39)
Place of birth	Cheb, Czechoslovakia
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 9 1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Left winger Attacking midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1991–1992	Dukla Prague	19	(3)
1992–1996	Sparta Prague	98	(23)
1996–2001	Lazio	138	(33)
2001–2009	Juventus	247	(50)
Total		507	(109)
National team‡
1994–2006	Czech Republic	91	(18)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 3 May 2009. † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 26 January 2008

Pavel Nedvěd (Czech pronunciation: [ˈpavɛl ˈnɛdvjɛt] ( listen); born 30 August 1972 in Cheb) is a retired Czech football midfielder. He is one of the most successful Czech players to emerge from the newly formed Czech Republic, winning numerous accolades with Lazio and Juventus, including the last ever Cup Winners' Cup. Widely regarded as one of the finest midfielders of the modern era, he was the recipient of the prestigious Ballon d'Or in 2003, only the second Czech player to receive this honour, and the first since the breakup of Czechoslovakia. He was also the recipient of the 2nd Golden Foot award in 2004. Nedved was a key member of the Czech Republic team, which reached the final of Euro '96, during which he garnered much international attention. He was later given the international captaincy. Well known for his energy and tireless runs, as well as his goal scoring ability, Nedved was nicknamed Furia Ceca ("The Czech Fury", an Italian wordplay on the phrase Furia Cieca, meaning "Blind Fury") by Juventus fans.

Nedvěd retired after the 2008–09 season after 19 years as a professional. He played 666 club games, scoring 146 goals, and was capped 91 times for the Czech Republic, scoring 18 times.

Club career[link]

Czech Republic[link]

Born in the town of Cheb and raised in the nearby town Skalná, Nedvěd began his football career in his native Czechoslovakia. A football fanatic from a young age, Nedved began playing for his home team, Tatran Skalna, in 1977, aged just 5.^[1][2] He then moved on to Rudá Hvězda Cheb in 1985, playing just one season there, before playing for 5 years with Skoda Plzeň.^[1] In 1990, Nedved arrived in Prague, his nation's capital. Nedved initially signed for Dukla Prague, but played only one season with the outfit before being snapped up by the more prestigious Sparta Prague.^[3] With Sparta, Nedved won one Czechoslovak First League and two Gambrinus liga titles, as well as one Czech Republic Football Cup.^[4] Nedved's performances at Euro 1996, including a goal in the group stage match against Italy, gained him some notoriety; despite apparently having a verbal agreement with PSV,^[5] Nedved made the move from Sparta Prague to Serie A outfit Lazio in 1996.

Lazio[link]

Nedved played his first game for Lazio against Bologna on 7 September 1996.^[6] Nedved rapidly became an integral part of the Lazio side, helping them to the 1997–98 Coppa Italia, and also to the last ever international Cup Winners' Cup 1999. Nedved played a vital role in the campaign and also managed to score the last ever goal of the tournament, which was abolished the next year. In the final against RCD Mallorca, Nedved scored in the 81st minute, securing a 2–1 win for Lazio. Lazio went on to win the Serie A title, as well as two Supercoppa Italianas with Nedved in the team, and also finished runner-up in the 1997–98 UEFA Cup. Nedved played 204 games for the club overall, scoring 54 times.

Juventus[link]

Having spent 5 seasons with Lazio, Nedved moved to Juventus in 2001 for a fee of €41 million as a replacement for Zinedine Zidane, who had transferred to Spain's Real Madrid the same summer.^[7] He proved to be one of the few midfielders capable of assuming the playmaking role of his French predecessor. Nedvěd played frequently in Juventus' Scudetto-winning teams of 2001–02 and 2002–03.

Nedvěd was instrumental in leading Juventus into the 2003 Champions League final against Milan, but he was forced to sit out the final because of accumulation of yellow cards, after being booked in the semi-final for tackling Real Madrid midfielder Steve McManaman. At the end of the year, he won the European Footballer of the Year award.

Following the 2005–06 season, and Juventus's relegation from Serie A due to the Calciopoli scandal, Nedvěd's future as a Juventus player was heavily discussed. After the World Cup, he dispelled those rumors by restating his desire to help Juventus regain promotion to the Serie A. However, the season was somewhat tumultuous for the Czech international. With only a one-year contract, he hinted he might retire from football altogether at the end of the season. He repeated this threat after a 5-game ban stemming from a red card on 1 December. Nevertheless, he remained with the club until the end of the season. Together fellow veterans David Trézéguet and captain Alessandro Del Piero, the three of them scored 47 of the 83 goals Juve scored in Serie B as they won promotion at the first time of asking.

During the 2007–08 season, Nedvěd played frequently for the Bianconeri, providing contributions while being Juve's first-choice left winger. However, he has not been free from controversy. Nedvěd came under negative spotlight recently for his tackle on Internazionale midfielder Luís Figo, which resulted in a broken fibula for the Portuguese player.^[8]

Nedvěd had a fair season during Juve's return, but only scored twice. During Serie A 2007–08, Nedvěd acquired a slight concussion that kept him off of the pitch for about a month. He was linked with a move to Japanese side Júbilo Iwata during the 2008–09 summer transfer window, but the rumours were quickly scotched when he committed his future to Juventus for another year after signing a new one year contract extension which would secure his services until June 2009.

2008–09 season[link]

Nedvěd scored Juventus' first league goal of the 2008–09 season in a 1–1 away draw with Fiorentina. He also netted twice against Bologna (2–1) in a match he captained Juve. On 26 February 2009, Nedvěd announced that he would retire at the end of 2008–09 season.^[9] On 10 March 2009, Nedved was substituted due to injury in the first half of the UEFA Champions League second round game against Chelsea, which due to his impending retirement, turned out to be his last European game for Juventus (who lost 3–2 on aggregate). He retired at the end of the season, captaining the final match against former team Lazio and set up Vincenzo Iaquinta's goal in a 2–0 victory. He was substituted before the final whistle and was given a standing ovation by both sets of supporters. After the match ended, the other Juventus players formed a guard of honour and Nedvěd did a lap of honour to thank the fans. Later, captain Alessandro Del Piero presented him with a commemorative shirt.

Retirement[link]

Nedvěd announced his retirement in February 2009, effective from the end of that season.^[10] Nedvěd stated that he did not retire for "economic reasons" but so that he could spend more time with his family.^[11] He is currently a board member at Juventus.^[12]

International career[link]

Nedvěd debuted for the newly reformed Czech national team in June 1994 in a 3–1 win over the Republic of Ireland. His big break came at the UEFA Euro 1996 tournament, where he was the driving force behind the Czechs' run to the final. He continued to be a regular in midfield and captained the Czech Republic from 2000 onwards. He initially retired from the national team in 2004 following the semifinal defeat to Greece at the Euro 2004^[13] but, after much persuasion from coach Karel Brückner and the team-mates, decided to come out of international retirement just in time for the qualification playoffs against Norway.^[14] In Nedvěd and his country's first ever World Cup match since the break-up of Czechoslovakia the Czechs impressively won 3–0 in their opening game against the United States, but suffered injuries to key players and lost their next two group matches against Ghana and eventual winners Italy, finishing third in their group. Nedvěd had several attempts at goal against Italy but they were saved by Juventus team-mate Gianluigi Buffon. Nedvěd announced his retirement permanently after the tournament and refused to reverse his decision despite calls from team-mates and former coach Karel Brückner prior to the Euro 2008.^[15]

Personal life[link]

Nedved married his girlfriend Ivana when he was 21, and the couple have two children who carry their same names: Ivana and Pavel. He holds a qualified surveyor diploma. He was contracted to Uhlsport, but changed his sportswear favourite to Adidas.

Club statistics[link]

National team statistics[link]

^{[16] [17]}

International goals[link]

Scores and results list Czech Republic's goal tally first.^[17]

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	14 June 1996	Anfield, Liverpool	Italy	1–0	2–1	Euro 1996
2.	18 September 1996	Na Stínadlech, Teplice	Malta	2–0	6–0	1998 World Cup qualification
3.	17 December 1997	King Fahd II Stadium, Riyadh	United Arab Emirates	2–0	6–1	1997 Confederations Cup
4.	17 December 1997	King Fahd II Stadium, Riyadh	United Arab Emirates	3–0	6–1	1997 Confederations Cup
5.	14 October 1998	Na Stínadlech, Teplice	Estonia	1–0	4–1	Euro 2000 qualifying
6.	4 September 1999	Žalgiris Stadium, Vilnius	Lithuania	1–0	4–0	Euro 2000 qualifying
7.	4 September 1999	Žalgiris Stadium, Vilnius	Lithuania	2–0	4–0	Euro 2000 qualifying
8.	26 March 2000	Generali Arena, Prague	Israel	1–0	4–1	Friendly
9.	26 March 2000	Generali Arena, Prague	Israel	3–0	4–1	Friendly
10.	7 October 2000	Na Stínadlech, Teplice	Iceland	3–0	4–0	2002 World Cup qualification
11.	7 October 2000	Na Stínadlech, Teplice	Iceland	4–0	4–0	2002 World Cup qualification
12.	24 March 2001	Windsor Park, Belfast	Northern Ireland	1–0	1–0	2002 World Cup qualification
13.	15 August 2001	Sportovní areál, Drnovice	South Korea	1–0	5–0	Friendly
14.	6 October 2001	Generali Arena, Prague	Bulgaria	2–0	6–0	2002 World Cup qualification
15.	6 October 2001	Generali Arena, Prague	Bulgaria	6–0	6–0	2002 World Cup qualification
16.	2 April 2003	Toyota Arena, Prague	Austria	1–0	4–0	Euro 2004 qualifying
17.	6 September 2003	Dinamo Stadium, Minsk	Belarus	1–1	3–1	Euro 2004 qualifying
18.	6 September 2006	Toyota Arena, Prague	Trinidad and Tobago	2–0	3–0	Friendly

Honours[link]

Sparta Prague[link]

• Czechoslovak League: 1992–93
• Czech Gambrinus Liga: 1993–94, 1994–95
• Czech Republic Football Cup: 1996

Lazio[link]

• Serie A: 1999–00
• Coppa Italia: 1997–98, 1999–00
• Supercoppa Italiana: 1998, 2000
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1998–99
• UEFA Super Cup: 1999
• UEFA Cup Runner-Up: 1997–98

Juventus[link]

• Serie A: 2001–02, 2002–03
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2002, 2003
• Serie B: 2006–07
• Runner-Up: UEFA Champions League 2002–03

Czech Republic national team[link]

• Runner-Up: UEFA Euro 1996
• Semi-Finals UEFA Euro 2004

References[link]

http://www.fai.ie/international/senior-men/102385-2012-three-fai-international-award-winners-announced.html

External links[link]

• Pavel Nedvěd international stats at the Czech Football Association website (Czech)
• Official Site
• "Juventus profile". Juventus.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2009. http://web.archive.org/web/20090305143500/http://juventus.com/site/eng/TAS_schedagiocatoreprimasquadra_AABB522BE0F142728637A83A4A2EE428.asp. Retrieved 20 March 2012. 
• "Career profile and stats". FootballDatabase.com. Archived from the original on 1 May 2005. http://web.archive.org/web/20050501155234/http://www.footballdatabase.com/site/players/index.php?dumpPlayer=428. Retrieved 20 March 2012. 

Czech Republic Squads v t e Czech Republic squad – UEFA Euro 1996 Runners-up 1 Kouba 2 Látal 3 Suchopárek 4 Nedvěd 5 Kadlec (c) 6 Němeček 7 Němec 8 Poborský 9 Kuka 10 Drulák 11 Frýdek 12 Kubík 13 Bejbl 14 Berger 15 Horňák 16 Srníček 17 Šmicer 18 Kotůlek 19 Rada 20 Novotný 21 Kerbr 22 Maier Coach: Uhrin v t e Czech Republic squad – 1997 FIFA Confederations Cup Third Place 1 Srníček 2 Ulich 3 Kozel 4 Nedvěd 5 Horňák 6 Svoboda 7 Němec 8 Poborský 9 Kuka 10 Siegl 11 Bejbl 12 Rada 13 Vlček 14 Slončík 15 Lasota 16 Lokvenc 17 Šmicer 18 Fukal 19 Frýdek 20 Maier Coach: Uhrin v t e Czech Republic squad – UEFA Euro 2000 1 Srníček 2 Řepka 3 Látal 4 Nedvěd 5 Fukal 6 Vlček 7 Němec 8 Poborský 9 Kuka 10 Koller 11 Rosický 12 Lokvenc 13 Bejbl 14 Horváth 15 Jankulovski 16 Maier 17 Šmicer 18 Novotný 19 Rada 20 Berger 21 Gabriel 22 Blažek Coach: Chovanec v t e Czech Republic squad – UEFA Euro 2004 semi-finalists 1 Čech 2 Grygera 3 Mareš 4 Galásek 5 Bolf 6 Jankulovski 7 Šmicer 8 Poborský 9 Koller 10 Rosický 11 Nedvěd 12 Lokvenc 13 Jiránek 14 Vachoušek 15 Baroš 16 Blažek 17 Hübschman 18 Heinz 19 Týce 20 Plašil 21 Ujfaluši 22 Rozehnal 23 Kinský Coach: Brückner v t e Czech Republic squad – 2006 FIFA World Cup 1 Čech 2 Grygera 3 Mareš 4 Galásek (c) 5 Kováč 6 Jankulovski 7 Sionko 8 Poborský 9 Koller 10 Rosický 11 Nedvěd 12 Lokvenc 13 Jiránek 14 Jarolím 15 Baroš 16 Blažek 17 Štajner 18 Heinz 19 Polák 20 Plašil 21 Ujfaluši 22 Rozehnal 23 Kinský Coach: Brückner

Ezio Greggio
Ezio Greggio
Born	(1954-04-07) 7 April 1954 (age 58) Cossato, Italy
Occupation	actor
Website
http://www.eziogreggio.it/

Ezio Greggio (Italian pronunciation: [ˈɛttsjo ˈɡreddʒo]; born 7 April 1954) is an Italian comedian, actor, writer and film director.

In Italy he is mostly known for his long lasting appearances in TV shows like Drive In and Striscia la Notizia, while abroad he his noted for his movies and his collaboration with Mel Brooks.

TV career[link]

Born in Cossato, a small town near Biella, Greggio began his TV career at age 18 in Telebiella, the first local private owned station in Italy thanks to the help of founder Peppo Sacchi.

In 1978 he was hired as a comedian in RAI, appearing in La sberla e Tutto compreso of Giancarlo Nicotra and Giancarlo Magalli. His appearances in the national TV didn't gained him success, but Greggio had the chance to meet Gianfranco D'Angelo, another young comedian.

D'Angelo convinced Greggio to move to the newborn Fininvest (later Mediaset), a local TV channel founded in Milan by Silvio Berlusconi. They were both included in the cast of the main show of the network, Drive In: it was a 2 hour weekly show featuring a bunch of young emerging comedians, and quickly Greggio became spotlight chaser of the whole show.

Drive In was a very innovative show, and had great success giving national fame to almost all the actors involved, like Enrico Beruschi, Giorgio Faletti, Teo Teocoli, Francesco Salvi, Carlo Pistarino, Enzo Braschi and many others, including of course Greggio and D'Angelo.

In 1988 he followed the creator / head writer Antonio Ricci to a long series of successful shows: after Odiens, a show loosely inspired by Drive In, Greggio in 1990 and 1993 presented Paperissima, a container for bloopers and funny homemade videos. In these shows, Greggio created his most famous recurring gags.

Since 1988 he has been the main presenter (along with D'Angelo and later Enzo Iacchetti) of Striscia la notizia, a daily television news parody. He starred in the program every year for some months, from the beginning up to now.

Movie career[link]

Greggio wrote and acted his first movie, Sbamm! in 1980.

He was noted by Carlo Vanzina, and was included in the cast of Yuppies, i giovani di successo, in the 1986 sequel Yuppies 2 and in the 1987 movie Montecarlo Gran Casinò with Paolo Rossi.

He appeared in many other comic/trash films, almost always directed by Enrico Oldoini.

In 1994, he debuted as director with The Silence of the Hams, a parody movie inspired by The Silence of the Lambs and Psycho. The movie was shot in the United States: during this work, Greggio built a strong friendship with movie director Mel Brooks and with Dom DeLuise (both appearing in the movie).

Brooks named one of Dom DeLuise's killers in his Robin Hood: Men in Tights, "Dirty Ezio", and had Greggio in the cast of Dracula: Dead and Loving It.

In 1997, Greggio came back to the camera, directing Killer per caso and in 1999 Svitati, with Mel Brooks as actor.

Since 2000, Greggio acted in a great number of TV productions.

Greggio moved his residence to Montecarlo, and is the director of the Montecarlo Film Festival.

As a writer[link]

Ezio Greggio published five humor books with Mondadori:

• Presto che è tardi (1997)
• Chi se ne fut-fut (1998)
• E lui o non è lui? (1999)
• E su e giù e trik e trak (2003)
• In una certa manieeera (2005)

In those books, Greggio gathers anecdotes about his life as a cabaret actor and comedian.

Works[link]

As actor[link]

• 1981 - Sbamm, directed by Franco Abussi
• 1985 - Yuppies, directed by Carlo Vanzina
• 1986 - Yuppies 2, directed by Enrico Oldoini
• 1987 - Montecarlo Gran Casinò, directed by Carlo Vanzina
• 1989 - Occhio alla Perestroika, directed by Castellano e Pipolo
• 1990 - Vacanze di Natale '90, directed by Enrico Oldoini
• 1991 - Vacanze di Natale '91, directed by Enrico Oldoini
• 1992 - Infelici e contenti, directed by Neri Parenti
• 1993 - The Silence of the Hams, directed by himself
• 1994 - Miracolo italiano, directed by Enrico Oldoini
• 1995 - Selvaggi, directed by Carlo Vanzina
• 1996 - Dracula: Dead and Loving It, directed by Mel Brooks
• 1997 - Killer per caso, directed by himself
• 1999 - Svitati directed by himself
• 2001 - 2001: A Space Travesty
• 2011 - Box Office 3D

As writer[link]

• 1986 - Italian Fast Food, directed by Lodovico Gasparini
• 2011 - Box office 3D

External links[link]

• Sito ufficiale
• http://www.striscialanotizia.mediaset.it/biografia/biografia_ezio_greggio.shtml

Eros Ramazzotti
Eros Ramazzotti, April 28, 2004
Background information
Birth name	Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti
Born	(1963-10-28) October 28, 1963 (age 48) Rome, Italy
Genres	Adult contemporary, pop, soft rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Years active	1981–present
Labels	DDD, Ariola, Norte Records
Website	www.ramazzotti.com

Eros Luciano Walter Ramazzotti (born October 28, 1963), known simply as Eros Ramazzotti, is an Italian musician and singer-songwriter.^[1] Ramazzotti is enormously popular in Italy, and is well known in most non-English-speaking European countries and in the Spanish-speaking world, as he has released most of his albums in both Italian and Spanish.^[2]

Since 1984, he has released 11 studio albums, one EP, three compilation albums, three live albums, and 37 singles. Ramazzotti has sold over 40 million records in his 25-year career.^[3] His repertory includes duets with artists such as Cher, Tina Turner, Andrea Bocelli, Patsy Kensit, Anastacia, Joe Cocker, Ricardo Arjona, Luciano Pavarotti, Laura Pausini, and Ricky Martin.^[3]

Ramazzotti first gained international success in 1993, with the release of Tutte storie, which amassed six million album sales and occupied the top five in every country where he had previously released albums.^[3] This success led to a BMG International record contract in 1994.^[3] His audience appeal comes from several factors, including his unique voice, which can be described as somewhat nasal but nevertheless forceful and resonant, and his energetic delivery of catchy, melodic tunes which are often passionate mid-tempo autobiographical ballads, with instrumentation that is rich in soft-rock influence.^[4] Most of his albums have been recorded in both Italian and Spanish.

Biography[link]

Childhood and early beginnings (1963–1981)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti was born on October 28, 1963 in Cinecittà, a suburb of Rome, Italy. He was named after Eros, the Greek god of love. He took up playing the guitar at age seven.^[5] As a teenager, he wrote songs with help from his father, Rodolfo, a construction worker and music lover who played piano. He wanted to attend a musical conservatory but failed the admission examination, and started training in bookkeeping, but dropped out.^[3] He occasionally appeared as an extra in films while spending most of his time dreaming of having a career as a pop-star.^[3]

In 1981, Ramazzotti took part in a music contest, Voci Nuove di Castrocaro (new voices of Castrocaro Terme) with the song "Rock 80", which he himself wrote, performing in front of various record label representatives.^[1] Although the contest was won by Zucchero and Fiordaliso, Ramazzotti reached the final and received two votes from Roberto Galanti and Baron Lando Lanni, who represented the recently launched Italian Label DDD (Drogueria di Drugolo). DDD gave Eros his first contract. He moved to Milan with his brother, Marco and his mother, Raffaella, and they initially lived in the same building as the record label company.^[3]

Career breakthrough (1982–1986)[link]

Ramazzotti's first single, "Ad un amico" (To a Friend), was released in 1982, and was not particularly well received.^[6] Soon after, Eros met Renato Brioschi,^[3] who mentored the young artist toward his first success in 1984 at the highly regarded Sanremo Festival. His song, "Terra promessa" (Promised Land) won the Newcomers' category, and was subsequently released widely throughout Europe.

In 1985, Ramazzotti again took part in the Sanremo Festival with his song "Una storia importante" (An Important Story), taken from his debut album Cuori agitati (Troubled Hearts). While only placing sixth at the festival, "Una storia importante" was released as a single and became a huge hit in many European countries, including France where it sold a million units.^[3] His second album Nuovi eroi (New Heroes), released in 1986, earned two Platinum-awards in Switzerland with over 100,000 sales, and Gold status in Germany with over 250,000 sales.^[7][8] At his third Sanremo Festival appearance in 1986 his memorable single, "Adesso tu" (Now You) from Nuovi eroi won the overall competition.^[6]

Popularity established (1987–1994)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti in the early 1990s

In 1987, Ramazzotti went on a nine-month-long tour after releasing his third album In certi momenti (Sometimes), performing in front of more than a million people.^[1] In certi momenti went Gold in Germany with over 250,000 sales and Platinum in Switzerland with over 50,000 sales, and reached more than 3 million copies worldwide.^[1][7][8] As his career developed, he performed "La Luce Buona Delle Stelle" (The Good Light of the Stars) with Patsy Kensit on November 22, 1987, and released a seven-track mini-album Musica è (Music Is) in May 1988.

His fifth album, In ogni senso (In Every Sense), released in April 1990, attracted more than two hundred journalists from around the world to the album's press conference launch in Venice.^[3] An American record producer, Clive Davis, advised Ramazzotti to hold a concert at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City,^[3] and he became the first Italian artist to perform at the renowned concert hall, performing before a sell-out crowd. However, he was later disappointed to learn that most of his audience was of Italian descent, having hoped for a more widespread breakthrough.^[5] During that visit to the USA, Ramazzotti also performed on TV shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and Good Morning America.^[5] In ogni senso earned multiple Gold and Platinum album awards around the world, including a Platinum in Germany for over 500,000 sales,^[8] a triple Platinum in Switzerland for over 150,000 sales, and Platinum in the Netherlands for sales of over 100,000 units.^[9][10]

His 1991 double-CD release Eros in Concert was followed by another long tour, including a concert in Barcelona, Spain before 20,000 fans on 4 December, the day of his live CD's release.^[3]

In 1993, he released Tutte storie (All Stories), and he toured in Europe and 15 Latin American countries, where he has released his Spanish language albums. That November, Ramazzotti performed "Cose della vita" (Things of Life) at the MTV Europe Music Awards in Berlin. Tutte storie entered the Top-5 album list in many countries in Europe including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway.^[11] The album earned Ramazzotti four Platinums in Switzerland for sales of over 200,000 units, a Platinum in Germany for sales of over 500,000 units,^[8][9] and Platinum status in many other counties including the Netherlands, Sweden, Argentina and Austria.^{[12][13][14][15]} Tutte storie eventually sold six million copies worldwide which played a significant role in helping Ramazzotti get his contract with BMG International.^[3]

Worldwide commercial success (1995–2002)[link]

In the summer of 1995, Ramazzotti participated in the European summer festival along with Rod Stewart, Elton John and Joe Cocker. His seven-million-seller album, Dove c'è musica (Where There Is Music) was released on May 13, 1996,^[3] his first completely self-produced album.^[3] On December 5 of the same year, his companion of several years and future wife Michelle Hunziker (Swiss model and television host) gave birth to their daughter, Aurora Sophie.^[3]

In October 1997, he released Eros – Greatest Hits, which contained two new songs, "Quanto amore sei" (How Much Love Are You) and "Ancora un minuto di sole" (Just One More Minute of Sunshine), as well as reworked versions of previous hits including "Musica è" (duet with Andrea Bocelli) and "Cose della vita - Can't Stop Thinking of You" in a duet with Tina Turner. This collection entered the Top-5 in France, Belgium, Sweden and Finland, and reached No. 1 in several countries including Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Norway, selling 1.2 million units in its first week of release according to BMG International.^{[16][17][18][19]} The album was certified five times Platinum by IFPI (Europe) for selling well over five million units in Europe alone.^[20] The album also attained two Latin-type Platinum certifications by RIAA for sales of over 400,000 units in USA.^[21] That year, Ramazzotti was awarded "Best International Male Artist of the Year" at Germany's Echo Music Awards.^[22]

In 1998, he released the live CD Eros Live, which included two duets recorded during the world tour, "Cose della vita-Can’t Stop Thinking of You" featuring Tina Turner, and "That's All I Need to Know-Difenderò" with Joe Cocker, performed in Munich. In 1999, Ramazzotti again collaborated with Italian superstar Andrea Bocelli, singing "Nel Cuore Lei" (In Your Heart) for Bocelli's album, Sogno (Dream). The album sold over 10 million albums worldwide, gaining more recognition for Ramazzotti. In 1999, he was again awarded as "Best International Male Artist of the Year" at Germany's Echo Music Awards.^[23] Throughout his career, Ramazzotti has done duets with some very well known artists such as Cher, Andrea Bocelli, Joe Cocker, Carlos Santana, Tina Turner, Anastacia, Luciano Pavarotti, and Laura Pausini.^[3]

Ramazzotti gained a reputation as a seasoned producer with the album Come fa bene l’amore (Feels good to love) by Gianni Morandi in the beginning of 2000.^[3] That October, he delivered his eighth studio album Stilelibero (Freestyle), which contained a duet with the American diva, Cher, in the song "Più che puoi" (As Much As You Can). The album, the result of a collaboration of several producers including Celso Valli, Claudio Guidetti, Trevor Horn and Rick Nowels, reached the Top-5 album charts throughout Europe and was certified two times Platinum by IFPI (Europe) for sales of over two million units in Europe alone.^[20][24] In the course of the international tour for Stilelibero, Ramazzotti also appeared in eastern European countries including Moscow, Russia where he gave a three-day sold out concerts at Kremlin Palace.^[3]

Continued success (2003–present)[link]

Eros Ramazzotti at Sommarkrysset 2009

On May 30, 2003, Ramazzotti released his ninth studio album, entitled 9. The first single, "Un'emozione per sempre" (An Emotion Forever) was released on 9 May, and was number one in Italy's official single chart for 14 consecutive weeks.^[3] The album, produced along with Claudio Guidetti and Eros’s longtime musical friend Celso Valli, stayed at the No. 1 position for nine weeks in Italy's official album chart.^[3] 9 went on selling 3.5 million copies, 1.1 million of which were sold in Italy alone.^[3] He began his world tour in Ancona, Italy which was set to have 100 dates in front of audiences of up to one million people (56 dates of which were done in Europe in front of 550,000 people).^[3]

On October 28, 2005, Ramazzotti's 10th album Calma apparente (Apparent Calm) was released on the day of his birthday, which he produced together with Claudio Guidetti. The album Calma apparente, which was certified Platinum within a period of just one month after its release for selling over one million copies in Europe,^[25] contains the duet hit single "I Belong to You" with American singer Anastacia, the single went No. 1 in several countries including Italy, Germany and Switzerland.^[26] Throughout the years, Eros has gained popularity especially in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina, Venezuela, and most Spanish-speaking countries.^[4]

More than ten years after Ramazzotti's first compilation album Eros, which has sold total of 7.5 million copies worldwide and has reached No. 1 in many countries including Germany,^[3][19] Ramazzotti released a new double-CD compilation-album e² on October 26, 2007; the first CD contained four new tracks and 14 original songs in a remastered format, and the second CD had 17 redone tracks, and feature artists such as Carlos Santana, Wyclef Jean, Steve Vai, Jon Spencer. The four unreleased pieces on the e² album include a new international duet "Non siamo soli" (We're Not Alone) which Eros sings along with Latin pop star Ricky Martin. This became the first single taken off the album, and was available for sale on October 5, 2007, reaching the top spot in Italy and entering the top-5 in Switzerland and Spain.^[27][28] In Spain, the Spanish-language version "No estamos solos" was certified four times Platinum for having been downloaded over 80,000 times in Digital format, whereas it was certified six times Platinum for having been downloaded 120,000 in Original Tone format (equivalent to US Master Ringtone).^[28] The single, available both in Italian and Spanish, was written by Ramazzotti and his longtime songwriting partner Claudio Guidetti.^[29]

Ramazzotti's 11-track album, Ali e radici (Wings and Roots), was released on May 22, 2009, produced by Eros himself as well as his long time musical partner Claudio Guidetti; in addition, six tracks on the album are co-produced by Michele Canova who has previously worked with artists such as Laura Pausini, Tiziano Ferro and Jovanotti.^[30] The first single "Parla con me" ("Talk to Me"), released on 17 May 2009, off his 11th studio album, is a catchy pop song which has peaked at No. 1 in Italy and No. 8 in Switzerland.^[31] The album was available both in a standard-edition as well as in a deluxe-edition, which includes 64-page booklet of photographs, and it entered the Top-5 in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, and was number-one in Italy and Switzerland.^[19][32]

During his 25 year career he has sold over 40 million records worldwide.^[3]

Personal life[link]

In his personal life, Ramazzotti remains with only few good friends, mostly due to his conspicuous personality.^[33] Ramazzotti had a poor childhood, and recalls having had limited access to books and general guidance as he grew up:

As a child growing up, there were no books in my parents' home, no suggestions were ever made how to even have a decent conversation, no guidance was provided in search of oneself. The only source of information that I would get from my father was the inappropriate photos of women. The first thing as a support that I received from my father was a guitar after he recognized my passion for music. Nowadays, I try to self educate myself by purchasing good books which I almost never read because I become lazy after glancing at a football game on TV.^[33]

Ramazzotti recalls being extremely shy in the early 1980s before achieving fame:

When I went to Milan to further develop my musical skills, I remember being so shy at the time that I would simply get terrified of going to restaurants all by myself, so I would go without eating throughout my time in Milan.^[33]

Ramazzotti was married from 1998 to 2002 to Swiss model and actress Michelle Hunziker. They have a daughter together, Aurora, who was born on December 5, 1996. His 320-page autobiography, co-written by Luca Bianchini, was published April 13, 2006.^[34]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Cuori agitati (Troubled Hearts) (1985)
• Nuovi eroi (New Heroes) (1986)
• In certi momenti (At Certain Times) (1987)
• Musica è (Music Is) (1988)
• In ogni senso (In Every Sense) (1990)
• Tutte storie (All Stories), (1993)
• Dove c'è musica (Where Music is) (1996)
• Stilelibero (Freestyle) (2000)
• 9 (2003)
• Calma apparente (Apparent Calm) (2005)
• Ali e radici (Wings and Roots) (2009)

Live albums[link]

• Eros in Concert (1991)
• Eros Live (1998)
• 21.00: Eros Live World Tour 2009/2010 (2010)

Compilation albums[link]

• Eros (1997)
• e² (2007)

Awards and nominations[link]

[edit] Echo Awards

[edit] Italian Music Awards

Premio Italiano della Musica[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Ali e Radici.com
• erosramazzotti.TV international website
• German Official Website
• Eros Ramazzotti Fan Page (USA~Unofficial)
• Biography of Eros Ramazzotti, from RAI International
• Eros Ramazzotti Polish/English Site
• Eros Ramazzotti Russian Site
• Eros Ramazzotti photos and videos
• CZ & SK fanclub
• Label Website