Sebastian Giovinco – Toronto FC

Sebastian Giovinco – Toronto FC

Sebastian Giovinco is an Italian footballer, born in Turin in 1987 to a Calabrian mother and a Sicilian father. The passion for football runs in his family: his younger brother Giuseppe is also a professional footballer. Giovinco’s nickname is “Formica Atomica”, the Atomic Ant, from the Hannah-Barbera cartoon character. He has a partner, Shari, who is Italian of Argentinian descent. They had a child together in 2013, Jacopo.

At the moment Giovinco plays for Toronto FC and the Italian National Team as a forward. He enters the world of football at the age of nine, when he joins the Juventus youth system; he is later given on loan to Empoli, then he comes back to Juventus in 2008 and stays until 2010, when he is given on loan to Parma. He finally comes back to Juventus in 2012, signing a contract until June 2015. In January 2015 he signs a five-year contract with Toronto FC, receding in advance from the contract with Juventus.

He has also played for the Italian National Team since his teenage years: first he played in the Under-16 team, then in the Under-21 team and in the Olympic National Team. He was finally called up to the senior team in 2011, debuting at the age of 24 during the Germany-Italy friendly match. As of now, he has made 23 appearances in the National Team and a goal, scored on 19 June 2013 during the match against Japan.

Thanks to his short stature and his small build, he is very quick and agile, with remarkable dribbling skills. One of his peculiarities ad a footballer is that, while being right-footed, he can kick with both feet.

Even though he hasn’t been in the Canadian MLS (Major League Soccer) very long, he has already obtained several awards: he was named Player of the Month both in July and August 2015, and he won the Golden Boot as the top-scorer and the top-assist.