Cecilia Salvai

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Cecilia Salvai

| image = Cecilia Salvai, DF Brescia Calcio Femminile 08 2016 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Salvai with Brescia in 2016

| fullname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1993|12|2}}[http://femminile.football.it/schedagiocatore.php?id_tiposcheda=2&id_annualita=10&id_giocatore=3780 Profile on football.it] in Football.it

| birth_place = Pinerolo, Italy

| height = {{convert|1.75|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

| position = Centre back

| currentclub = Juventus

| clubnumber = 23

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = 2008–2009

| clubs1 = Canavese

| caps1 = 4

| goals1 = 1

| years2 = 2009–2012

| clubs2 = Torino

| caps2 = 60

| goals2 = 4

| years3 = 2012–2013

| clubs3 = Lugano

| caps3 =

| goals3 =

| years4 = 2013–2016

| clubs4 = Verona

| caps4 = 54

| goals4 = 5

| years5 = 2016–2017

| clubs5 = Brescia

| caps5 = 19

| goals5 = 0

| years6 = 2017–

| clubs6 = Juventus

| caps6 = 91

| goals6 = 4

| nationalyears1 = 2010–2012

| nationalteam1 = Italy U19

| nationalcaps1 = 9

| nationalgoals1 = 1

| nationalyears2 = 2012

| nationalteam2 = Italy U20

| nationalcaps2 = 3

| nationalgoals2 = 0

| nationalyears3 = 2013–

| nationalteam3 = Italy

| nationalcaps3 = 60

| nationalgoals3 = 3

| pcupdate = 5 December 2023

| ntupdate =

}}

Cecilia Salvai (born 2 December 1993) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Serie A club Juventus FC and the Italy women's national team. She has represented Italy U19 at the 2011 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship.{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/match/2008018--belgium-vs-italy/|title=Women's Under-19 2011 - Belgium-Italy – UEFA.com|last=uefa.com|website=UEFA}}

Personal life

Salvai contracted and was treated for Hodgkin lymphoma at age four.{{Cite web|last=JuventusNews24|first=Redazione|date=16 February 2022|title=Salvai si racconta: "A 4 anni curata da un linfoma"|url=https://www.juventusnews24.com/salvai-parole-dichiarazioni-linfoma-hodgkin-juventus-women/|access-date=16 February 2022|website=Juventus News 24|language=it-IT}}

In 2019, she married amateur footballer and member of Fortitudo Mozzecane Women's staff Matteo Borgese near Asti.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ilmattino.it/societa/gossip/cecilia_salvai_juve_matrimonio_foto-4622211.html|date=16 July 2019|title=Cecilia Salvai si è sposata|language=it-IT}}

Controversy

On the 6th of August 2021, a picture of Salvai was posted on Juventus's twitter account depicting the player using her fingers to pull her eyes back while wearing a red training cone on her head.

The post also included emojis mimicking the eye-pulling gesture.

The image was taken down by Juventus after online back-lash around the racist nature of the images.

Juventus issued an apology however Salvai, to date, has not. {{Cite web|title=Juventus apologizes for racist post shared on women’s team’s Twitter feed|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/06/football/juventus-racist-post-asians-intl-scli-spt/index.html}}

Club career

Salvai started her professional career with Canavese in 2008, and after a single season she moved to Torino, where she developed into a regular for the Turinese club. The team's website described her as "without doubt, the player with most appeal in Torino's roster."{{cite web |url=http://www.torinocalciofemminile.it/stagione/campionato/classifica/player/1/12.html |title=Cecilia Salvai |access-date=17 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130717160600/http://www.torinocalciofemminile.it/stagione/campionato/classifica/player/1/12.html |archive-date=17 July 2013 }} She plays primarily as a left-back, but she can move to become a centre-back when needed.

Before the start of the 2012–13 season, she moved to Swiss club Rapid Lugano, and left at the end of the season to return to Italy, as she signed with Veronese club Bardolino Verona.{{cite web|url=http://www.veronacalciofemminile.com/?p=3423|title=Nuovi arrivi: Cecilia Salvai – AGSM Verona|website=www.veronacalciofemminile.com|access-date=17 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303212801/http://www.veronacalciofemminile.com/?p=3423|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=dead}}

On 11 July 2016, ahead of the 2016–17 season, she joined ACF Brescia Femminile.{{cite web|url=http://www.bresciacalciofemminile.it/news/3981/cecilia-salvai-brescia|title=Salvai è del Brescia|language=Italian|work=ACF Brescia Femminile|date=11 July 2016|access-date=15 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919172523/http://www.bresciacalciofemminile.it/news/3981/cecilia-salvai-brescia|archive-date=19 September 2016|url-status=dead}} She joined Juventus starting in the 2017–18 season.

In August 2021, the Juventus Twitter account posted an image of Salvai using her fingers to pull back her eyes while wearing a training cone on her head.{{cite news |author=Toyin Owoseje |title=Juventus apologizes for racist post shared on women's team's Twitter feed |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/06/football/juventus-racist-post-asians-intl-scli-spt/index.html |access-date=12 August 2021 |work=CNN}}{{cite news |title=Juventus say they made 'an unforgivable mistake' after racist tweet appeared on their women's team feed |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/12374263/juventus-say-they-made-an-unforgivable-mistake-after-racist-tweet-appeared-on-their-womens-team-feed |access-date=12 August 2021 |work=Sky Sports |language=en}} The tweet was soon deleted, and the club apologized.{{cite news |title=Juventus 'sincerely apologise' for tweet |work=BBC Sport |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58109308 }}

International career

=Under-19=

During the 2011 Championship Salvai was named on the starting XI of the opening group stage match against Russia.{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/match/2008010--italy-vs-russia/|title=Women's Under-19 2011 - Italy-Russia – UEFA.com|last=uefa.com|website=UEFA}} She did no play in the second group stage match against Switzerland,{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/match/2008014--italy-vs-switzerland/|title=Women's Under-19 2011 - Italy-Switzerland – UEFA.com|last=uefa.com|website=UEFA}} but she scored the equalizer against Belgium in an eventual 3–1 win for the azzurre. Italy reached the semi-finals unbeaten, but eventually lost 2–3 to Norway.{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/match/2008044--italy-vs-norway/|title=Women's Under-19 2011 - Italy-Norway – UEFA.com|last=uefa.com|website=UEFA}}

She was also called for the first qualifying round for the 2012 Championship, and she started all three matches{{Cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/match/2003522--italy-vs-armenia/?referrer=%2fwomensunder19%2fseason%3d2012%2fmatches%2fround%3d2000219%2fmatch%3d2003522%2findex|title=Italy-Armenia|website=UEFA}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/match/2003544--north-macedonia-vs-italy/?referrer=%2fwomensunder19%2fseason%3d2012%2fmatches%2fround%3d2000219%2fmatch%3d2003544%2findex|title=North Macedonia-Italy|website=UEFA}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/match/2003565--italy-vs-austria/?referrer=%2fwomensunder19%2fseason%3d2012%2fmatches%2fround%3d2000219%2fmatch%3d2003565%2findex|title=Italy-Austria|website=UEFA}} as Italy advanced to the second qualifying round, where, again, she was a regular and started all three matches.{{Cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/match/2009045--spain-vs-italy/?referrer=%2fwomensunder19%2fseason%3d2012%2fmatches%2fround%3d2000220%2fmatch%3d2009045%2findex|title=Spain-Italy|website=UEFA}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/match/2009058--italy-vs-scotland/?referrer=%2fwomensunder19%2fseason%3d2012%2fmatches%2fround%3d2000220%2fmatch%3d2009058%2findex|title=Italy-Scotland|website=UEFA}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/womensunder19/match/2009070--russia-vs-italy/?referrer=%2fwomensunder19%2fseason%3d2012%2fmatches%2fround%3d2000220%2fmatch%3d2009070%2findex|title=Russia-Italy|website=UEFA}} Italy, however, finished second in its group and last amongst the runners-up, and therefore did not advance to the final tournament.

=Under-20=

Salvai was called by Italy's U-20 coach Corrado Corradini to take part in the 2012 World Cup, where she was a starter in all three group stage matches. As Italy finished last in Group B, they did not play any other match.

=Senior=

Salvai made her début for the senior team on 19 September 2012, as Italy faced Greece in the final qualification match before UEFA Women's Euro 2013.{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/womenseuropeanqualifiers/match/2007764--greece-vs-italy/|title=UEFA Women's EURO 2013 - History - Greece-Italy Lineups – UEFA.com|last=uefa.com|website=UEFA}} She started the first two group stage matches against Finland and Denmark but did not play against Sweden, as Italy advanced to the quarter-finals.

International goals

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
class="wikitable"
1.	8 June 2018	rowspan=2\| Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence, Italy	{{fbw\|POR}}	align=center\|2–0	align=center\| 3–0	2019 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
2.	24 February 2021	{{fbw\|ISR}}	align=center\|6–0	align=center\| 12–0	UEFA Women's Euro 2022 qualifying
3.	5 December 2023	Stadio Ennio Tardini, Parma, Italy	{{fbw\|SUI}}	align=center\|2–0	align=center\| 3–0	2023–24 UEFA Women's Nations League

Honours

Juventus

Serie A: 2017–18, 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22
Coppa Italia: 2018–19, 2021–22
Supercoppa Italiana: 2019, 2020–21, 2021–22

Individual

AIC Best Women's XI: 2019{{Cite web |date=2 December 2019 |title=Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners |url=https://www.football-italia.net/147169/gran-gala-del-calcio-2019-winners |access-date=2 December 2019 |publisher=Football Italia}}