Paolo Vassena
 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paolo Vassena | ||
| Year of birth | 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Cossa, Vegno | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club |  Sancrus FC | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Senior career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls)* |
| 2022– | Sancrus FC | 43 | (18) |
| International career | |||
| 2022– | Vegno | 23 | (4) |
| * Appearances (Goals) Player has received at least one call-up for any emboldened national teams | |||
Paolo Vassena is a Vegnese professional footballer who plays as a striker and captains both Campionato Vegnese di Calcio club Sancrus and the Vegno national team.
Career
Sancrus FC
He began his professional career in Vegno in 2022, being signed by Sancrus FC, owned by the vegnese magnate Goffredo Ripamonti. In the 2022 season he immediately became a fundamental player in the team and was immediately assigned the captain's armband. He ends the short 2022 season in a not very positive manner individually, with only 4 goals in 13 league appearances, but bringing the team to second place in the league, which guarantees qualification for the following year AEFA Champions' League.
In May 2022 he won his first national trophy, lifting the Bonfire Cup, after winning on penalties against Virtus Glovetese, the new champions of Vegno. In the competition he scored a goal in the round of 16 and one of the 4 decisive penalties in the final.
The following season he was re-confirmed as captain and at the center of the Sancrus FC project, playing all the team's matches of the season. In the championship this time the balance is very positive: he scores 15 goals, which makes him the 4th most prolific player of the season, tied with his teammate Jordan Yewsmikel. This year too they failed to win the championship, with the team finishing only third in the standings but, thanks to their performances in the cup, still achieving continental qualification.
In May 2023 he won his second trophy with the bianconeri team, lifting the Bonfire Cup for the second time in a row, beating his rivals Virtus Glovetese in the final once again. Even in the cup, the contribution of the native of Cossa is notable: he scores 4 goals, including a decisive brace in the final, and also the first penalty of the series in the final.
National team
Vassena is one of the first players to be selected by coach Agostino Conti for the first match of the Vegno national football team. Even in the national team he was chosen as team captain and is one of the most featured footballers in history, also holding the record for the highest number of appearances as captain with the national team.
He was called up for the 2022 Krasnovlac Tri-Nations Series, a friendly tournament in Krasnovlac, which he won as captain, scoring his first goal with the national team in the second match against Krasnovlac. He remains permanently in the national team as captain even with the new coach Fortunato Bongiovanni, playing all the friendlies of the new season.
He contributed with 2 goals to Vegno's first historic qualification for the World Cup, coming first in group A of the qualification. He was called up by coach Bongiovanni for the subsequent 2023 FMF World Cup in Mercury and scored on his debut in the competition in the first match against Calbion, scoring the decisive winning goal in the 90th minute.
Thanks to the team's good results, it qualified for the play-off round as second in the group, where it defeated Tiana, reaching the quarterfinals where the team was defeated 2-1 by Phinbella. He finished the competition by starting all 6 matches, scoring just one goal.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sancrus FC | 2022 | Lega A Vegnese | 13 | 3 | 4 | 1 | – | – | 17 | 4 | ||
| Sancrus FC | 2022–23 | Lega A Vegnese | 30 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 4 | 47 | 26 |
| Career total | 43 | 18 | 9 | 5 | 12 | 7 | 23 | 4 | 64 | 30 | ||
Honours
Sancrus
Vegno
