He has played football since he was a child and at the age of 13 he left his family to move to Reggio Calabria. In 1995 he made his debut in Serie B; in 1998 he was hired by Juventus, which however immediately gave him on loan to Bari, where he became a backbone of the team.
With the Under 21 national team, coached by Marco Tardelli, he won the 2000 European Football Championship; in 2001 he moved to Chievo and his good performances earned him the convocation of Trapattoni in the senior national team.
In 2004 he was bought by Rome where Spalletti employed him as an attacking midfielder; in the same year he participates in the European Championships and scores his first goal for the Azzurri team. He also took part in the 2006 World Cup with Marcello Lippi, who promoted him holder for all seven games.
In 2013 he announced his retirement.