Early career Dossena began his career at
Verona as a youth player before playing four seasons in their senior squad. He made his
Serie A debut on 18 November 2001 in the
city derby against
Chievo. Italian Serie A team
Treviso signed Dossena in a
co-ownership deal in 2005. It was Treviso's first season in Serie A after they were promoted due to
Genoa being denied this privilege as a result of their role in
Caso Genoa.
Udinese Udinese signed him in 2006 in a
co-ownership with Treviso, which became permanent in June 2007. He was given the number 2 jersey and made 63 appearances in the two seasons with Udinese, scoring two league goals there. In October 2007, he was awarded an improved contract which last until 30 June 2012.
Liverpool On 4 July 2008,
Liverpool confirmed the signing of Dossena on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee, reported to be in the region of £7 million, becoming the second Italian to play for the club, after
Daniele Padelli. Dossena was signed as a direct replacement for
John Arne Riise who left for
Roma. On 10 July 2008, it was announced that Dossena would wear the number 2 shirt. His debut for Liverpool came on 16 August in the 1–0
Premier League win over
Sunderland at the
Stadium of Light. The start to his career at Liverpool was marked by poor form and he was unsatisfied with his performances, telling
The Guardian: "I am not fully happy with my level. I must now get to a high level and maintain that, but first I have to battle to win selection. I am learning all the time". Dossena reinforced that he was committed to the club and explained that he was having difficulties adjusting because the pace of English football was significantly different from what he had experienced in
Serie A. Despite his largely unimpressive performances, he received more opportunities to prove himself in the first team as
Fábio Aurélio, Liverpool's favoured left back, suffered an injury in late November. He lost his first team slot with Aurelio's return from injury combined with the emergence of
Emiliano Insúa. He scored his first goal for Liverpool on 10 March 2009 against
Real Madrid in the
UEFA Champions League after coming on as a substitute. He scored his first goal in the
Premier League four days later, on 14 March in the 4–1 victory against
Manchester United at
Old Trafford. He scored both goals playing as an auxiliary left-winger as a late substitute in both games.
Napoli On 8 January 2010, Dossena signed for
Napoli in a four-year contract, and was given the number eight shirt The fee quoted was €4.25 million and
Andriy Voronin left on the same day. He made his debut for Napoli on 13 January 2010 in a
Coppa Italia match against
Juventus. His Serie A debut for Napoli came on 17 January 2010 in the 0–0 against
Palermo at the
San Paolo Stadium. Dossena netted a brace in the final game of the season against
Siena on 13 May 2012, sending Napoli to a 2–1 win and guaranteeing
Europa League football. In January 2013, Dossena went on loan to Palermo. Following the return of Dossena's former Liverpool manager
Rafael Benítez to Napoli, Dossena was told he would be allowed to look for a new club.
Later years On 2 September 2013, he moved to
Sunderland on a free transfer. Dossena made his Sunderland debut on 27 October, playing at left back in a 2–1 victory over local rivals
Newcastle United. However, Dossena was sent off in Sunderland's next game at
Hull City for a stamp on
David Meyler. He was released at the end of the 2013–14 season by Sunderland after losing out on first team action to
Marcos Alonso. On 6 November 2014, it was announced that Dossena would be joining
League One team
Leyton Orient on a free transfer until the end of the season. He played 15 games for Orient and scored one goal against Oldham Athletic. He was released by the club following their relegation to
League Two. In February 2017, Dossena signed a contract until the end of the 2016–17 season with
Piacenza after training with the club. He was released at the end of his contract having made few appearances. ==International career==