Regarded as one of Italy's most talented prospects in his early career,[2] Brighi was named Serie A Young Footballer of the Year in 2002.
[5] Brighi made 11 league appearances and 12 in total for Juventus first team during the 2000–01 season under manager Carlo Ancelotti, despite still eligible to their Primavera under-20 side.
His excellent performances under manager Francesco Guidolin soon saw him break into the starting XI, and he earned a reputation as one of Italy's most promising midfielders, winning the Serie A Young Footballer of the Year Award in 2002.
After Brighi won the 2002 Supercoppa Italiana with the Turin side, the club sold 50% of his registration rights to Parma as part of the deal which saw Marco Di Vaio join Juventus.
In a 20 November 2008 interview with La Repubblica, Brighi called then-Roma head coach Luciano Spalletti "the best I've ever had in terms of managing the group, and I've had some great ones like [Francesco] Guidolin and [Cesare] Prandelli."
In the same interview, he was asked who his favourite players were growing up and who he admires in football: "As a boy I loved Roberto Mancini when he was at Sampdoria, even though he played in a different position than I do.
Brighi helped Roma to a strong 2009–10 season; the team finished second in Serie A, behind treble champions Internazionale, and also reached the 2010 Coppa Italia Final.
At the end of the season, Brighi returned to Roma, but on 8 July 2013, he rejoined Torino, this time outright for free.
[24] On 2 February, Brighi made his debut in Sassuolo's starting XI in the club's 2–1 home defeat against Hellas Verona.
[28][29] At youth level, Brighi played for the Italy under-21 side at the 2002 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, forming the team's midfield alongside Manuele Blasi, Andrea Pirlo and Marco Marchionni, as they reached the semi-finals.
[2] After several years without a senior international call-up, he has called up once again by coach Marcello Lippi for Italy's 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Montenegro and the Republic of Ireland in March 2009.
[34] Brighi was called up again to play in Italy's pre-2009 FIFA Confederations Cup friendly against Northern Ireland in Pisa on 6 June.
Brighi came on as a substitute for Gennaro Gattuso at the beginning of the second-half, and provided many spectacular passes, one of which led to a goal, as Italy won the match 3–0.
A quick and hard-working player, he is noted in particular for his stamina, pace, tenacity, and tackling, as well as his willingness to press and chase down opponents in order to win the ball.
He has also been praised for his movement off the ball and ability to make attacking runs, which enables him to get into good offensive positions from which he can score goals.
His skills and playing style in his youth led him to be compared to Argentine former midfielder Fernando Redondo, as well as Carlo Ancelotti.