Gianluca Pagliuca

Gianluca Pagliuca
Gianluca Pagliuca with Sampdoria in 1989
Personal information
Full name Gianluca Pagliuca
Date of birth (1966-12-18) 18 December 1966[1]
Place of birth Bologna, Italy[1]
Height 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)[1]
Playing position Goalkeeper
Youth career
1984–1986 Bologna
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1987–1994 Sampdoria 198 (0)
1994–1999 Internazionale 165 (0)
1999–2006 Bologna 248 (0)
2006–2007 Ascoli 23 (0)
Total 634 (0)
National team
1989 Italy U21[2] 1 (0)
1996 Olympic Italy[2] 3 (0)
1990–1998 Italy 39 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Gianluca Pagliuca (Italian pronunciation: [dʒanˈluːka paʎˈʎuːka]; born 18 December 1966) is an Italian football coach and former professional goalkeeper.

He is regarded by pundits as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation,[3][4][5] and one of Italy's best keepers ever.[6][7][8] Throughout his career, he played for Sampdoria, Inter, Bologna, and Ascoli in Italy, winning several domestic and international trophies.[1] At international level, he represented Italy at three FIFA World Cups (1990, 1994, and 1998), most notably reaching the 1994 World Cup final as Italy's starting goalkeeper.

He is the fifth highest capped player (592 caps), and the best penalty-stopper (24 saves) in Serie A,[9] although other specialists such as Júlio César and Samir Handanović have a higher success rate.[10]

Club career

Pagliuca was born in Bologna. In his club career, he played for Sampdoria (1987–94), Internazionale (1994–99), Bologna (1999–2006), and Ascoli (2006–07). His most notable successes with Sampdoria include one Cup Winners' Cup and one Scudetto; he also reached a UEFA Champions League final, losing 1–0 to Barcelona in 1992, at Wembley, in spite of his impressive performance.[11]

In 1994, he moved from Sampdoria to Internazionale from a then world record fee for a goalkeeper of £7 million. With the nerazzurri he reached two consecutive UEFA Cup finals, losing the first one against Schalke 04 in 1997 and winning the second one in 1998, when he captained the side to a 3–0 win over Lazio. Pagliuca left Inter in 1999, moving to his home town club, Bologna, after the former Juventus boss Marcello Lippi took charge of Inter and signed Angelo Peruzzi from his former club.[12][13]

After Bologna were relegated to Serie B in 2004–05, despite Pagliuca's outstanding season,[14] he stayed with the club for one more year; then he returned to Serie A, accepting a contract with Ascoli for one year starting in summer of 2006. On 17 September 2006, Pagliuca set the record for most Serie A appearances for a goalkeeper, overtaking Dino Zoff, as he started against Messina.[15] He retired at the end of the season.

International career

After taking part in the 1990 World Cup without playing a minute, Pagliuca overtook Walter Zenga, Stefano Tacconi and Luca Marchegiani, becoming first choice goalkeeper for Italy at the 1994 World Cup under Arrigo Sacchi. He received the dubious honour of being the first goalkeeper to be sent off in a World Cup match, when he was dismissed for handling outside his area against Norway.[16] However, he returned after suspension to feature from the quarter-finals onwards with his team losing to Brazil in a penalty shootout. Despite the loss, Pagliuca became the first ever goalkeeper to save a penalty from a shootout in a World Cup final, denying Marcio Santos his shot.[17]

In 1995, Pagliuca's international career was halted by the emergence of Juventus goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi, his perceived career rival,[13] and it would be 2 years before he returned to the Italy senior squad, although he took part at the Olympics with the under-21 side as an overage player in 1996.[18] Under Cesare Maldini, Pagliuca would have taken part to the 1998 World Cup only as a back-up, but he earned the starting spot because of a last-minute injury to Peruzzi.[13] He made one of the saves of the tournament, again against Norway, when he shot out a hand to prevent Tore André Flo's point-blank header from netting.[19] However, Italy lost against host country France in the quarter-final after the penalty shootout, even though Pagliuca blocked Bixente Lizarazu's shot.[20]

After the tournament, the emergence of fellow keepers Francesco Toldo and Gianluigi Buffon (who were, themselves, Pagliuca's deputies in the 1998 World Cup), along with Peruzzi's recovery from his injury, put an end to Pagliuca's international career on 39 caps.[13]

Style of play

An agile, consistent and athletic goalkeeper,[21][22] Pagliuca was renowned for his excellent reactions,[21][22] diving saves,[23] and penalty-stopping abilities,[9] as well as his control of the ball, accurate distribution, and deep goal kicks with his left foot.[21][22][24][25][26][27] In addition to being very gifted acrobatics-wise, he also possessed a good positional sense.[28][29] Although he was capable of coming off the line to handle crosses, he performed better between the posts.[30] Nicknamed The Wall,[31][32] due to his goalkeeping abilities and consistency,[33] he also distinguished himself by his strong temper,[30][34] which occasionally had a negative impact on his performances, when he let his emotions get the better of him.[35][36][37][38][39]

Under coaches Sven-Göran Eriksson and Arrigo Sacchi, who relied on high defensive lines, Pagliuca used to play as a sweeper-keeper.[40][41] Known for his dedication, physical conditioning, and work-rate, Pagliuca also stood out for his ability to avoid injury and longevity throughout his career.[42][43][44]

Career statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League Cup Continental Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Italy League Coppa Italia Europe Total
Sampdoria1986–87Serie A00
1987–8820
1988–89330
1989–90340
1990–91320
1991–92340
1992–93290
1993–94340
Internazionale1994–95Serie A340
1995–96340
1996–97340
1997–98340
1998–99290
Bologna1999–00Serie A320
2000–01340
2001–02340
2002–03340
2003–04340
2004–05380
2005–06Serie B420
Ascoli2006–07Serie A230
CountryItaly 6340
Career total 634[45]0[45]

International

Italy national team
YearAppsGoals
199130
199230
199380
1994130
199530
199600
199730
199860
Total39[2]0[2]

Honours

Club

U.C. Sampdoria[46]
F.C. Internazionale Milano[46]
  • UEFA Cup: 1997–98

International

Italy[47]
  • FIFA World Cup: 3rd place 1990, runner-up 1994

Individual

F.C. Internazionale Milano[48]
  • Pirata d'Oro (Internazionale Player Of The Year): 1995[49]
Bologna F.C.[48]
  • Guerin d'Oro: 2004–05

Orders

5th Class/Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 1991[50]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Gianluca Pagliuca". Yahoo Sports (in Italian). Archived from the original on 27 September 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Gianluca Pagliuca - Presenze e reti in Nazionale". FIGC.it (in Italian). Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
  3. "Buffon miglior portiere degli ultimi 25 anni". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  4. "IFFHS' World's Best Goalkeeper of the Year 1998". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  5. Lodovico Maradei (5 July 1998). "Cosa resta di questa Italia". La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  6. "IFFHS' Century Elections - Europe - Keeper of the Century". The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  7. Rob Bishop (9 May 2014). "Inter Milan goalkeeping legend Pagliuca reveals Villa love". Aston Villa F.C. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  8. Vincenzo Di Schiavi (21 September 2003). "Pagliuca, il numero 1 viaggia in 500". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  9. 1 2 Paolo Tomaselli. "Rigori, riparte la sfida degli infallibili". Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  10. "Handa-Julio, intreccio lungo 11 metri". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 25 April 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  11. Giancarlo Padovan (21 May 1992). "La Samp cade a un passo dalla storia". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). p. 42. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  12. Giancarla Ghisi (27 May 1999). "Inter-Pagliuca, un divorzio con scintille". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). p. 43. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Nicola Cecere (10 July 1999). "Peruzzi para le cattiverie" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  14. "Guerin d'Oro - List of winners". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  15. "Pagliuca sets new Serie A record". BBC SPORT, Football, Europe. 17 September 2006. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  16. Pan Pylas; Anne-Marie Belgrave (6 June 2014). "Italy's Pagliuca becomes first keeper to see red". Yahoo! News. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2015.
  17. Giancarlo Padovan; Luca Valdiserri (18 July 1994). "E Baggio sbaglia il tiro della sua vita". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). p. 3. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  18. "Olympic Football Tournaments Atlanta 1996 - Men". FIFA. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  19. Fabio Monti (29 June 1998). "Pagliuca è pronto a parare la Francia". Corriere della Sera. p. 39. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  20. "L'Italia è fuori, ancora ai rigori". la Repubblica (in Italian). 3 July 1998. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  21. 1 2 3 Giancarlo Padovan; Roberto Perrone (1 September 1995). "Del Piero Pagliuca, i puniti di Casa Italia". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  22. 1 2 3 Giorgio Rondelli. "Vialli Rambo, Tarzan Pagliuca: ecco la nazionale della Forza". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  23. Marco Ansaldo (26 February 1995). "Peruzzi. La mia sfida con Zenga". La Stampa (in Italian). p. 33.
  24. Fabio Monti (2002). "PAGLIUCA, Gianluca". Enciclopedia Treccani. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  25. "Intervista a Luca Marchegiani: "Giocare con i piedi, che trauma!"" (in Italian). Il Numero 1. 4 January 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
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  27. Bruno Bernardi (7 March 1993). "Tacconi: così bravi, così diversi" (in Italian). La Stampa. p. 34. Retrieved 30 October 2017.
  28. "Sarti vota Marchegiani" (in Italian). La Stampa. 26 February 1995. p. 41. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  29. "Un solo segreto averne voglia tutti i santi giorni" (in Italian). La Repubblica. 8 March 2005. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  30. 1 2 "Pagliuca e Zenga, sfida all'ultimo volo". La Stampa. 22 September 1991. p. 27. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  31. "Memories: Gianluca Pagliuca, semplicemente "the Wall"". U.C. Sampdoria. 29 January 2010. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  32. Giancarlo Dotto. "Ho imparato a parare di tutto: palloni e delusioni". Panorama. Retrieved 10 July 2016.
  33. GIANNI MURA (26 February 1993). "UN' ANIMA COMUNE" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  34. Nicola Cecere; Franco Arturi (16 April 1997). "Pagliuca, i sogni dietro la porta". La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  35. ROBERTO PERRONE. "Richiami dal passato: non perdete la bussola" (in Italian). Il Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  36. GIANNI PIVA (28 September 1995). "' IL MIO SETTEMBRE NERO'" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  37. GIANNI PIVA (13 May 1994). "PROCESSO A ZENGA LEADER PERDUTO" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  38. STEFANO ZAINO (23 February 1994). "L' ALTRA SAMP: SERVE LA DIFESA" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  39. Stefano Tacconi (10 October 1995). "Le pagelle di Tacconi" [Tacconi's report cards] (in Italian). La Stampa. p. 29. Retrieved 21 March 2016.
  40. "Portieri, anche i piedi hanno le ali". Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 28 June 1993. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  41. "Pagliuca-show, Roma sempre più giù". La Stampa (in Italian). 18 January 1993. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
  42. Nicola Cecere; Luca Curino; Raffaele Mignano (11 April 1999). "Pagliuca si mette in malattia" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  43. VALENTINA DESALVO (8 March 2005). "Pagliuca, il tramonto può attendere" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
  44. Iacopo Iandiorio (3 September 2005). "Uno su tutti" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  45. 1 2 "Gianluca Pagliuca - Presenze e reti in campionato". LegaSerieA.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  46. 1 2 "Gianluca Pagliuca". Eurosport. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  47. "G. Pagliuca". Soccerway. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  48. 1 2 "Italy - Footballer of the Year". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  49. Inter.it staff, inter(a t)inter.it (17 November 2006). "F.C. Internazionale Milano". Inter.it. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
  50. "Onoreficenze". quirinale.it (in Italian). 30 September 1991. Archived from the original on 20 March 2015. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
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