Carlo Cudicini facts for kids
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Cudicini in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 6 September 1973 | ||
| Place of birth | Milan, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.85 m | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Chelsea (loan player technical coach) | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1992–1995 | AC Milan | 0 | (0) |
| 1993–1994 | → Como (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 1995–1996 | Prato | 30 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | Lazio | 1 | (0) |
| 1997–2000 | Castel di Sangro | 46 | (0) |
| 1999–2000 | → Chelsea (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 2000–2009 | Chelsea | 141 | (0) |
| 2009–2012 | Tottenham Hotspur | 19 | (0) |
| 2013 | LA Galaxy | 21 | (0) |
| Total | 265 | (0) | |
| National team | |||
| 1990–1992 | Italy U18 | 20 | (0) |
| 1992–1993 | Italy U21 | 1 | (0) |
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Carlo Cudicini (born 6 September 1973) is a former Italian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is best known for his time playing for Chelsea. Carlo comes from a family of footballers; his father, Fabio Cudicini, was also a famous goalkeeper for AC Milan, and his grandfather, Guglielmo Cudicini, was a defender. Today, Carlo works as a club ambassador and helps coach players on loan at Chelsea.
Carlo started his football journey at Serie A club AC Milan in 1992. However, it was tough for him to get into the main team. He was loaned to Como and then played for smaller clubs like Prato and Lazio. After a short time at Castel di Sangro, he moved to the Premier League to join Chelsea in 1999, first on loan.
At Chelsea, Carlo quickly became the top goalkeeper. Fans even voted him Chelsea's Player of the Year for the 2001–02 season. He was the first-choice goalkeeper until Petr Čech joined the team in 2004. Carlo left Chelsea in 2009, having played 141 league games for the club. He then joined Tottenham Hotspur, where he mostly played as a backup. In 2013, Carlo moved to the United States to play for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, which was his last club before retiring.
Carlo played 20 times for the Italy under-18 team and once for the under-21 team. However, he never played for the senior Italian national team. In 2003, there was an idea for him to play for the England national team, but the rules meant he wasn't allowed to.
Contents
Early Football Days
Carlo Cudicini began his professional career at AC Milan between 1992 and 1995. During this time, he played only two games in the Champions League and one in the Italian Cup. He didn't play any league games for Milan. He was even on the bench for the 1993 Champions League final.
He was loaned to Como for a season in 1993–94. After that, he moved to Prato in 1995. In 1996, he joined Lazio, where he had a bad wrist injury and only played one senior game. He then moved to Castel di Sangro in 1997, but his injury problems continued. Luckily, his friend, Lazio goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani, told Chelsea manager Gianluca Vialli about him. Chelsea bought Carlo for £300,000 in 1999.
Playing for Clubs
Chelsea Years
Becoming Chelsea's Top Goalkeeper (1999–2004)
Carlo Cudicini made his first appearance for Chelsea against Skonto Riga in a Champions League qualifying game. In his first season, he played only three games in total. However, he was on the bench when Chelsea won the 2000 FA Cup final. The next season, 2000–01, he started playing more often. He shared the goalkeeper spot with Ed de Goey.
In the 2001–02 season, Carlo played even better. Fans voted him Chelsea's Player of the Year because he was so important to the team. In December 2001, he famously saved two penalties in just seven days. He stopped shots from Sunderland's Kevin Phillips and Liverpool's Gary McAllister.
Carlo was seen as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League in the 2002–03 season. He won the ITV Premiership Goalkeeper of the Season award. He also saved a penalty from Arsenal's Thierry Henry in an FA Cup game.
The 2003–04 season started well for Carlo. But his old injury problems came back, and he missed many games. This showed how important he was, as Chelsea struggled without him. He also saved a penalty from Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy.
New Challenges and Backup Role (2004–2009)
In the 2004–05 season, a new manager, José Mourinho, arrived. Chelsea also signed Petr Čech, another great goalkeeper. Čech quickly became the first-choice goalkeeper, and Carlo became the backup. This meant he only played three league games that season, so he didn't get a Premier League winner's medal. However, he played in most of Chelsea's FA Cup and League Cup games. He missed the 2005 Football League Cup final because he was suspended.
In the 2005–06 season, Carlo was still Čech's backup. He played only four league games as Chelsea won the Premier League again. By this time, Carlo had saved 6 out of 12 penalties he faced for Chelsea, showing he was excellent at stopping them.
There were rumors that Carlo might leave Chelsea in 2006–07. But he said he was happy at the club and signed a new contract until 2009. On 14 October 2006, in a game against Reading, Čech got a serious head injury. Carlo came on as a substitute but was also knocked out. Luckily, he recovered fully. When Čech was out, Carlo and Henrique Hilário took turns in goal. Carlo eventually became the main goalkeeper again for a while. However, Čech returned later in the season and took back his spot. Carlo was on the bench when Chelsea won the 2007 FA Cup final.
In the 2007–08 season, Carlo was still the second-choice goalkeeper. But Čech had more injuries, so Carlo played 19 games in total. He kept many clean sheets, meaning the other team didn't score. He also made his 200th appearance for Chelsea on 1 December 2007. Carlo was a substitute when Chelsea lost the 2008 Football League Cup final and the 2008 UEFA Champions League final.
In the 2008–09 season, Carlo played his 100th clean sheet game for Chelsea in a 5–0 win against Middlesbrough. His last game for Chelsea was an FA Cup match against Southend United.
Time at Tottenham Hotspur
Joining Tottenham (2009)
On 26 January 2009, Carlo Cudicini joined Tottenham Hotspur for free. Chelsea let him go because he had served the club so well. He played his first game for Spurs on 27 January 2009 against Stoke City, which they won 3–1. After Tottenham lost the League Cup final, Carlo's playing time became limited.
Motorcycle Accident and Recovery (2009–2010)
On 12 November 2009, Carlo was in a serious motorcycle accident in London. He broke both his wrists and hurt his pelvis. This was a very difficult time for him. By late February, he started training with a ball again. In May, he signed a new one-year contract with Spurs. On 10 July, he played his first game since the accident, a friendly match.
Return to Play (2010–2013)
On 25 August 2010, Carlo played his first official game for Tottenham in almost a year. He came on as a substitute in a Champions League game. He continued to play some games, including a match against his old club Chelsea.
In the 2011–12 season, Tottenham signed Brad Friedel, so Carlo became the backup goalkeeper again. He mainly played in Tottenham's Europa League games. He also played in the 2012 FA Cup semi-final against his former club Chelsea.
In the 2012–13 season, Carlo was still the second-choice goalkeeper. But then Hugo Lloris joined the team, and Carlo became the third choice. His last game for Tottenham was a League Cup match against Carlisle United on 26 September 2012.
Playing in America: LA Galaxy
On 31 December 2012, Carlo Cudicini moved to the LA Galaxy in Major League Soccer (MLS) in the United States. He played his first game in a 4–0 win against Chicago Fire. Carlo played for the Galaxy for one season and was released on 26 January 2014.
International Football
Carlo Cudicini played for Italy's under-18 and under-21 teams. He played 20 games for the under-18 team and one game for the under-21 team. However, he never played for the senior Italian national team. In 2002, he was called up for a friendly game against Turkey, but he didn't play.
There was a discussion about whether he could play for the England national team in 2003. But the rules stated that a player needed to have held a British passport when they played for their home country's youth teams. Since Carlo played for Italy's youth teams, he wasn't allowed to play for England.
How He Played
Carlo Cudicini was known as a big, quick, and athletic goalkeeper. In his best years, he was considered one of the top goalkeepers in the Premier League and even the world. Many people think he is one of Chelsea's best-ever goalkeepers. Even though he was talented when he was young, he became famous later in his career, in his late 20s.
Carlo wasn't the tallest goalkeeper, but he was excellent at stopping shots. He was known for being smart about where to stand, calm under pressure, and very quick with his reactions. These skills made him especially good at saving penalties.
Coaching Career
After retiring from playing, Carlo Cudicini started a coaching career. In March 2015, he joined the Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team as their goalkeeping coach.
In July 2016, Carlo returned to Chelsea. He became a club ambassador and helped the new head coach, Antonio Conte. He continued this role under Maurizio Sarri in the 2018–19 season. In August 2019, Carlo was given a new role at Chelsea. He became the technical coach for players who were on loan to other clubs. In December 2022, Carlo earned his UEFA Pro License, which is a high coaching qualification.
Honours
AC Milan
- Serie A: 1992–93
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 1992–93
Chelsea
- FA Cup: 1999–2000, 2006–07
- League Cup: 2004–05, 2006–07; runner-up: 2007–08
- FA Charity Shield/FA Community Shield: 2000, 2005
Individual
- Chelsea Player of the Year: 2001–02
Images for kids
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Cudicini warming up with Chelsea in 2008
