Gianluca Pagliuca facts for kids
Pagliuca with Sampdoria in 1989
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Gianluca Pagliuca | ||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 18 December 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Bologna, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1984–1986 | Bologna | ||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1994 | Sampdoria | 198 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1999 | Inter Milan | 165 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2006 | Bologna | 248 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Ascoli | 23 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 634 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||
| 1989 . | Italy U21 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Italy Olympic (O.P.) | 3 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 1991–1998 | Italy | 39 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||
Gianluca Pagliuca (born 18 December 1966) is an Italian football coach and a former professional goalkeeper. He is known as one of the best goalkeepers of his time.
Gianluca played for several top Italian clubs like Sampdoria, Inter, Bologna, and Ascoli. He won many awards with his teams. He also played for the Italian national team in three FIFA World Cups (1990, 1994, and 1998). He was the main goalkeeper when Italy reached the 1994 World Cup final.
He holds records in Serie A, Italy's top football league. He is the player with the fifth most appearances (592 games) and the second best at saving penalty kicks (24 saves).
Contents
Club Career Highlights
Gianluca Pagliuca was born in Bologna, Italy. He started his club career playing for Sampdoria from 1987 to 1994. With Sampdoria, he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the Serie A title, which is called the Scudetto in Italy. He also helped Sampdoria reach the UEFA Champions League final in 1992, where they lost to Barcelona. Even though they lost, Gianluca played very well in that game.
In 1994, he moved to Internazionale, also known as Inter, for a record fee for a goalkeeper at that time. With Inter, he played in two UEFA Cup finals. They lost the first one in 1997 but won the second in 1998. Gianluca was the team captain when they won the 1998 UEFA Cup. He left Inter in 1999 to join his hometown club, Bologna.
After Bologna was moved down to Serie B (a lower league) in 2005, Gianluca stayed with the team for another year. He then returned to Serie A, playing for Ascoli in 2006. On 17 September 2006, he broke the record for the most Serie A appearances by a goalkeeper, playing more games than the famous Dino Zoff. Gianluca Pagliuca retired from playing football at the end of that season.
International Career with Italy
Gianluca Pagliuca was part of the Italian national team for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, but he did not play any games. For the 1994 FIFA World Cup, he became Italy's first-choice goalkeeper. In that tournament, he became the first goalkeeper ever to be sent off (given a red card) in a World Cup match. This happened when he touched the ball outside his penalty area in a game against Norway.
After his suspension, he returned to play from the quarter-finals onwards. Italy reached the final but lost to Brazil in a penalty shootout. Even though Italy lost, Gianluca made history by being the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in a World Cup final shootout.
In 1995, another great goalkeeper, Angelo Peruzzi, became Italy's main choice, which paused Gianluca's international career. However, he did play for Italy's under-21 team in the 1996 Olympics as an older player. He returned to the senior national team for the 1998 FIFA World Cup because Peruzzi got injured. Gianluca made an amazing save against Norway in that tournament. Italy was later knocked out by host country France in a penalty shootout.
After the 1998 World Cup, other talented goalkeepers like Francesco Toldo and Gianluigi Buffon emerged. This, along with Peruzzi's recovery, brought an end to Gianluca Pagliuca's international career, where he had played 39 games for Italy.
Life After Playing Football
After retiring as a player, Gianluca Pagliuca became a football coach. In 2014, he returned to his hometown club, Bologna, to coach their youth teams. Since 2016, he has been the goalkeeping coach for Bologna's under-19 team. He also often gives interviews and shares his thoughts on football with sports media.
Playing Style
Gianluca Pagliuca was known as an agile, consistent, and athletic goalkeeper. He was famous for his quick reactions, amazing diving saves, and his skill at stopping penalty kicks. He was also good at controlling the ball, passing it accurately, and making long kicks with his left foot. He was nicknamed The Wall because of his strong goalkeeping skills.
He was also known for his dedication and how fit he stayed throughout his long career. Under some of his coaches, he played as a "sweeper-keeper." This means he would sometimes come out of his goal area to help his team's defense, acting almost like an extra defender.
Personal Life
Gianluca Pagliuca was born in Bologna, Italy, and he supports his local team, Bologna FC 1909. He played 248 games for Bologna between 1999 and 2006. He has also said that he supports the English Premier League club Aston Villa F.C..
His son, Mattia Pagliuca, is also a professional footballer. Mattia made his debut in Italy's top league, Serie A, in December 2020, playing as a winger for Bologna.
Honours
Club Trophies
Sampdoria
- Serie A: 1990–91
- Coppa Italia: 1987–88, 1988–89, 1993–94
- Supercoppa Italiana: 1991
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1989–90
Inter
- UEFA Cup: 1997–98
International Trophies
Italy
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1994
- FIFA World Cup third place: 1990
Individual Awards
- Pirata d'Oro (Internazionale Player Of The Year): 1995
- Guerin d'Oro: 1996–97, 2004–05
- Inter Milan Hall of Fame: 2021
See also
In Spanish: Gianluca Pagliuca para niños
