Giovanni Galli facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Giovanni Galli

Galli in 2011
Personal information
Date of birth	(1958-04-29) 29 April 1958 (age 67)
Place of birth	Pisa, Italy
Height	1.87 m
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Fiorentina
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1977–1986	Fiorentina	259	(0)
1986–1990	Milan	98	(0)
1990–1993	Napoli	98	(0)
1993–1994	Torino	31	(0)
1994–1995	Parma	10	(0)
1995–1996	Lucchese	26	(0)
Total		522	(0)
National team
1976–1982	Italy U21	22	(0)
1983–1986	Italy	19	(0)
Honours Men's football Representing  Italy FIFA World Cup Winner 1982 Spain
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Giovanni Galli (born 29 April 1958) is a famous Italian former professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper for nearly two decades. After his football career, he also became a politician.

Galli played in almost 500 games in Serie A, which is Italy's top football league. He spent many seasons with Fiorentina and Milan. With Milan, he won six major titles, including the European Cup. He also played for the Italian national team in two World Cups and the 1980 European Championship. He was part of the team that won the 1982 FIFA World Cup and was Italy's main goalkeeper in the 1986 FIFA World Cup.

Playing Career: Giovanni Galli's Club Journey

Giovanni Galli was born in Pisa, Italy. He started playing football as a midfielder in his hometown's youth team. Later, he changed his position to become a goalkeeper.

Early Years at Fiorentina

Galli began his professional career with ACF Fiorentina in 1977. He played for this club for nine seasons in Serie A. During his time there, he became known as a very talented goalkeeper.

Success with AC Milan

In 1986, Galli joined A.C. Milan, another big team in the league. For three of his four years at Milan, he was the first-choice goalkeeper. He became one of Italy's best goalkeepers during this time.

With Milan, he won the Serie A title and the Italian Supercup in his first season. He was also the starting goalkeeper when Milan won the European Cup two times in a row, in 1989 and 1990. They also won the European Supercups in 1989 and 1990, and the Intercontinental Cup in 1989.

Later Clubs and Retirement

In 1990, Galli left Milan and played for S.S.C. Napoli. He played about 33 league games each season for three years. With Napoli, he won the Italian Supercup by beating Juventus 5–1.

In 1993, he played for Torino Calcio for one season. He helped them reach the semi-finals of the Italian Cup. He then moved to AC Parma in 1994, where he was a backup goalkeeper. Parma won the UEFA Cup that season. Galli retired from football in 1996 at the age of 38, after a short time with A.S. Lucchese-Libertas in Serie B.

International Career: Playing for Italy

Giovanni Galli also had a successful career playing for the Italian national team.

World Cup and European Championship Appearances

Galli was part of Italy's team that won the 1982 FIFA World Cup. However, he did not play in any matches, as he was a backup goalkeeper to the legendary Dino Zoff. He was also a backup in the UEFA Euro 1980 tournament, where Italy finished fourth.

He made his debut for the national team in a friendly match against Greece on 5 October 1983. Italy won that game 3–0.

Starting Goalkeeper in 1986 World Cup

Galli was the starting goalkeeper for Italy in the 1986 FIFA World Cup in Mexico. Italy was knocked out in the round of 16 by France. During the tournament, in a 1–1 draw against Argentina, Galli received some criticism for a goal scored by Diego Maradona. After this World Cup, he was no longer called up to play for Italy. In total, he played 19 matches for the Italian national team.

Playing Style: Giovanni Galli's Goalkeeping Skills

Giovanni Galli was considered one of the best goalkeepers in Italy and the world during his best years. He was known for being very consistent, calm, and reliable.

He had excellent basic goalkeeping skills. He was especially good at his positional sense, meaning he knew exactly where to be on the field. He was also great at handling the ball. His style was efficient rather than flashy. He was a calm person both on and off the field.

Even though he was quiet, he was a strong leader. He was good at talking to his defenders and organizing them, which made his teammates feel confident. He was also quick to rush out of his goal to stop opponents or catch crosses, which helped his team play with a high defensive line. He was also good at passing the ball from the back, showing good vision and ball skills.

Life After Football: Giovanni Galli's New Paths

After retiring from playing football, Giovanni Galli explored new careers.

Football Management and Punditry

In December 2007, Galli became the director of football for Hellas Verona F.C.. He stayed in this role for only two months. He also worked as a football pundit, sharing his opinions and analysis about games on TV or in newspapers.

Career in Politics

Giovanni Galli also decided to enter politics. In 2009, he ran for mayor of Florence, a major city in Italy. He was supported by several political parties. In the first round of the election, he came in second place. However, he was defeated in the second round by Matteo Renzi.

Personal Life

Giovanni Galli is married to Anna. They have two daughters, Camilla and Carolina. He also had a son named Niccolò Galli, who was a promising young footballer. Sadly, Niccolò passed away in a road accident in 2001 when he was 17 years old.

Honours and Achievements

Giovanni Galli won many important titles during his football career.

With Milan

• Italian Supercup: 1988
• European Cup: 1988–89, 1989–90
• UEFA Super Cup: 1989
• Intercontinental Cup: 1989
• Serie A: 1987–88

With Napoli

• Italian Supercup: 1990

With Parma

• UEFA Cup: 1994–95

With Italy

• FIFA World Cup: 1982

Individual Awards

• A.C. Milan Hall of Fame
• Fiorentina Hall of Fame

See also

In Spanish: Giovanni Galli para niños