Luca Marchegiani facts for kids
Marchegiani in 2003
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luca Marchegiani | ||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 22 February 1966 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ancona, Italy | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||
| Jesi | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||
| 1984–1987 | Jesi | 33 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1985–1986 | → Aurora Latini (loan) | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | Brescia | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1988–1993 | Torino | 146 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1993–2003 | Lazio | 243 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 2003–2005 | Chievo | 66 | (0) | ||||||||||
| Total | 489 | (0) | |||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||
| 1992–1996 | Italy | 9 | (0) | ||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||
Luca Marchegiani was born on February 22, 1966. He is a former Italian professional football player who was a goalkeeper.
He played for several Italian clubs during his career. His most notable times were with Torino and Lazio, where he won many important titles. Luca also played for the Italian national team in the 1994 FIFA World Cup. Italy reached the final of that tournament.
Luca Marchegiani holds a special record for Lazio. He went the longest time without letting a goal in for the club. He also shares the eighth-highest record in Serie A (Italy's top football league) for not letting in a goal for 745 minutes straight!
Contents
Luca's Club Journey
Luca Marchegiani started his professional football career in 1986 with Jesi. He then played for Brescia for one season. Most of his career was spent with Torino FC and SS Lazio.
Playing for Torino
From 1988 to 1993, Luca played for Torino. With them, he won the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) in 1993. He also helped Torino win the Serie B title (second division) and the Mitropa Cup in 1991. Winning the Serie B title meant his team was promoted to Serie A, the top league. During his time at Torino, they also finished second in the 1993 Supercoppa Italiana and the 1991–92 UEFA Cup. They even came in third place in Serie A during the 1991–92 season.
Moving to Lazio
In 1993, Luca Marchegiani joined Lazio from Torino. At that time, he became the most expensive goalkeeper in the world! He was considered one of the best and most reliable goalkeepers in Italy and globally.
During his ten years with Lazio, he achieved great success. He won the Serie A title, which is the top Italian league. He also won two Italian Cups and two Italian Supercups. On the European stage, he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the UEFA Super Cup. Lazio also reached another UEFA Cup Final in 1998.
After his successful time at Lazio, Luca moved to ChievoVerona in 2003. He played there until he retired from football in 2005.
Luca's International Career
Luca Marchegiani played for the Italy national football team 9 times between 1991 and 1996. He was first chosen by coach Arrigo Sacchi to be the main goalkeeper after Walter Zenga.
1994 FIFA World Cup
Luca was part of the Italian squad for the 1994 FIFA World Cup. He was the second-choice goalkeeper behind Gianluca Pagliuca. However, he still got to play in three matches.
His first game was against Norway. He came on as a substitute after Pagliuca was sent off (given a red card). Luca helped the Italian team, who were playing with only 10 players, to keep a clean sheet (not let in any goals) and win the match 1–0. He also played in the final group match against Mexico, which ended in a 1–1 draw. His third game was a 2–1 extra-time victory over Nigeria in the round of 16.
Even though Luca played very well, Pagliuca returned as the starting goalkeeper after his suspension. Italy went all the way to the final, where they lost to Brazil in a penalty shootout.
How Luca Played
Luca Marchegiani was known as a very consistent, smart, and calm goalkeeper. Many people consider him one of the best goalkeepers of his time.
He was especially good because of his:
- Agility: How quickly he could move.
- Positioning: Being in the right place at the right time.
- Reactions: How fast he could react to shots.
- Speed: How quickly he could rush out of his goal area.
- Handling: His ability to catch and control the ball.
Luca was also excellent at coming out to catch crosses and high balls. He was known for his professionalism and dedication to the game. Even though he was a quiet person, he was a strong goalkeeper who made his defenders feel confident.
He was also very good at stopping penalties. In his Serie A career, he saved 18 penalties out of 69 attempts. This is the fourth-highest number of penalties saved in Serie A history! In the 2003–04 season, he saved five penalties in one season.
Because he was so calm and composed, he was nicknamed Il Conte, which means "The Count" in Italian.
After Football
After retiring from playing, Luca Marchegiani became a football expert and commentator for Sky Italia. He also works as a technical commentator for the Pro Evolution Soccer video game series. He has been a commentator for the game since the 2012 edition.
Family Life
Luca Marchegiani's son, Gabriele Marchegiani, also became a goalkeeper. He made his professional debut in 2016.
Luca's Trophies
Luca Marchegiani won many important trophies during his career.
With Torino
- Serie B: 1990–91
- Coppa Italia: 1992–93
- Mitropa Cup: 1991
With Lazio
- Serie A: 1999–2000
- Coppa Italia: 1997–98, 1999–2000
- Supercoppa Italiana: 1998, 2000
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1998–99
- UEFA Super Cup: 1999
See also
In Spanish: Luca Marchegiani para niños
