Morgan De Sanctis facts for kids
De Sanctis pictured in 2012
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Morgan De Sanctis | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 26 March 1977 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Guardiagrele, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| Pescara | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1994–1997 | Pescara | 74 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1997–1999 | Juventus | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2007 | Udinese | 194 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Sevilla | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | → Galatasaray (loan) | 31 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2013 | Napoli | 147 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | Roma | 71 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Monaco | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 529 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Italy U18 | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | Italy U21 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2012 | Italy | 6 | (0) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Morgan De Sanctis (born on March 26, 1977) is a former Italian professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper for many years.
De Sanctis played for several Italian clubs during his career. He started with Pescara, and later joined famous teams like Juventus, Udinese, Napoli, and Roma. He also played in Spain for Sevilla and in Turkey for Galatasaray. He finished his playing career in France with Monaco in 2017.
He also represented the Italian national team. He was part of the squads for big tournaments like the 2000 Summer Olympics, UEFA Euro 2008, the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and UEFA Euro 2012.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Italy
Morgan De Sanctis began his professional career with Pescara in Serie B, a second-tier Italian league. After three years there, he moved to Serie A giants Juventus in 1997. He was a reserve player at Juventus, playing only a few matches over two seasons.
In 1999, he joined Udinese. After three seasons as a backup, he became the main goalkeeper for Udinese in the 2002–03 season. He played in all six group stage matches of the 2005–06 UEFA Champions League. He also reached the round of 16 in the 2005–06 UEFA Cup.
Moving to Spain and Turkey
In 2007, De Sanctis signed a four-year contract with Sevilla FC in Spain. He played for Sevilla for one season.
For the 2008–09 season, he was loaned to Galatasaray in Turkey. He played in all their league and European matches during that season.
Success with Napoli and Roma
On July 24, 2009, De Sanctis returned to Italy, signing a four-year deal with Napoli. He became a key player for the team.
In 2013, he moved to Roma on a two-year deal. He helped Roma have a fantastic start to the Serie A season. He kept nine clean sheets in the first ten games, meaning he didn't let in any goals in those matches. He only conceded one goal during that time. During the 2013–14 season, he went 745 minutes without letting in a goal. This is one of the longest unbeaten streaks for a goalkeeper in Italian top-flight football.
Final Season with Monaco
On July 13, 2016, De Sanctis joined Monaco in France for one year. He made his debut in a Champions League qualifying match. He mostly served as the team's second goalkeeper.
On December 6, 2016, he played in a Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen. This made him the first Italian player to play in the Champions League with five different clubs. Monaco reached the semi-finals of the tournament that season. Monaco also won the Ligue 1 title that year. After his contract ended on July 31, 2017, he announced his retirement from professional football.
International Career
Morgan De Sanctis played for the Italy under-21 team seven times between 1999 and 2000. He won the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Championship with the team. He was also part of the Italian squad for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
He was often a backup goalkeeper for the senior Italian national team because Gianluigi Buffon was usually the first choice. De Sanctis made his senior international debut for Italy on March 30, 2005, in a friendly match against Iceland.
He was part of the Italian squads for UEFA Euro 2008, the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, and the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Even when Buffon was injured in the 2010 World Cup, De Sanctis did not play.
He returned to the squad for UEFA Euro 2012 as Buffon's backup, and Italy reached the final of the tournament. His last match for Italy was on October 16, 2012. On his 36th birthday, March 26, 2013, he announced his retirement from international football. In total, he played 6 matches for Italy.
Goalkeeping Style
Morgan De Sanctis was known as a reliable and strong goalkeeper. He was a leader on the field and often spoke to his teammates. He was especially good at stopping shots, positioning himself well, and handling the ball. He was also quick when he needed to rush out from his goal. Many people consider him one of the best Italian goalkeepers of his time. He was also skilled at saving penalty kicks.
After Playing Football
After retiring as a player, Morgan De Sanctis continued to work in football. In August 2017, he became a team manager for his former club, Roma.
He also studied to become a coach and received his coaching license in December 2017. This allowed him to coach youth teams and work as an assistant manager. In December 2018, he also earned a degree to become a sporting director.
He worked as a deputy sporting director at Roma for a while. In June 2022, he was appointed sporting director for Salernitana, another Serie A club. He left Salernitana in December 2023.
On June 7, 2024, De Sanctis became the new sporting director for Palermo, a club in Serie B. However, he was dismissed from this role on January 3, 2025, due to the team's performance.
Personal Life
On January 5, 2021, Morgan De Sanctis was involved in a car accident in Rome. He needed an operation to recover from his injuries.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | National cup | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Pescara | 1994–95 | Serie B | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 30 | 0 | ||
| 1995–96 | Serie B | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 20 | 0 | |||
| 1996–97 | Serie B | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 0 | |||
| Total | 74 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 79 | 0 | ||||
| Juventus | 1997–98 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998–99 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Udinese | 1999–2000 | Serie A | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 10 | 0 | |
| 2000–01 | Serie A | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | – | 5 | 0 | |||
| 2001–02 | Serie A | 10 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 14 | 0 | |||
| 2002–03 | Serie A | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 0 | |||
| 2003–04 | Serie A | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 36 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | Serie A | 36 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 42 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Serie A | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | – | 50 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | Serie A | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 39 | 0 | |||
| Total | 194 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 18 | 0 | – | 230 | 0 | |||
| Sevilla | 2007–08 | La Liga | 8 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Galatasaray | 2008–09 | Süper Lig | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
| Napoli | 2009–10 | Serie A | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 39 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Serie A | 38 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | – | 49 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Serie A | 37 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | – | 49 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Serie A | 34 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| Total | 147 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 175 | 0 | ||
| Roma | 2013–14 | Serie A | 36 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 39 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Serie A | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 39 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 71 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | 79 | 0 | |||
| Monaco | 2016–17 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | 8 | 0 | |
| Career total | 529 | 0 | 42 | 0 | 56 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 632 | 0 | ||
International Appearances
| Italy | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2005 | 2 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 |
| 2011 | 1 | 0 |
| 2012 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 6 | 0 |
Honours and Awards
Club Trophies
Juventus
- Serie A: 1997–98
- Supercoppa Italiana: 1997
Udinese
- UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2000
Galatasaray
- Turkish Super Cup: 2008
Napoli
- Coppa Italia: 2011–12
Monaco
- Ligue 1: 2016–17
International Achievements
Italy
- UEFA European Championship: Runner-up in 2012
Individual Awards
- Pallone d'Argento: 2009–10
See also
In Spanish: Morgan De Sanctis para niños
