Paulo Gazzaniga facts for kids
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Gazzaniga playing for Southampton in 2015
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 January 1992 | ||
| Place of birth | Murphy, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.96 m | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Girona | ||
| Number | 13 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Unión y Cultura | |||
| 2007–2011 | Valencia | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2011–2012 | Gillingham | 20 | (0) |
| 2012–2017 | Southampton | 21 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | → Rayo Vallecano (loan) | 32 | (0) |
| 2017–2021 | Tottenham Hotspur | 22 | (0) |
| 2021 | → Elche (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2021–2023 | Fulham | 13 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | → Girona (loan) | 28 | (0) |
| 2023– | Girona | 58 | (0) |
| National team | |||
| 2018 | Argentina | 1 | (0) |
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Paulo Dino Gazzaniga Farías (born on January 2, 1992) is a professional football player from Argentina. He plays as a goalkeeper for the La Liga club Girona.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Paulo Gazzaniga was born in a small town called Murphy, Santa Fe in Argentina. Interestingly, his future football manager, Mauricio Pochettino, was also born in the same town!
Paulo comes from a family of footballers. His father, Daniel Gazzaniga, was a player, and his brother, Gianfranco, is also a goalkeeper. Paulo went to the only public school and a secondary college in Murphy. He started playing football as a goalkeeper for his local team, Centro Recreativo Unión y Cultura.
Club Career Highlights
Starting Out in Spain and England
In 2007, when Paulo was 15, he moved to Spain with his brother and father. He joined the youth team of the Spanish club Valencia. Even though he trained with them, he didn't get to play for their main team. He left Valencia in May 2011.
In July 2011, Paulo signed a two-year contract with League Two club Gillingham in England. He was recommended to the manager by a scout who had seen him play. Paulo made his first professional appearance for Gillingham on October 4, 2011, in a cup match.
Playing for Southampton
On July 20, 2012, Paulo Gazzaniga joined Premier League team Southampton. This was a big step up for him, and he called it "a dream." He made his first appearance for Southampton on August 28, 2012, in a League Cup game. A month later, he played his first league match for them.
At Southampton, Paulo was often a backup goalkeeper for other experienced players. He signed a new four-year deal with the club in September 2015. In July 2016, he went on loan to Segunda División club Rayo Vallecano in Spain for a season to get more playing time.
Time at Tottenham Hotspur
On August 23, 2017, Paulo moved to another Premier League club, Tottenham Hotspur. Here, he reunited with his former manager from Southampton, Mauricio Pochettino. Paulo made his Premier League debut for Tottenham on November 5, 2017, and his manager praised his performance.
During the 2018–19 season, Paulo became the second-choice goalkeeper for Tottenham. He played in several important matches when the main goalkeeper, Hugo Lloris, was unavailable. This good form even led to him being called up to the Argentina national team.
In the 2019–20 season, Paulo got to play even more. When Hugo Lloris got an elbow injury, Paulo became the main goalkeeper for Tottenham for a while. On February 1, 2021, he went on loan to Spanish club Elche for the rest of the season. His contract with Tottenham ended in May 2021.
Moving to Fulham and Girona
On July 24, 2021, Paulo joined EFL Championship club Fulham on a two-year contract. He was a backup goalkeeper there. He left Fulham at the end of the 2022–23 season.
On September 1, 2022, Paulo joined Girona in Spain on loan. He played well, and on June 6, 2023, he signed a permanent two-year contract with the club. In February 2024, he extended his contract until 2027.
In the 2023–24 season, Paulo played in all 38 La Liga matches. He kept 12 clean sheets (meaning the other team didn't score any goals when he was playing). His excellent performance helped Girona finish third in the league, which meant they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time ever!
On September 18, 2024, during Girona's first-ever European match, he unfortunately conceded an own goal in the last minute against Paris Saint-Germain. However, just a few weeks later, on October 6, he showed his skill by saving three penalty kicks in a 2–1 win against Athletic Bilbao.
International Career
Paulo Gazzaniga made his first appearance for the Argentina national team on November 20, 2018. He came on as a substitute in a friendly match against Mexico. He helped his team keep a clean sheet in their 2–0 victory.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Gillingham | 2011–12 | League Two | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | 22 | 0 | |
| Southampton | 2012–13 | Premier League | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 8 | 0 | |||
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 23 | 0 | ||||
| Rayo Vallecano (loan) | 2016–17 | Segunda División | 32 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 34 | 0 | |||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2017–18 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | 25 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 22 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — | 37 | 0 | |||
| Elche (loan) | 2020–21 | La Liga | 8 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Fulham | 2021–22 | Championship | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 0 | ||
| Girona (loan) | 2022–23 | La Liga | 28 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 28 | 0 | ||||
| Girona | 2023–24 | La Liga | 38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 38 | 0 | |||
| 2024–25 | La Liga | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | — | 27 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 86 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | — | 93 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 191 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 221 | 0 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 | |
Awards and Achievements
Paulo Gazzaniga has won some cool awards and helped his teams achieve great things:
Southampton
- U21 Premier League Cup: 2014–15 (This is a cup for younger players)
Tottenham Hotspur
- UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2018–19 (His team reached the final of a very important European competition)
Fulham
- EFL Championship: 2021–22 (His team won this league)
Individual
- Gillingham Young Player of the Season: 2011–12 (He was recognized as the best young player at Gillingham)
See also
In Spanish: Paulo Gazzaniga para niños
