Gianluca Pagliuca

Gianluca Pagliuca

Personal information
Full name	Gianluca Pagliuca
Date of birth	December 18, 1966 (1966-12-18)
Place of birth	Bologna, Italy
Height	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
1984–1986	Bologna
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1987–1994	Sampdoria	198	(0)
1994–1999	Internazionale	165	(0)
1999–2006	Bologna	248	(0)
2006–2007	Ascoli	23	(0)
Total		634	(0)
National team
1991–1998	Italy	39	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Gianluca Pagliuca (Italian pronunciation: [dʒanˈluka paʎˈʎuka]; born December 18, 1966 in Bologna) is a retired Italian football goalkeeper who is currently working as a commentator for Mediaset Premium.

Club career

In his club career, Pagliuca has played for Sampdoria (1987–94), Internazionale (1994–99), Bologna (1999–2006), and Ascoli (2006–07). He won the Cup Winners' Cup and one Scudetto with Sampdoria and the UEFA Cup with Inter, when he captained the side to a 3–0 win over Lazio in 1998. Pagliuca was also in the Sampdoria's team that lost 1–0 to Barcelona in the 1992 European Cup final at Wembley. He was first choice goalkeeper for Italy at the 1994 and 1998 World Cups.

He became the first goalkeeper to be sent off in a World Cup match, when he was dismissed for handling outside his area against Norway at the 1994 tournament in the USA. However, he returned after suspension to feature from the quarter-finals onwards with his team losing to Brazil.

After the 1994 World Cup, he moved from Sampdoria to Internazionale from a then world record fee for a goalkeeper of £7 million. However, Pagliuca's international career was halted by the emergence of Juventus goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi, and it would be 3 years before he returned to the Italy squad. Pagliuca would have taken part the World Cup that summer only as a back-up but for an arm injury to Peruzzi just prior to the tournament.

He made one of the saves of the tournament, again against Norway, when he shot out a hand to prevent Tore André Flo's point-blank header from netting. Italy lost against host country France in the quarter-final. Once again Pagliuca seemed to fall out of favour with the Italian bosses, and the emergence of Francesco Toldo and Gianluigi Buffon, saw his career with Italy end on 39 caps.

Pagliuca left Inter in 1999, after the former Juventus boss Marcello Lippi took charge of Inter and signed Peruzzi from his former club. Pagliuca signed with his home town club, Bologna. After Bologna relegated to Serie B in 2004/2005, Pagliuca stayed with the club.

On 17 September 2006, Pagliuca set the record for most Serie A appearances for a goalkeeper, overtaking Dino Zoff, as he started against Messina.

Pagliuca accepted a contract with Ascoli in the winter season for 1 year starting in summer of (2006–07).

SportsCenter

Because of his colourful name, former ESPN anchor Keith Olbermann used his name as a creative way of airing someone cursing on camera in the midst of an argument with an official. The phrase began when fellow anchor Gary Miller uttered an obscenity while trying to pronounce Pagliuca's name during a voiceover recording for a segment about the 1994 World Cup. In the 1997 book The Big Show: Inside ESPN's SportsCenter, Olbermann remarked, "We'll spare you which expletive."

Statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Italy			League		Coppa Italia		Europe		Total
1986/87	Sampdoria	Serie A	0	0
1987/88			2	0
1988/89			33	0
1989/90			34	0
1990/91			32	0
1991/92			34	0
1992/93			29	0
1993/94			34	0
1994/95	Internazionale Milano	Serie A	34	0
1995/96			34	0
1996/97			34	0
1997/98			34	0
1998/99			29	0
1999/00	Bologna	Serie A	32	0
2000/01			34	0
2001/02			34	0
2002/03			34	0
2003/04			33	0
2004/05			38	0
2005/06		Serie B	41	0
2006/07	Ascoli	Serie A	23	0
Country	Italy		632	0
Total			632	0

Italy national team
Year	Apps	Goals
1991	3	0
1992	3	0
1993	8	0
1994	13	0
1995	3	0
1996	0	0
1997	3	0
1998	6	0
Total	39	0

Club Playing Honours

U.C. Sampdoria

• Serie A: 1990–91
• Coppa Italia: 1987–88, 1988–89, 1993–94
• Supercoppa Italiana: 1991
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1990

F.C. Internazionale Milano

• UEFA Cup: 1998

International Playing Honours

Italy National Football Team

• FIFA World Cup: 3rd place 1990, runner-up 1994

Personal Honours

F.C. Internazionale Milano

• Guerin d'Oro: 1996–97

Bologna F.C.

• Guerin d'Oro: 2004–05