Marco Ballotta
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | April 3, 1964 | ||
| Place of birth | Casalecchio di Reno, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 111⁄2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper (retired) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1981–1982 | Bologna | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1982–1984 | San Lazzaro | 22 | (0) |
| 1984–1990 | Modena | 188 | (0) |
| 1991 | Cesena | 5 | (0) |
| 1991–1994 | Parma | 33 | (0) |
| 1994–1995 | Brescia | 32 | (0) |
| 1995–1997 | Reggiana | 72 | (0) |
| 1997–2000 | Lazio | 13 | (0) |
| 2000–2001 | Internazionale | 7 | (0) |
| 2001–2004 | Modena | 88 | (0) |
| 2004–2005 | Treviso | 37 | (0) |
| 2005–2008 | Lazio | 49 | (0) |
| Total | 546 | (0) | |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of August 1, 2008. † Appearances (Goals). |
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Marco Ballotta (born 3 April 1964 in Casalecchio di Reno, Emilia Romagna) is a former Italian footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He holds the distinction of being the oldest player ever to appear both the Serie A and the Champions League.
His club career spanned a quarter of a century, but Ballotta was never capped for the Italian national team.
Contents |
[edit] Career
[edit] The first years (1983-94)
Ballotta cut his footballing teeth with Bologna F.C.'s youth side before starting his professional career in 1983 with hometown club Boca San Lazzaro. He made 22 starts over two seasons before moving to Modena, where he remained for the next six years. In January 1991, he transferred to his first Serie A club Cesena, but only stayed for six months before he was purchased by Parma from relegated Cesena.
Ballotta was in top form during the 1992-93 campaign, as Parma won the Cup Winners' Cup[1] and finished third in Serie A. However, his momentum did not carry over into the next season and he only made three league appearances. He did start both legs in Parma's 2-1 aggregate win over Milan in the European Super Cup,[2] but was benched in favor of Luca Bucci for the 1994 Cup Winners' Cup.[3]
[edit] Rise to succes (1994-05)
Ballotta signed with Brescia the following season, who were relegated in his lone stint. Ballotta spent the next campaign in Serie B with Reggiana, with whom he returned to the first division in 1996. However, Reggiana's stay in Italy's top flight was also brief, and Ballotta left for Lazio for the 1997-98 season, initially as the club's third-choice.
After three seasons with the Biancocelesti, he enjoyed a brief stint with Internazionale in 2000-01, during which he rejoined Modena on loan during the season to help the club gain promotion to Serie A, and signed with them permanently in 2002, where he remained until Modena were relegated to Serie B in after 2003-04, with Ballotta spending 2004-05 with second-division Treviso F.B.C. 1993. Despite their fifth-place finish in the cadetti race, Treviso were promoted in place of Genoa C.F.C., after the latter were demoted to Serie C1 following a match-fixing scandal, and Ballotta was once again back in Serie A, rejoining Lazio, replacing Fabrizio Casazza as 3rd goalkeeper.
[edit] Winning records and retirement (2005-08)
He made eight starts during the 2005-06 season, as an injury replacement for both Angelo Peruzzi and Matteo Sereni. On October 23, 2005, Ballotta set the record as the oldest player to have played in the first division when he started in Lazio's lineup against A.S. Roma at the age of 41 years and 203 days, to beat the previous record, set on May 7, 1983 (when Dino Zoff played his last game at the age of 41 years and 34 days).
Due to Peruzzi's ongoing injury problems the following season, Ballotta made eleven league appearances as Lazio finished third behind runaway winner Inter and Roma, subsequently clinching a UEFA Champions League berth.
Ballotta started the first two matches of the 2007-08 campaign until the gloves were handed to new acquisition Fernando Muslera for the next five league matches. Following Lazio's embarrassing 5-1 home loss to Milan on 7 October 2007, Ballotta regained the starting spot, which he kept until the end of the campaign. He also started all of Lazio's Champions League matches, in which he also became the oldest player ever to play in the competition, during a 1-1 draw with Olympiakos on September 18, 2007, at the age of 43 years and 168 days, beating the previous record held by another Italian, Alessandro Costacurta, who was 40 years and 211 days during Milan's loss to AEK Athens on November 21, 2006.[4][5]
Ballotta retired after his contract with Lazio expired at the end of the season, expressing an interest in continuing his career, before eventually signing a deal as general manager at former club Modena. This experience was however short-lived and, after just 35 days, he decided to stop working at the club.[6]
In late 2008, Ballotta returned to active, with Prima Categoria (eighth level) side Calcara Samoggia, but in another position: forward.[7] but it didn't last long as Ballota quickly retired following this move.
[edit] References
- ^ Parma outgun brave Antwerp; UEFA.com, 8/17/2001
- ^ European Super Cup 1993/94
- ^ Arsenal frustrate Parma's "double hopes"; UEFA.com, 8/17/01
- ^ Ballotta sets new European record; UEFA.com, 9/18/07
- ^ Age no barrier for Ballotta; UEFA.com, 10/26/07
- ^ Ballotta leaves Modena (Italian)
- ^ Marco Ballotta returns to the pitch, this time as a forward (Italian)
[edit] External links
- Lazio profile (Italian)
- List of games of Ballotta - La Gazzetta dello Sport (Italian)
