Gianluca PAGLIUCA

Gianluca Pagliuca is definitely one of the greatest personages and goalkeepers of the Italian Football. He is an open-hearted man and an outspoken player who is not afraid of undertaking his own responsabilities and doesnít hide behind diplomatic poses. Gianluca was born in Bologna the 18th of December 1966 and experienced a tough childhood because of his parents divorce. He established a very deep relationship with his mother, that would help him to grow up, while, just lately, he recovered some contact with his father. Gianluca stayed in Bologna until the 1986 playing with the ìred and blueî juvenile team. Later he went to Genova to spend, with Sampdoria, the first half of his career achieving some great successes.

In 1988-89 he became a starter and won the second Italy Cup in a row. In 1990, in Goteborg, Sampdoria won the Cup of Cups versus Anderlecht and in 1991 the Italian Championship and the Italian Supercup. The same year Pagliuca made his debut with the National Team. By then Pagliuca was a well-known goalkeeper who shared the best seasons of Sampdoria until the Champions Cup final in Wembley (1992) lost 1-0 against Barcelona. The goal came in overtime from a Koeman explosive free-kick, leaving Pagliuca with his biggest regret ever in football.

In 1994 Sampdoria won its third Italy Cup and Pagliuca led the Italian National Team in the U.S., until the World Cup final, lost, just after the penalties, versus the favourite Brazil. The next season Pagliuca started his new experience with Inter where he still shows his great talent. Now Gianlucaís goals are: winning the World Cup in France, getting married with his girlfriend Aurora and maybe ending his career with his old Bologna.