Gianluca Pagliuca

Date of birth: 18 December 1966 Bologna
Nationality: Italian

Profile (1994)

To the Dutch world star Ruud Gullit Gianluca Pagliuca counts as one of the goalkeepers who in a difficult championship such as the Italian in a season is worth seven or eight extra points to the team. Thanks to his outstanding class, the keeper from Sampdoria finally also established himself as Walter Zenga's successor as the indisputable Number One in the goal of the Italian National team. But until he had reached this far and had crowned his struggles with this position, he had to muster a lot of patience, endurance, and persistence. Only few international class goalkeepers have had to wait for so long in the second or even third line as Gianluca Pagliuca.

Pagliuca was born at the same hospital as and only one day prior to Alberto Tomba and occasionally, therefore, he jokingly calls him his twin brother. Pagliuca can "read" the game, is agile and has fast reactions. His weakness is – as with many Italian goalkeepers – in running out to the flanks. "As a goalkeeper you carry a far greater share of responsibility to your team mates and that appeals to me" he explains why he chose the position between the posts.

In Italy Gianluca Pagliuca is also called "Pagliaccio" (Clown), a word game that has taken inspiration from his name, but also because he allegedly pulls such wonderful grimaces. In spring 1991 Pagliuca knocked fiercely on the door of the National Team and in a game against Inter Milan unambiguously outdid national goalkeeper Walter Zenga in a direct duel, an occasion on which the Swiss Sport wrote a portrait of Pagliuca with the header: "Pagliuca is not just a clown anymore". Fans and journalists appreciate that he is almost always ready to talk, very forthcoming, and above all shows a lot of patience towards his young fans.

Career

At the beginning of his career Gianluca Pagliuca would play as attacker, and not until later would he be "re-designed" as goalkeeper. He began (just like club mate Robert Mancini) in the juvenile team of AC Bologna, and in 1984/85 and 1985/86 played as a regular on the second league team, but never made it to any playing time. However, the talent scouts from Sampdoria found him good enough and in 1986 they brought him to Sampdoria. Upon Vialli, Vierchwood and Mancini, Sampdoria succeeded with this acquisition yet once more at a low price to get hold of a young player, who would later prove to be an absolutely class player. But also in his new club would Pagliuca only play as a substitute, and in his first season he was not allowed any playing time at all. Also in the season of 1987/88 did he only play two matches, and thus in the late season of May 1988 at the age of 21 made his first appearance in the Italian Serie A for Sampdoria against Pisa. A year later he made his breakthrough and established himself as the Number One. After this he would no longer allow himself to be replaced from the "box".

Pagliuca celebrated with Sampdoria a row of great successes. In 1988, just after he had conquered the position as "Numero Uno", he won with his team the Italian Cup, a success that was repeated the year after. Pagliuca won with Samp the third Italian Cup in 1994. In 1990 he and Sampdoria were European Cup winners in a final match against RSC Anderlecht (2-0), and finalists in the 1989 European Cup and the 1992 Champions Cup, but lost both times to FC Barcelona.

His splendid performances in the club shirt along with the fact that Sampdoria now belonged to one of the international top teams attracted a lot of attention, and soon Pagliuca was talked of as a possibility for the national team. Already in 1988 was he chosen by the Italian Olympic Committee and came to Seoul as number three behind Tacchoni and Guiliani, but did not play. In the World Cup two years later in his own Italy he was again number three (now behind Zenga and Tacchoni) and had to be content with a seat among the spectators. "When will Pagliuca be "Numero Uno" in Italy, when will he replace Zenga in the national team goal?" asked the Swiss Sport in May 1991. Pagliuca's first appearance as national goal keeper came one month later, but it would take almost two years before he had secured the regular position between the posts of the Squadra for himself.

Before that Pagliuca had already guarded the goal of the Italian U-21 (in November 1989), when on 16 June 1991 he was able to celebrate his debut in a friendly tournament in Stockholm against USSR with Azeglio Vicini as coach (Pagliuca came on in the second half as substitute to Walter Zenga). After Arrigo Sacchi had replaced Vicini as national coach it seemed logical that this new coach would create a team replacing Zenga with the 6 year younger keeper from Genua. But Sacchi chose Zenga, and when the latter had served his time, Sacchi appointed Luca Marchegiani from Torino as his new number one. Only upon this keeper's catastrophic performance in the World Cup qualification match against Switzerland did the way to the Italian goal lay open to Pagliuca. He made the best possible use of the chance, would not allow himself to be superseded, and is now indisputably the "Numero Uno" of the Squadra.
(This was 94, mind you).

Translation: Bente Jorgensen