Moved by the spirit of getting even

Forza Bologna! magazine, 08/1999

Pagliuca wants to do well in his city’s team and he will play as long as
he can continue performing at the highest level.

The goals of the scudetto and a place in Champions League are not
there anymore, but the desire to do well remains the same even if he
wears a Bologna shirt. Rather, in his case, there is a great desire to
do his best because the capital of Emilia Romagna is his home, and he has
always hoped to return here. Also, even when he arrived at Genoa, he had
less ambitious goals, until one day he started winning important things.

-Gianluca Pagliuca, are you content to be here?

-Most content. And after resolving misunderstandings with the fans I am
doubly content. I agree, we are not going for the championship, or the
championship cups, but we still have prestigiuos goals that we want to
achieve, like the UEFA Cup and the Italian Cup.

-After many seasons, you start out defending the goal of an outsider
team. What feeling does that give you?

-The first years at Sampdoria come back to me. There also, we started as
outsiders, but then won so much.

-Is that what you wish for yourself and Bologna?

-Certainly. Let’s hope that it will be a good omen.

-Are you familiar with the Bologna environment, or do you still have to
learn some things?

-I’m already about 80% familiar with it, the rest I will learn by and
by.

-Are you content with what you have accomplished up till now?

-Most content.

-Do you have any regrets?

-Yes, I do, if I think back to the Champions Cup final lost in overtime
with Sampdoria, or the World Cup final lost on penalties. As for the
rest, I think I can be satisfied, having won everything.

-Have you set any particular objective for yourself?

-To play a beautiful championship with Bologna. I hope the season will
be great for me as well as for the team. I am moved by the spirit of
getting even, and I will try to satisfy it.

-Getting even with whom or with what?

-A spirit of getting even in general.

-Is there anything that’s bothering you, like an annoying little stone in
your shoe that you would like to get out?

-I was unhappy with the way my adventure with Inter ended. I was one of
those who gave the most to the black-and-blue club, and I hoped to have
a chance to win another scudetto with them before leaving. However, it’s
just as well.

-How long will you keep on playing?

-For now I have a three-year contract with Bologna, and I don’t intend
to go anywhere. I will go on playing as long as the doctors let me. I
will stop only when I can no longer make the beautiful saves that I make
now.

-What does Bologna mean for you?

-It is my city. My family is here, I was born here and grew up here. My
friends and my interests are here. Bologna is my life. If I think of it,
so many things come to my mind, it’s difficult even to explain.
Certainly I am very happy to be here.

-What can Bologna give to Pagliuca?

-Great satisfaction.

-You’ve always been known as a “mean one”. Is there anything of the truth
in that? What is Pagliuca like in reality?

-Nothing like that. I seem to be tough because when I’m on the
pitch, I often get angry at my teammates, but that is not my fault. The
problem is that I feel the game very deeply, and when I come out on the
pitch, I am very tense. In reality, away from the pitch I am a very calm
person who minds his business.

-Do you still entertain the idea of coaching kids?

-Certainly. I would like so much to be able to teach kids the tricks of
the trade.

-What are your hobbies?

-I have so many, but my favorite ones are tennis and basketball. I watch
many movies on video (Editor’s note: Pagliuca has a very large and
well-stocked video collection.) and when I’m sad I watch tapes of my
games. I hope to add many tapes of Bologna matches.

-Do you have any special whims?

-I am very superstitious. For example I often repeat things that I did
after a victory, or I cross myself three times when I come onto the
pitch instead of just one, and so on.

-What do you like to eat?

-Tortellini with broth”.

-(.......)

You can find the complete interview in the August-September issue of
Forza Bologna magazine.


Translated by Julia Tarasova.