Pagliuca at Casteldebole.

Viva Pagliuca! 18.10.2001 Maria Spiridonova and Julia Tarasova.

BOLOGNA - Tuesday, October 16, at the end of Bologna's first practice after the victory at Verona, we make the appointment to interview Gianluca Pagliuca on Thursday. On Tuesday he is dressed in blue from head to toe: seamed, tight blue jeans, blue shirt and even blue sunglasses. Thursday he's still wearing some blue: a cute vest over a white shirt and faded red pants. Sneakers - you guessed it - blue again. There is a large silver watch on his wrist, and in the open collar we see a choker of beads that seem American Indian.

We introduce ourselves, saying that the questions that we're going to ask him have been sent by contributors to our site. He asks us how many there are. We tell him about all the people and all the countries of our global site. For starters, we pick a question that's not too serious:

We like your cologne! What is it?
I use the cologne called "A" men. I don't remember who makes it. It's not by Calvin Klein, but if I remember, I'll tell you. "A" men. *

How many hours a week do you spend in the gym to keep in such good shape? Do you follow a special diet?
No, I don't ever go to the gym. I just do the practice sessions, never the gym.

We know that you are a fan of Virtus. You're tall enough to play basketball. Have you every tried it?
Yes, of course.

With friends?
Yes, and I have a good three-point shot.

Can you dunk, too?
Yes, but only with one hand.

But you can jump pretty high...
Yes, I can jump, but I can only do the dunk with one hand, not with two.

If you were not a great football player, what profession would you choose?
Well, I don't know. I'd like to play tennis or basketball. I like tennis very much.

We have read that you follow Rafter.
Yes, he's my favorite tennis player.

And if you had to work outside the world of sports?
Well, outside of sport, anything... I don't know, I didn't like to study, so I would probably do something normal, like a factory worker, or an electrician... Because I didn't like to study, that's for sure.

Did your mother believe that you had a great future?
No, she didn't think so. She knew I had this great passion, but she didn't think I would reach this level.

So this has been a nice surprise for her.
Yes, yes, certainly.

What type of work did your mother do?
She was a housewife, then a domestic worker. But she hardly ever worked because she took care of our house. My father worked.

Tell us something you did, as a child, that made your mother mad at you the most.
Ooh! I put a hole in an old lady's head, threw a bottle at her.

How do you see family life, now that you're about to get married? What is the role of the wife? The husband?
No, we just started living together, we haven't thought of getting married yet, but I like it so far. I have my freedom, too, meaning that once in a while I go out with my friends, so it's not that I'm always sitting at home.

Do you like cooking?
No! I like eating.

What is your favorite dish?
Tortellino in broth. Tortellino made here, in Bologna.

How is it now that you're living with Aurora? Do you go together to visit your mother or does she come to see you?
Either she comes, or we go to her place, it's the same.

And she's not jealous of your fiancée?
Well, at first she was, then... no.

She's such a beautiful girl!
Yes, she's a beautiful girl.

Do you still have time to respond to the letters from fans?
Yes, also because since I've moved to Bologna, I get fewer letters. When I was in Milan, at Inter, there were so many.

It's more quiet here.
Yes. So here at Bologna I don't get so many letters.

You have always been very kind answering letters, thank you for that.
Yes, you're welcome, it wouldn't be the same without them.

What do you like about London?
I like many things about London; it's nice to visit, it's probably one of the few English cities that are beautiful. Then I've always been fascinated by England. In fact, I would like to play a year in England. I don't know, maybe next year, we'll see...

On which team?
Well, when I was little, I was a huge fan of Aston Villa. Before I came here to Bologna, Aston Villa wanted to have me. But I chose Bologna.

Tribeca restaurant and Progetto Sole: do you look after them yourself or are they not that important to you?
No, no. I have an interest in them, but I don't manage them personally. Either my lawyer or my mother take care of them. For the last few months, my mother has been working on Progetto Sole.

Does Aurora look after it, too?
No. Aurora has just moved here, she doesn't have a job... We don't know yet.

In what languages do you know at least two-three words? Does it help you on the field?
In English...

And what are the words?
I know "referee", and then others that I can't say...

No, no, go ahead.
Well, it starts with an "f"... To the ref...

Yes?
Well, to the ref - "fuck"... "fuck you".

If you had not come back to Bologna, where would you prefer to play?
I've told you, in England. Or in Spain. But I think most of all in England.

With whom do you have the best relationships in Bologna?
With everybody. I have a great relationship with everybody.

And in Inter?
I don't hear from anyone from Inter anymore. But even at Inter it wasn't like I was going out with them every night. But I've had good relationships with all the teammates that I've had, at Inter, too.

You have something against Collina. Why?
Have something against him?

You have said that Collina is one of the worst refs in Italy.
No, he's not one of the worst. To me, he seems too much of an exhibitionist. He wants to be the main character. The best ref, to me, is Rosetti.

Are you still thinking of starting a goalkeeper school in Bologna?
I'd like that. When I stop playing, I'd like to do that.

At what age should such specialized education start?
Well, I think I could do it already, I have so many years of experience...

No, we mean for the kids...
Ah, the kids! I think at 9-10 years of age they should start to learn, to see the first things.

Of the coaches you have known in your career, who had the best relationship with the team?
Boskov.

In your opinion, is it more important for a player to have a passion for football, or to work patiently?
No, passion. I'm still playing, and there are my ex-colleagues who have quit some time ago already who are my age. They didn't have the passion anymore, while I still have it; still as much as I had in the beginning. I still want to play so much, and fortunately my body can take it, so I think I'll keep playing.

In your collection, do you have the tape of Zenit-Bologna?
What?

The game against Zenit in St. Petersburg.
No, I don't have it. If you could get it for me... 0-3?

Yes, that one.
It would be a pleasure to have it, thank you.

Thank you very much for everything!

We give him three shirts from the site - for him, mom Maria Rosa and Aurora - and an American flag pin (after September 11, he has worn the American flag on the captain's armband). He gives us the Bologna magazine with Aurora and him on the cover. He goes to get it from the car trunk, and finds that there is a big piece of athletic tape over his photograph. "Why?" "My teammates were being jerks!" he says and proceeds to patiently remove the sticky tape. We say good-bye and wish him good luck against Juventus.

In bocca al lupo!
Crepi il lupo.

* The mysterious cologne is "A" men by Thierry Mugler. It is a very strong and sweet scent. The feminine version is called "Angel".

translation by Julia Tarasova.