Biodata :
Full name : Angelo Peruzzi
Date of birth : 16 February 1970 (1970-02-16) (age 39)
Place of birth : Blera, Viterbo, Italy
Height : 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Playing position : Goalkeeper
Angelo Peruzzi, Cavaliere OMRI[1][2], (born 16 February 1970 in Blera, Viterbo) is an Italian former World Cup-winning football goalkeeper, and a three-time winner of the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year award.
Club career
- Code:
Years Club App (Gls)*
1986–1989 Roma 013 (0)
1989–1990 Hellas Verona 029 (0)
1990–1991 Roma 003 (0)
1991–1999 Juventus 208 (0)
1999–2000 Internazionale 033 (0)
2000–2007 Lazio 192 (0)
Total 478 (0)
Peruzzi began his Serie A career with A.S. Roma in 1987. He was loaned to Hellas Verona in 1989, but was suspended for a year in October 1990 after failing a doping test because an appetite suppressant he was taking at the time contained a banned substance. His signing with Juventus in 1991 successfully revived his career, and he soon surpassed Stefano Tacconi as the Turin giants' starting goalie. Peruzzi won three Scudetti, a UEFA Cup, and was part of Juventus' 1996 Champions League title squad that defeated AFC Ajax in the final on penalties. After one season with Internazionale, he transferred to Lazio for €17.9 million in 2000, and made over 200 appearances in Serie A and European competition with the club.
Although his contract with the Biancocelesti ran until 2008, Peruzzi announced that he would call it quits at the end of the '06-07 season after Lazio's 0-0 draw with Cagliari Calcio on October 15, 2006. "I will retire at the end of the campaign," he said. "I know the Lazio president and fans will not be happy but had I not made this decision, I would remain at the club for another six or eight years." He later backtracked on this decision, claiming that his comments were a joke and that it was premature to talk about retirement at this early stage of the season, emphasizing that his potential retirement was being considered "one season at a time."
After the 0-0 draw with Roma April 29, 2007, Peruzzi confirmed that he had indeed played his last match due to the frustration of nagging injuries, but he was put on for the final few minutes in Lazio's final home match of the season, a goalless draw against Parma F.C. on May 20, as a goodbye to the fans. He was named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year for the third time in his career on January 28, 2008; only he and compatriot Gianluigi Buffon have won the award more than once since its inception in 1997.
International career
- Code:
1995–2006 Italy 031 (0)
Peruzzi was capped 31 times in 11 years with Italy. He was also a member of the national squad that competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and Euro 96. He was scheduled to be the starter at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, but suffered a late injury and was replaced by Gianluca Pagliuca. He momentarily left the national team in 1999 after a match against Norway, but returned to the Azzurri the following year, with whom he hoped to start at Euro 2000, but a last-minute injury once again cost him the starting spot as Francesco Toldo led the team to the final.
Italy coach Giovanni Trapattoni wanted to call up Peruzzi as the third goalkeeper in the squad for the 2002 World Cup, but Peruzzi refused, saying, "The mascots for the World Cup have already been chosen." Two years later, though, he was called up as the third keeper behind Buffon and Toldo at Euro 2004. He didn't start for Italy again until a friendly against Spain on April 28, 2004, then was the first choice for a pair of WC qualifiers against Scotland and Belarus in August 2005 while Buffon was shelved with a shoulder injury.
Peruzzi served as second keeper behind Buffon in the 2006 FIFA World Cup as Italy captured their fourth crown. He retired permanently from international play after the conclusion of the tournament.
Trivia
* Peruzzi served as a ballboy, at the age of fourteen, during the 1984 European Cup final between Liverpool FC and AS Roma.
* The transfer fee for his move to Lazio was the record high for a goalie until Azzurri teammate Buffon's €52.29 million transfer from Parma FC to Juventus the following year.
Angelo Peruzzi web site
*We will miss you our hero ....*