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Gianluca Pagliuca

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'''Gianluca Pagliuca''' (born December 18, 1966 in Bologna) is an Italy Italian Football (soccer) football goalkeeper, who currently plays for Bologna F.C. 1909 Bologna. In his club career, Pagliuca has played for U.C. Sampdoria Sampdoria (1987-94), Internazionale Milano F.C. Inter (1994-99), and Bologna (1999-). He won the Cup Winners' Cup and one ''Serie A scudetto'' with Sampdoria and the UEFA Cup with Inter, when he captained the side to a 3-0 win over S.S. Lazio Lazio in 1998. Pagliuca was also in the Sampdoria's team that lost 1-0 to FC Barcelona Barcelona in the 1992 UEFA Champions League European Cup final at Wembley Stadium Wembley. He was first choice goalkeeper for Italy national football team Italy at the Football World Cup 1994 1994 and Football World Cup 1998 1998 World Cups. He became the first goalkeeper to be red card sent off in a World Cup match, when he was dismissed for handling outside his area against Norway national football team Norway at the 1994 tournament in the USA. However, he returned after suspension to feature from the quarter-finals onwards with his team losing to Brazil national football team Brazil in a dramatic penalty shootout (football) penalty shootout in the final. One of the most enduring images from that World Cup came from Pagliuca himself, in the final. After spilling a shot which bounced off a post and back in to his grateful grasp, Pagliuca turned and blew the post a kiss, puffing out his cheeks in relief that the ball hadn't gone in. After the 1994 World Cup, he moved from Sampdoria to Internazionale from a then world record fee for a goalkeeper of £7 million. However, Pagliuca's international career appeared to have been halted with the emergence of Juventus goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi, and it would be 3 years before he returned to the Italy squad. The 1998 Serie A season saw Pagliuca's Inter Milan pushing Juventus all the way for the Scudetto, with Pagliuca producing superb performances week in, week out. However, he would have gone the World Cup that summer only as a back-up but for an arm injury to Peruzzi just prior to the tournament. Peruzzi's misfortune meant that Pagliuca would be given another chance with Italy. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands, displaying an assurity that had previously been lacking when he had represented the national team. He made one of the saves of the tournament, again against Norway, when he shot out a hand to prevent Tore Andre Flo's point-blank header from netting. This time, his team met host country French national football team France in the quarterfinal, and another penalty shoot-out saw Italy trooped out as losers when midfielder Luigi Di Biagio kicked his final attempt against the cross-bar. Once again Pagliuca seemed to fall out of favour with the Italian bosses, and the emergence of Francesco Toldo and Gianluigi Buffon, saw his career with Italy end on 39 caps. Pagliuca left Inter in 1999, after the former Juventus boss Marcello Lippi took charge of Inter and signed Peruzzi from his former club. Pagliuca took this opportunity to achieve a life's ambition, and signed with his home town club, Bologna and has been first choice ever since, often captaining the side.

Trivia
Because of his colorful name, former ESPN announcer Keith Olbermann used his name as a creative way of airing someone cursing on camera in the midst of an argument with an official. The phrase began when fellow announcer Gary Miller (announcer) Gary Miller uttered an obscene word while trying to pronounce Pagliuca's name in disgust while recording a voiceover on a segment about him. In the book "The Big Show: Inside ESPN's ''SportsCenter''" (published in 1997), Olbermann reminded us "We'll spare you ''which'' expletive." Category:1966 births Pagliuca, Gianluca Category:Living people Pagliuca, Gianluca Category:Natives of Bologna Pagliuca, Gianluca Category:Italian footballers Pagliuca, Gianluca Category:U.C. Sampdoria players Pagliuca, Gianluca Category:Internazionale players Pagliuca, Gianluca Category:Olympic competitors for Italy Pagliuca, Gianluca Category:Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Pagliuca, Gianluca Category:Football (soccer) goalkeepers Pagliuca, Gianluca de:Gianluca Pagliuca fr:Gianluca Pagliuca fi:Gianluca Pagliuca it:Gianluca Pagliuca

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