Angelo Peruzzi

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Personal information
Angelo Peruzzi

Date of birth	February 16, 1970 (age 37)
Place of birth	Viterbo, Italy
Height	1.81m - 5'11"
Nickname	Ansiano
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club	Lazio
Number	1
Senior clubs¹
Years	Club	App (Gls)*
1986-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-99 1999-00 2000-	A.S. Roma Hellas Verona A.S. Roma Juventus Inter Milan Lazio	13 (0) 29 (0) 3 (0) 208 (0) 33 (0) 165 (0)
National team²
1995-2006	Italy	31 (0)
¹ Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 15 October 2006. ² National team caps and goals correct as of 17 June 2006. * Appearances (Goals)

Angelo Peruzzi, Cavaliere (born February 16, 1970 in Viterbo) is an Italian football goalkeeper, who currently plays for S.S. Lazio in the Italian Serie A, and was a member of the squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

1 Club
2 Country
3 Trivia
4 References

[edit] Club

The diminutive Peruzzi began his Serie A career with A.S. Roma in 1987. He was loaned to Hellas Verona in 1989 but was banned for a year in October 1990 after failing a doping test. 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 Inter Milan, he transferred to Lazio for €17.9 million in 2000, and has made over 200 appearances with the club.

Although his contract with the Biancocelesti runs 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 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."

However, he has since apparently backtracked on this decision, claiming that his comments were a joke. He went on to say that he hadn't expected the controversy that followed the statement and that it was premature to talk about retirement at this early stage of the season. He emphasized that his potential retirement was being considered "one season at a time".

[edit] Country

"Angelo Peruzzi [...] was one of the secrets of our [2006 World Cup] success. Only a man of great experience and character can act like him.” -- Italy teammate Daniele De Rossi

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.

Peruzzi subsequently quit the national team again after the competition. Four years later, though, he was backing up Gianluigi Buffon at Euro 2004. He didn't start for Italy again until a friendly against Spain on April 28, 2005, 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 understudy to Buffon again in the 2006 FIFA World Cup as Italy captured their fourth crown.

He retired permanently from international play after the conclusion of the 2006 World Cup.

[edit] 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.

[edit] References

2005 profile on UEFA.com
Peruzzi to quit football - Eurosport, 10/16/06

Preceded by new cration	Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year 1997 ~ 1998	Succeeded by Gianluigi Buffon

	Italy squad - 2006 FIFA World Cup Champions (4th Title)
1 Buffon \| 2 Zaccardo \| 3 Grosso \| 4 De Rossi \| 5 Cannavaro \| 6 Barzagli \| 7 Del Piero \| 8 Gattuso \| 9 Toni \| 10 Totti \| 11 Gilardino \| 12 Peruzzi \| 13 Nesta \| 14 Amelia \| 15 Iaquinta \| 16 Camoranesi \| 17 Barone \| 18 Inzaghi \| 19 Zambrotta \| 20 Perrotta \| 21 Pirlo \| 22 Oddo \| 23 Materazzi \| Coach: Lippi