Peruzzi is regarded by pundits as one of the greatest Italian goalkeepers of all time,[5]and as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation.[6][7][8]Throughout his career, he played for Italian clubsRoma,Hellas Verona,Juventus,InternazionaleandLazio.He had a highly successful spell with Juventus, where he won threeSerie Atitles, theCoppa Italia,theUEFA Cupand theUEFA Champions League,among other titles; he won a second Coppa Italia with Lazio before retiring with the club in 2007. At international level, he played 31 times for theItaly national teamfrom his debut in 1995, and was a member of their squad which won the2006 FIFA World Cup.He also represented them at the1992 Olympics,atUEFA Euro 1996(as a starting goalkeeper), and atEuro 2004.
Peruzzi began hisSerie Acareer withRomain 1987. He was loaned toHellas Veronain 1989, but was one of the two Roma players (the other beingAndrea Carnevale) to be suspended for a year in October 1990 after failing a doping test because of an appetite suppressant he was taking at the time, which contained the banned substancePhentermine.[9]
Following the departure ofGianluca Pagliuca,Peruzzi's perceived career rival in his position, fromInternazionaletoBolognain 1999,[13]Peruzzi left Juventus for Inter in 1999 on a 28 billion lire (€14.461 million) transfer fee,[14]and a reported 8 billion lire pre-tax wage.[15]Peruzzi spent one unsuccessful season with the club – despite his excellent performances[16]– under his former Juventus managerMarcello Lippi,finishing theleague seasonin fourth place, and reaching theCoppa Italia final.
The following season, he transferred toLaziofor 40 billion lire (€20.658 million; in a cash plusMarco Ballottadeal),[14][17]and made over 200 appearances in Serie A and European competitions with the club, winning theSupercoppa Italiana in 2000and the Coppa Italia in2004.He kept playing at a very high level, being generally considered the best Italian goalkeeper behindGianluigi Buffon.[18]
Although his contract with theBiancocelestiran until 2008, Peruzzi retired at the end of the2006–07 season:after the 0–0 draw with Roma 29 April 2007, Peruzzi stated that he had played his last match due to the frustration of nagging injuries. However, he was put on in the final few minutes in Lazio's final home match of the season, a goalless draw againstParmaon 20 May, as a goodbye to the fans. He was named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year for the third time in his career on 28 January 2008.
Peruzzi wascapped31 times in 11 years withItaly,between 1995 and 2005. He was also a member of the national squad that competed at the1992 Summer OlympicsinBarcelona,making two appearances during the tournament. Peruzzi made his senior debut under managerArrigo Sacchi,in a 4–1 home win overEstonia,in anUEFA Euro 1996 qualifyingmatch, on 25 March 1995, and he was named Italy's starting goalkeeper atEuro 1996,although Italy suffered a group-stage elimination. He was scheduled to be the starter at the1998 FIFA World CupunderCesare Maldini,but suffered a late injury[19]and was replaced in the starting line-up by Gianluca Pagliuca.[13]
After the 1998 World Cup, Maldini was replaced by Italy's former goalkeeper and record-setterDino Zoff,who confirmed Peruzzi as first-choice goalkeeper during his first year as Italy's coach: nonetheless, after a match againstNorwayin 1999,Gianluigi Buffonwas given the starting spot, whileFrancesco Toldobecame his first substitute.[20]Being overtaken by two colleagues, Peruzzi chose not to participate in theEuro 2000as the third goalkeeper,[21][22]a decision that, in Zoff's words, prevented him from potentially recovering his first-choice status: because of the last-minute injury that excluded Buffon from the tournament, Peruzzi could have been the starter instead of Toldo, had he accepted the call.[23]
Peruzzi did not play for Italy again until making a substitute appearance in a friendly againstSpainon 28 April 2004,[24]and was subsequently called up byGiovanni Trapattonias a backup keeper atEuro 2004:Trapattoni's choice appeared unusual, since Italy's third-choice goalkeeper for World Cups and European Championships was generally selected among young, promising ones;[25]instead, the contemporary presence of two veteran keepers such as Peruzzi and Toldo raised doubts about their actual role behind Buffon, because neither of them would have easily accepted to play a marginal part.[26]
In August 2005, he was the starter in twoWorld Cup qualifiersagainstScotlandandBelarus,while Buffon was shelved with a shoulder injury; Peruzzi then served as second goalkeeper (behind Buffon) in the2006 World Cupunder Marcello Lippi,[27]as Italy won the tournament for the fourth time. Even though he did not take the field, teammateDaniele De Rossihighlighted Peruzzi's important role in the squad as a key dressing room personality, due to his leadership and experience.[28]Peruzzi retired from international football after the tournament.[29]
A powerful, athletic, complete, and consistent goalkeeper – although injury-prone[8][30]–, Peruzzi was renowned for his physical strength, positioning, explosive reactions, speed, and agility, in spite of his sturdy physique; he particularly excelled at quicklyrushing off his lineto parry or collect the ball on the ground,[8][30][31]as well as at anticipating his opponents outside the penalty area,[32]which made him particularly effective in teams which relied on a zonal marking defensive system with high defensive lines.[33]Due to his modest height for a goalkeeper, he was less effective at coming out to collect crosses, and preferred to punch the ball out rather than trying to catch it,[34]although his handling was generally reliable.[32]While he was extremely gifted both technically and acrobatics-wise,[35][36]he was an efficient goalkeeper, who performed spectacular dives only in case of strict necessity: he indeed believed that "a great keeper must walk across the line: this way he disheartens the opposing strikers, because he seems to save shots effortlessly".[37][38]Throughout his career, he also stood out for his concentration, and for his ability to produce decisive saves even after not having been called into action for long periods of time during a match;[11][39]he was also effective at stopping penalties,[40]while he was not particularly skilled with the ball at his feet, and usually preferred to clear the ball away whenever it was passed back to him.[36][37][41]
A precocious talent in his youth,[30]he was regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world in his prime during the 1990s,[10][11][12][42]but also stood out for his longevity in his later career, which enabled him to maintain a consistently high level of performances.[28]Although he was known for his personality, leadership from the back, strong mentality, and the confidence he inspired in his teammates throughout his career, he had quite a kind, calm and reserved character off the pitch,[10][30][43][44]which, although made him very popular with his teammates,[28][35][45][46]led some pundits to accuse him of not being as effective at directing his back-line.[32][47]
Because of his stocky physique, Peruzzi was given the nicknames "Tyson" in reference to the boxerMike Tyson's similarly powerful build,[9]and "The Boar" ( "Cinghialone," in Italian).[8]
After his retirement, Peruzzi worked in the Italy national team staff as one of Marcello Lippi's collaborators. He was then appointedCiro Ferrara's assistant on theItaly under-21 team[48]and in 2012 followed him in joiningSampdoriain Serie A.
^abNicola Cecere (10 July 1999)."Peruzzi para le cattiverie"(in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport.Retrieved29 October2017.
^abF.C. Internazionale Milano S.p.A.bilancio(financial report and accounts) on 30 June 2000, PDF purchased from ItalianC.C.I.A.A.(in Italian)
^"Inter, scommessa da 200 miliardi".La Gazzetta dello Sport(in Italian). 28 June 1999.Retrieved2 July2017....Inseguendo Peruzzi, la societa' deve adesso affrontare un sacrificio di trentasei miliardi: ventotto del cartellino e otto di ingaggio lordo...
^Paolo Forcolin; Lodovico Maradei (25 March 1997)."lo scudetto nelle mani"(in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport.Retrieved28 October2017.
^Maurizio Crosetti (20 April 1997)."LA RISPOSTA CHE VOLEVO"(in Italian). La Repubblica.Retrieved28 October2017.
^Francesco Bramardo; Luca Curino; Andrea Elefante; Luigi Garlando (27 September 1999)."Vieri ordina l' applauso a Peruzzi"(in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport.Retrieved28 October2017.
^Luca Calamai; Nicola Cecere; Alberto Cerruti; Gaetano Imparato (8 October 1999)."Centrocampo, Zoff cambia tutto"(in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport.Retrieved28 October2017.
^Nicola Cecere; Paolo Forcolin; Carlo Laudisa; Salvatore Lo Presti (11 December 1999)."Vieri spaventa Inzaghi:" Vinceremo ""(in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport.Retrieved28 October2017.
^Stefano Tacconi (10 October 1995)."Le pagelle di Tacconi"[Tacconi's report cards] (in Italian).La Stampa.p. 29.Retrieved21 March2016.
