Gianluca Pessotto (; born 11 August 1970) is an Italian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who played as a defender or

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

. A former Italy international, he spent the majority of his club career with

Juventus Juventus Football Club (from la, iuventūs, 'youth'; ), colloquially known as Juve (), is a professional Association football, football club based in Turin, Piedmont, Italy, that competes in the Serie A, the top tier of the Italian football leagu ...

, where he won several domestic and international trophies, and is now head of its youth system. He represented his country at the

1998 FIFA World Cup The 1998 FIFA World Cup was the 16th FIFA World Cup, the football world championship for men's national teams. The finals tournament was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. The country was chosen as the host nation by FIFA for the ...

, and at

UEFA Euro 2000 The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Championship, a football tournament held every four years and organised by UEFA, the sport's governing body in Europe. The finals tournament was ...

, reaching the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

of the latter tournament. After his retirement in 2006, Pessotto remained at Juventus as a member of the coaching staff. He is currently the Sporting Director (''Direttore Sportivo'') of the club's youth academy. Pessotto was given the nickname ''Il Professorino'' ("The Little Professor") by the fans, due to his glasses, his interest in philosophy and literature, and as he was able to obtain a law degree during his career. His stamina and ability to run very quickly – indeed he was often described as almost "flying" on field in the media – also earned him the nickname "Passerotto" ("Little Sparrow").

Club career

Milan

Born in

Latisana Latisana ( fur, Tisane, locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Udine, in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region of north-eastern Italy, on the Tagliamento river. History The city was probably a Roman post station (''Mansio Apicilia'') o ...

, in the

province of Udine The province of Udine ( it, provincia di Udine, fur, provincie di Udin, sl, videmska pokrajina, Resian dialect, Resian: , german: Provinz Weiden) was a Provinces of Italy, province in the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia of Italy, borderi ...

, Pessotto started his career in the

A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...

youth system. However, he was instantly sold to

A.S. Varese 1910 Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Varese Calcio, commonly referred to as Varese, was an Italian football club based in Varese, Lombardy. It was founded as Varese Football Club on 22 March 1910. It became Associazione Sportiva Varesina in 1923, ...

in 1989. He never made a professional appearance for

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

Varese

After joining

Varese Varese ( , , or ; lmo, label= Varesino, Varés ; la, Baretium; archaic german: Väris) is a city and ''comune'' in north-western Lombardy, northern Italy, north-west of Milan. The population of Varese in 2018 has reached 80,559. It is the c ...

in 1989, Pessotto officially began his professional career. In two full seasons with the club, he tallied an impressive 64 appearances, also finding the back of the net on a solo occasion.

Massese

In August 1991, Pessotto transferred to

U.S. Massese 1919 Unione Sportiva Massese 1919 is an Italian football club, based in Massa, Tuscany. Massese currently plays in Serie E, having last been in Serie B in 1970–71 season. History The first club in Massa was founded in 1919 as Società Sportiva ...

, although he only remained at the club for one season. In his lone season, he appeared 23 times in the league, netting one goal.

Bologna

Following impressive spells with both

and

he transferred to then-

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...

club

Bologna F.C. 1909 Bologna Football Club 1909, commonly referred to as Bologna (), is an Italian professional football club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna that plays in Serie A, the top flight of Italian football. The club have won seven top-flight titles, two Co ...

in the summer of 1992. Despite being a highly anticipated transfer, Pessotto made just 21 league appearances and was sold at the conclusion of the season. He also scored one goal for the Bolognese club.

Verona

After a season with

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

, Pessotto transferred to fellow

club

Hellas Verona F.C. Hellas Verona Football Club, commonly referred to as Hellas Verona or simply Verona, is a professional Italian football club based in Verona, Italy, that currently plays in Serie A. The team won the Serie A Championship in 1984–85. His ...

in 1993. Pessotto was an undisputed starter for much of the season, impressing greatly. He made 34 league appearances with a seasonal career high of 3 goals.

Torino

After impressing in the second division of Italian

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

, Pessotto transferred to

Torino F.C. Torino Football Club (), commonly referred to as Torino or simply Toro, is an Italian professional football club based in Turin, Piedmont. They currently play in Serie A. Founded as ''Foot-Ball Club Torino'' in 1906, Torino are among the mos ...

in 1994. In his first season in

Serie A The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...

, Pessotto racked up a starting position along with 32 league appearances and his first

goal. After greatly impressing in his debut

season, Pessotto moved to city rivals and European giants

, in 1995, in what was a very highly regarded transfer.

Juventus

After joining Juventus in 1995, Pessotto instantly became a key part of the first team and helped Juventus form what was considered to be one of the best defences in the world at this time. Teams strongly regretted ever going down a goal to the club as they knew how hard it would be to score one back for themselves. Pessotto formed impressive defensive partnerships with the likes of

Ciro Ferrara Ciro Ferrara (; born 11 February 1967) is an Italian former footballer and manager. His most recent position was as manager of Wuhan Zall. He had also previously coached Juventus and the Italy national under-21 team. As an assistant coach to ...

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Mark Iuliano Mark Iuliano (; born 12 August 1973) is an Italian football manager and a former professional footballer who played as a defender. Following his retirement he worked as a coach. He is currently working as Igor Tudor's assistant at Serie A clu ...

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Alessandro Birindelli Alessandro Birindelli (; born 12 November 1974) is an Italian retired footballer who played as a full-back or as a wide midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively def ...

, Igor Tudor, Gianluca Zambrotta, Nicola Legrottaglie,

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, Jonathan Zebina, and

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during his 12-year tenure with the club. He was one of many experienced players who had been at Juventus for a lengthy period of time. Injuries and other issues in the closing stages of his career limited his first-team opportunities to mainly being used as a substitute to Jonathan Zebina or

. Pessotto retired at the end of the 2005–2006

season, after back to back ''Scudetti''. With Juventus he managed well over 250 total appearances scoring 2 league goals in the process. Among his achievements as a Juventus player, Pessotto won the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

in 1996 (scoring a penalty in Juventus's shoot-out victory over

Ajax Ajax may refer to: Greek mythology and tragedy * Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea * Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris * ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...

), playing in 4 Champions League Finals, the

UEFA Super Cup The UEFA Super Cup is an annual super cup football match organised by UEFA and contested by the winners of the two main European club competitions; the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League. The competition's official name was originall ...

in 1996, the Intercontinental Cup in 1996, a

UEFA Intertoto Cup The UEFA Intertoto Cup (from la, Inter, 'between' + german: toto, 'betting pool'),Most precisely, from (football pool); cf. often abbreviated and more known in the German-speaking world as UI Cup and originally called the International Foot ...

in 2000, four Scudetti (1997, 1998, 2002, 2003), four

Supercoppa Italiana The Supercoppa Italiana ( en, Italian Super Cup) is an annual football match contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season. If the same team wins both the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles in the previous seaso ...

titles (1997, 1998, 2002, 2003) and a

Coppa Italia The ("Italy Cup") is an annual knockout cup competition in Italian football organized by the FIGC until the 2009–10 season and the Lega Serie A ever since. History The beginning of the tournament was turbulent, due to the complexity of ...

in 1995.

International career

In total, Pessotto was capped 22 times for

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

between 1996 and 2002, under managers

Arrigo Sacchi Arrigo Sacchi (born 1 April 1946) is an Italian former professional football coach. He has twice managed AC Milan (1987–1991, 1996–1997), with great success. He won the Serie A title in his 1987–88 debut season and then dominated European ...

(1996),

Cesare Maldini Cesare Maldini (; 5 February 1932 – 3 April 2016) was an Italian professional football manager and player who played as a defender. Father to Paolo Maldini and grandfather to Daniel Maldini, Cesare began his career with Italian side Triestin ...

(1996–98),

Dino Zoff Dino Zoff (; born 28 February 1942) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is the oldest ever winner of the World Cup, which he earned as captain of the Italian national team in the 1982 tournament, at the ...

(1998–2000) and

Giovanni Trapattoni Giovanni Trapattoni (; born 17 March 1939), sometimes popularly known as "Trap" or "Il Trap", is an Italian football manager and former player, considered the most successful club coach of Italian football. A former defensive midfielder, as a p ...

(2000–2002). He played for his country at the

, where Italy were eliminated by hosts and eventual champions

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

on penalties in the quarter finals, and at

Euro 2000 The 2000 UEFA European Football Championship, also known as Euro 2000, was the 11th UEFA European Championship, a football tournament held every four years and organised by UEFA, the sport's governing body in Europe. The finals tournament was ...

. At

, Pessotto scored a penalty in the semi-final shootout win over co-hosts

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, which sent Italy into the

against France. In the final, Pessotto would set up Delvecchio's goal; however, he only picked up a runners-up medal as Italy lost to France for the second consecutive tournament, after conceding a last minute equaliser, and then subsequently conceding a

David Trezeguet David Sergio Trezeguet (born 15 October 1977) is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker. Trezeguet began his career in Argentina with Club Atlético Platense at the age of eight, progressing through their youth system ...

golden goal The golden goal or golden point is a rule used in association football, lacrosse, field hockey, and ice hockey to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the end of normal time. It is a type of sud ...

. Trezeguet became his Juventus teammate the following season. He was unable to take part at the

2002 World Cup The 2002 FIFA World Cup, also branded as Korea Japan 2002, was the 17th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial Association football, football world championship for List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams organized by ...

with Italy due to injury.

Style of play

Despite initially not being known as the most naturally talented, flashy, or technically gifted footballer, Pessotto was considered to be a promising prospect in his youth, and later made a name for himself as a correct, hard-working, reliable, tactically intelligent, efficient, and versatile utility player, with solid ball control and a good positional sense, who was able to play as an attacking full-back or wing-back, or also as a

wide WIDE or Wide may refer to: *Wide (cricket) *Wide and narrow data, terms used to describe two different presentations for tabular data *WIDE Project, Widely Integrated Distributed Environment *Wide-angle Infinity Display Equipment *WIDE-LP, a radio ...

on either flank. Despite being naturally right-footed, he was capable of playing with either foot, and he usually preferred to play on the left side of the pitch. In this role, he was known for his pace, calm composure, reading of the game, and stamina, as well as his ability to chase and close down opponents, win back the ball with his tackles, and subsequently carry it up the flank, play exchanges with teammates, get forward, and deliver

crosses Crosses may refer to: * Cross, the symbol Geography * Crosses, Cher, a French municipality * Crosses, Arkansas, a small community located in the Ozarks of north west Arkansas Language * Crosses, a truce term used in East Anglia and Lincolnshire ...

into the area, courtesy of his distribution and ability to make attacking runs, which enabled him to cover the flank effectively. He was also capable of playing as a

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

defensive Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

midfielder, and was even used as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

on occasion, due to his consistency, awareness, and man-marking ability. He was also an accurate penalty taker. In spite of his reserved character, his sportsmanship, fair-play attitude, professionalism, discipline, elegant playing style, and gregariousness made him an important, well-liked, and respected figure in the dressing room, among both his teammates and managers.

Coaching career

Following his retirement, Pessotto was successively appointed as the new Juventus team manager.

Alleged suicide attempt

Weeks after his retirement as a footballer, he survived a 15-metre fall from a fourth storey window at the headquarters of Juventus, on 27 June 2006. As he was holding a

rosary The Rosary (; la, , in the sense of "crown of roses" or "garland of roses"), also known as the Dominican Rosary, or simply the Rosary, refers to a set of prayers used primarily in the Catholic Church, and to the physical string of knots or b ...

, it is believed that he was attempting suicide in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal which led his club to be stripped of two

titles and relegated in

for their first time in history. He suffered multiple fractures and internal bleeding from the fall. On 17 July 2006, medical staff declared him out of danger and stated that he would not have long-term mental damage or physical paralysis. His wife Reana later declared it had not been a suicide attempt, but that Pessotto had blacked-out. After recovering Pessotto resumed his managerial duties. In the summer of 2009 he was appointed '' Primavera'' (U-20) coach, replacing former teammate

, who had been just been named the new first team manager.

Honours

Club

Juventus *

: 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03 *

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

* Intercontinental Cup:

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

: 1995–96 *

: Runner-up: 1996–97, 1997–98, 2002–03 *

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

International

Italy *

UEFA European Championship The UEFA European Football Championship, less formally the European Championship and informally the Euro, is the primary association football tournament organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). The competition is contes ...

: Runner-up:

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

Individual

Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea" The ''Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea"'' (""Gaetano Scirea" Exemplary Career National Award") is a recognition dedicated to footballers over the age of 30 playing in Italy's Serie A. Established in 1992, the prize is awarded an ...

: 1995

Orders

: 5th Class / Knight: '' Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana'': 2000

References

External links

*
Report on Channel 4 Website
* Jonathan O'Brien, ''

The Sunday Business Post The ''Business Post'' (formerly ''The Sunday Business Post'') is a Sunday newspaper distributed nationally in Ireland and an online publication. It is focused mainly on business and financial issues in Ireland. Founding to Irish financial crisi ...

'', 16 July 2006
"The Italian Job"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pessotto, Gianluca 1970 births Living people People from Latisana Association football fullbacks Italian footballers Italy international footballers Italy youth international footballers A.C. Milan players Bologna F.C. 1909 players Hellas Verona F.C. players Torino F.C. players Juventus F.C. players 1998 FIFA World Cup players UEFA Euro 2000 players U.S. Massese 1919 players S.S.D. Varese Calcio players Serie A players Serie B players Serie C players UEFA Champions League winning players Knights of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Footballers from Friuli Venezia Giulia