Gianluca Pessotto

Gianluca Pessotto

Personal information
Date of birth	August 11, 1970 (1970-08-11) (age 39)
Place of birth	Latisana, Italy
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Playing position	Defender/Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1989–1991	Varese	64	(1)
1991–1992	Massese	22	(1)
1992–1993	Bologna	21	(1)
1993–1994	Verona	34	(3)
1994–1995	Torino	32	(1)
1995–2006	Juventus	243	(2)
National team
1996–2002	Italy	22	(1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Gianluca Pessotto (born August 11, 1970 in Latisana, Italy) is a former football player who spent the majority of his career with Juventus F.C., where he currently serves as team manager.

A versatile player, Pessotto was able to play as a full back or midfielder, preferably on the left side.

Career

Born in Latisana, in the province of Udine, Pessotto started his career in the A.C. Milan youth system. As a player, Pessotto spent time with Varese (1989–1991), Massese (1991–92), Bologna (1992–93), Hellas Verona (1993–94), Torino (1994–95) and Juventus (1995–2006). He was one of many experienced players who had been at Juventus for a lengthy period of time, together with players such as Ciro Ferrara, Antonio Conte and Alessandro Del Piero. Injuries and other issues in the closing stages of his career limited his first-team opportunities to mainly being used a substitute to Jonathan Zebina. Pessotto retired at the end of the 2005–06 Serie A season.

Among his achievements as a football player, Pessotto won the UEFA Champions League in 1996 (played in 4 CL Finals), the UEFA Super Cup in 1996, the Intercontinental Cup in 1996, 1 UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2000, 6 Scudetti (1997, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006) and 4 Italian Super Cups (1997, 1998, 2002, 2003), 1 Coppa Italia in 1995, all with Juventus FC.

For Italy, Pessotto was capped 22 times. He played for his country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2000. In Euro 2000, Pessotto scored a penalty in the shootout win over Holland which sent Italy into the final. However, he only picked up a runners-up medal, as Italy lost after conceding a last minute equaliser, and then conceded a David Trézéguet golden goal.

Career honours

• Serie A
  • Winner (4): 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03 (2004–05 and 2005–06 titles revoked)
  • Runner-up (3): 1995–96, 1999–00, 2000–01
• Coppa Italia
  • Winner (1): 1994–95
  • Runner-up (2): 2001–02; 2003–04
• Supercoppa Italiana
  • Winner (4): 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003
  • Runner-up (1): 1998, 2005
• UEFA Champions League
  • Winner (1): 1995–96
  • Runner-up (3): 1996–97, 1997–98, 2002–03
• UEFA Super Cup
  • Winner (1): 1996
• Intercontinental Cup
  • Winner (1): 1996
• UEFA Intertoto Cup
  • Winner (1): 1999
• UEFA European Football Championship
  • Runner-up (1): 2000

Pessotto's fall from a building

Following his retirement, Pessotto was successively appointed as the new Juventus team manager. 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, it is believed that he was attempting suicide. He later admitted that he had attempted to commit suicide in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal which led his club to be stripped of two Serie A titles and relegated in Serie B for their first time in history.

Though not implicated in the scandal, Pessotto was said to be feeling depressed and unhappy with his role at the club.^[1][2] 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.^[3]

Following his recovery, Pessotto returned into Juventus in his role as team manager.

References

External links

• Report on Channel 4 Website
• Jonathan O'Brien, The Sunday Business Post, 16 July 2006, "The Italian Job"

v • d • e Italy squad – 1998 FIFA World Cup 1 Toldo • 2 Bergomi • 3 P. Maldini • 4 Cannavaro • 5 Costacurta • 6 Nesta • 7 Pessotto • 8 Torricelli • 9 Albertini • 10 Del Piero • 11 D. Baggio • 12 Pagliuca • 13 Cois • 14 Di Biagio • 15 Di Livio • 16 Di Matteo • 17 Moriero • 18 R. Baggio • 19 Inzaghi • 20 Chiesa • 21 Vieri • 22 Buffon • Coach: C. Maldini

v • d • e Italy squad – UEFA Euro 2000 1 Abbiati • 2 Ferrara • 3 Maldini • 4 Albertini • 5 Cannavaro • 6 Negro • 7 Di Livio • 8 Conte • 9 Inzaghi • 10 Del Piero • 11 Pessotto • 12 Toldo • 13 Nesta • 14 Di Biagio • 15 Iuliano • 16 Ambrosini • 17 Zambrotta • 18 Fiore • 19 Montella • 20 Totti • 21 Delvecchio • 22 Antonioli • Coach: Zoff