Angelo Pagotto

Angelo Pagotto (born 21 November 1973, in Verbania, Piedmont, Italy) is an Italian former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He served an eight-year ban from football for failing a drugs test.

Angelo Pagotto
Personal information
Date of birth (1973-11-21) 21 November 1973
Place of birth Verbania, Piedmont, Italy
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1992–1994 Napoli
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1994–1995 Pistoiese 34 (0)
1995–1996 Sampdoria 24 (0)
1996–1997 A.C. Milan 8 (0)
1997–1998 Perugia 30 (0)
1998 Empoli 4 (0)
1998 Reggiana 12 (0)
1998–2000 Perugia 8 (0)
2001–2003 Triestina 52 (0)
2003–2005 Arezzo 82 (0)
2005–2006 Torino 0 (0)
2006–2007 Grosseto 8 (0)
2007 → Crotone (loan) 5 (0)
National team
1991–1992 Italy U-18 3 (0)
1994–1996 Italy U-21 10 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Club

He reached the peak of his career in the 1996–97 season when he joined Serie A giants A.C. Milan after spells with Sampdoria and minnows Pistoiese. Giorgio Morini originally planned to use Pagotto as Rossoneri's first choice goalkeeper, but by the end of the season he was only second-choice behind Sebastiano Rossi. He spent just one season at Milan, making eight league appearances in the process, before moving on to fellow Serie A side Perugia.

Following a short stay at the Stadio Renato Curi, Pagotto had spells at Empoli and Reggiana in Serie B before returning to Perugia for another season. After his second run at the Umbrian outfit, he dropped down two divisions to play for the Serie C1/A side Triestina and was instrumental in their successful 2001–02 season that saw them finish runners-up and earn promotion to the Serie B.

He spent another season at Triestina, helping them finish 5th in their first season in Serie B since the 1990–91 season before dropping back down a division with Arezzo. Arezzo conceded just 27 times in 34 games in the 2003–04 season (with Pagotto playing on 30 occasions in the league) as they marched to the title, something Pagotto just missed out on two seasons earlier with Triestina. He remained their first choice goalkeeper in Serie B as Amaranto survived relegation.

Since leaving the Stadio Città di Arezzo in 2005, Pagotto has had spells with Torino and Grosseto, before ending his career at Crotone.

International

Pagotto was the first-choice goalkeeper for the Italy Under 21s national side between 1994 and 1996. He is a two-time winner of the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, both times under the guidance of then manager Cesare Maldini. He notched a total of ten caps for the Azzurrini. However, he was never capped with the Azzurri.

He was also part of the squad that competed at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics alongside such players as Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Nesta, Gianluca Pagliuca and Christian Panucci.

Drug scandal

On 28 April 2007, just before a game in the Serie B between Pagotto's Crotone and Spezia, Angelo Pagotto tested positive for cocaine. He pleaded guilty at a hearing on 30 July and was banned from professional football for life. However, Pagotto appealed and on 14 September, his sentence was decreased to eight years. His ban expired on 2015, when Pagotto was 41.

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