Gianluca Pagliuca and the aesthetics of the perfect goalkeeper

Often counted among the best goalkeepers of all time, Gianluca Pagliuca was one of the iconic goalkeepers of 1990s football, not only for his technique, but above all for his aesthetics. In a recent interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Inter goalkeeper said: 'I didn't wear ugly shirts, by choice. I never once went out onto the pitch unhappy with the jersey I was wearing'. And indeed, his comment reflects the truth. Over the years, Pagliuca wore colourful and flamboyant jerseys, just as he wanted them, with an obviously over fit nothing like the ones we see today. The jerseys used up until the early 2000s were much heavier and less performing than those designed today, made with new technologies and as few seams as possible in order to reduce the weight as much as possible. In the interview, the former Italian goalkeeper also revealed some backstories that would be unthinkable and impractical for any brand or sponsor today. One of his favourite jerseys in fact, the one worn at Sampdoria in the year we started to get to know the real Pagliuca, a starter and immovable, was designed at his express request by Reusch, his glove sponsor, instead of Asics, then technical sponsor of the Sampdoria team. A design chosen and conceived with the Italian company, which then embroidered the logo of the Japanese company on it. 

Not only Samp, the shirts worn with the Milan team are also unforgettable, and Pagliuca spoke about them in the interview, rattling off another anecdote that is impossible to repeat today. In the year Umbro was sponsoring both Inter and Tottenham, the Italian goalkeeper called the English company asking to wear the same shirt as Spurs, a request immediately granted but with some reservations. Umbro in fact sent the shirt with Tottenham's logo, which was then obviously modified for the match, stitching over that of the Nerazzurri. "The goalkeeper must be flamboyant, what I see today I don't like very much," he continues in the interview. Today, in fact, the role of the goalkeeper has been totally turned upside down. Today, compared to the past, a goalkeeper is also required to have a certain dexterity with his feet, he is the one who starts the game with the much-discussed build-up from below. The extreme defender today also lives outside his penalty area, he must be very careful to measure and dose his exits, and as in the cases of Maignan and Ederson, he can be decisive in the construction of a goal action. Last season, in fact, these two goalkeepers ticked the assist box, serving up perfect balls for their sprinters to gently send over the goal line. Qualities that were certainly not used in the 1990s, where football was certainly different, much more physical and cumbersome in certain aspects. And just as the role of the goalkeeper has changed, so has its aesthetics. Today, in fact, there are few brands that decide to create a goalkeeper shirt worthy of note that does not take up the classic basic colours, useful to distinguish them from the moving players. A sort of bubble in which the extreme defenders are now in, except for a few sporadic cases, such as that of Bari and LC23, who last season showed how a goalkeeper can still have a colourful and somewhat unconventional kit.

And since many elements and patterns from the past have been taken up this year for the jerseys of the movement players, who knows whether the brands might decide to reverse course again, returning to give us kits like those worn by Gianluca Pagliuca, who marked the aesthetic of the perfect goalkeeper on the field.