Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterGoalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca was at the heart of Italy's 1994 World Cup campaign, which culminated in one of football's most iconic penalty shootouts.The former Sampdoria and Inter Milan stopper, that tournament remains a mixture of personal redemption, near-disaster and a reminder that a whole football career can be defined by a single moment.More than three decades on, Pagliuca reflects on that summer with both pride and a sense of 'what if' that still lingers on.Pagliuca on his USA 94 journeyThe 59-year-old's tournament began with him making unwanted history when he became the first goalkeeper ever to be sent off at a World Cup when he was dismissed against Norway on the group stage."At the time, it felt like a stab to the heart," Pagliuca recalls to FourFourTwo. "Id gone to the World Cup with big ambitions and that red card could have cost me my place in the starting XI. I didnt know what would happen when I returned. You may like My penalty heroics against Costa Rica were a dream. Louis van Gaals biggest regret was not repeating it in the semis Tim Krul on the Netherlands World Cup 2014 shootout win Thierry Henry reflects on losing the 2006 Champions League and World Cup finals USA '94 legacy: why two big misses didn't prevent a World Cup hit "Luca Marchegiani, my backup, did really well in my absence. He was a friend, but I was worried, as I missed the game against Mexico and the last 16 against Nigeria. Before the quarter-final with Spain, assistant coach Carlo Ancelotti and goalkeeping coach Pietro Carmignani came to my room to tell me Id be starting again."They also told me not to tell Marchegiani, because theyd handle it. I was overjoyed. During dinner, Luca asked if Id heard anything. I said no, even though I already knew theyd asked me to keep it secret. We still laugh about it today. Luca was a great keeper and a funny guy."Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Italy would progress to the final, where Pagliuca produced one of the tournament's iconic moments when he kissed his glove and tapped the post against Brazil after Mauro Silva's shot went through his hands, hit the upright and came back to him."That moment changed my life," he admits. "If that ball had gone in, we would have lost the final because of my mistake. Id have been scarred forever. I would have kept playing, but the error would have defined me. Just think about what happened to Walter Zenga during the 1990 World Cup semi-final, when Caniggias header ended Italys dream that World Cup should have been ours, we were the stronger side."So yes, that post saved my life, and my future. Today, everybody remembers the kiss to the post and not the fumble. I was lucky it came down to a matter of inches."Pagliuca's luck would run out in that final, however, as Italy went on to lose the final on penalties."At first, when you lose a final like that, it doesnt fully sink in," he continues. "You tell yourself you lost and life goes on. The real awareness comes 20 or 30 years later, when you realise what you actually lost. Those are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities."Look at Italys 2006 team: theyre all heroes today because they won on penalties. We lost and history remembers us differently. Life can change in a matter of seconds or centimetres."TOPICSItalyBrazilWorld CupJoe MewisSocial Links NavigationFor more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others and worked at FourFourTwo throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown.With contributions fromDaniele Verri
