Albano Bizarri
Encyclopedia
Albano Benjamín Bizzarri (born 9 November 1977 in Villa María
, Córdoba) is an Argentine
footballer who plays for S.S. Lazio
in Serie A
, as a goalkeeper. He also holds an Italian
passport
.
in the Argentine League, where his good performances drew attention from La Liga
powerhouse Real Madrid
, which signed him in 1999. Unsettled and blocked by the emergence of 18-year-old Iker Casillas
, he battled for second-choice status with former West German international
Bodo Illgner
, being a used player in the victorious UEFA Champions League
campaign.
During the summer of 2000 Bizzarri was transferred to Real Valladolid
, eventually becoming first-choice (from 2002–04 he did not miss one single league game, but his team would be relegated in the latter).
In 2006–07 he played for Gimnàstic de Tarragona
, in another season that ended in top flight demotion. In June 2007, Bizzarri signed a one-year deal with Italy
's Calcio Catania
, a link that would be renewed at the season's end, for an equal period.
During 2008–09, Bizzarri became Catania's first-choice under new coach Walter Zenga
, after spending most of his first season in on the bench, behind Ciro Polito
. His performances where consistent throughout the campaign, with the Sicily
outfit retaining its league status, as Bizzarri's performances also allowed him to be part of Goal.com
's weekly "Serie A
Team of the Week" more than any other goalkeeper in the competition.
Despite some stellar performances, Bizzarri admitted, towards the end of the campaign, he would not be renewing his contract with Catania. Following this announcement, coach Zenga opted to drop him to the bench, so young Slovakia
n Tomáš Košický
could gain some topflight experience.
In June 2009, Bizzarri signed for S.S. Lazio
, on a free transfer. In his first year
, he backed up another South America
n, Uruguay
an Fernando Muslera
, as the Rome
outfit barely avoided relegation. He appeared four times in the season's UEFA Europa League, winning two and losing two (seven goals conceded).
for Argentina
, Bizzarri was part of the nation's final squad at the 1999 Copa América.
Villa María
Villa María is a city in Córdoba Province, Argentina, and the head town of the General San Martín Department. It is located in the center of rich agricultural land. The area leads the country in production of milk...
, Córdoba) is an Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
footballer who plays for S.S. Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, as a goalkeeper. He also holds an Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
.
Club career
Bizzarri began his career Racing Club de AvellanedaRacing Club de Avellaneda
Racing Club is an Argentine professional football club from Avellaneda, a suburb of Greater Buenos Aires. Founded in 1903, Racing has been historically considered one of the "big five" clubs of Argentine football...
in the Argentine League, where his good performances drew attention from La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
powerhouse Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
, which signed him in 1999. Unsettled and blocked by the emergence of 18-year-old Iker Casillas
Íker Casillas
Iker Casillas Fernández is a Spanish football goalkeeper who plays for the Spanish La Liga club Real Madrid and the Spanish national team, being the captain of both...
, he battled for second-choice status with former West German international
Germany national football team
The Germany national football team is the football team that has represented Germany in international competition since 1908. It is governed by the German Football Association , which was founded in 1900....
Bodo Illgner
Bodo Illgner
Bodo Illgner is a retired German footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.During his career, he played for 1. FC Köln and Real Madrid, and helped West Germany to the 1990 World Cup, where he became the first goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in a World Cup final.-Club career:Born in Koblenz, Illgner...
, being a used player in the victorious UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
campaign.
During the summer of 2000 Bizzarri was transferred to Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid
Real Valladolid Club de Fútbol, S.A.D. is a Spanish football club based in Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, from where the nickname Pucela is derived....
, eventually becoming first-choice (from 2002–04 he did not miss one single league game, but his team would be relegated in the latter).
In 2006–07 he played for Gimnàstic de Tarragona
Gimnàstic de Tarragona
Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona, usually referred to as Nàstic, is a Spanish sports club based in Tarragona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia. Its football team currently plays in Segunda División....
, in another season that ended in top flight demotion. In June 2007, Bizzarri signed a one-year deal with Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
's Calcio Catania
Calcio Catania
Calcio Catania is an Italian football club founded in 1908 and based in Catania, Sicily. The club has spent much of its history in Serie B, gaining promotion to Italy's top league Serie A five times...
, a link that would be renewed at the season's end, for an equal period.
During 2008–09, Bizzarri became Catania's first-choice under new coach Walter Zenga
Walter Zenga
Walter Zenga is a retired Italian footballer and current manager. He is a long-time goalkeeper for the Italian national team and Internazionale. He also holds Romanian citizenship...
, after spending most of his first season in on the bench, behind Ciro Polito
Ciro Polito
Ciro Polito is an Italian footballer currently contracted to Atalanta, in the Italian Serie A.-Salernitana:Ciro Polito began his footballing career with the youth system of Salerno based club, Salernitana Sport, in the mid 1990s, and began to earn senior call-ups in 1997...
. His performances where consistent throughout the campaign, with the Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
outfit retaining its league status, as Bizzarri's performances also allowed him to be part of Goal.com
Goal.com
Goal.com, founded in 2004 by Chicco Merighi and former Ferrari Maserati and Ralph Lauren President and CEO Gian Luigi Longinotti-Buitoni, is a website for international football news. Goal.com represents the largest football community in the world, with 22 language versions, covering over 200...
's weekly "Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
Team of the Week" more than any other goalkeeper in the competition.
Despite some stellar performances, Bizzarri admitted, towards the end of the campaign, he would not be renewing his contract with Catania. Following this announcement, coach Zenga opted to drop him to the bench, so young Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
n Tomáš Košický
Tomáš Košický
Tomáš Košický is a Slovakian goalkeeper, who currently plays for Calcio Catania in the Italian Serie A.-Inter Bratislava:...
could gain some topflight experience.
In June 2009, Bizzarri signed for S.S. Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
, on a free transfer. In his first year
2009–10 Serie A
The 2009–10 Serie A was the seventy-eighth season since its establishment. There were three promoted teams from the Serie B, replacing the three teams that were relegated following the 2008–09 season. Nike provided a new match ball - the T90 Ascente - for this season...
, he backed up another South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
an Fernando Muslera
Fernando Muslera
Néstor Fernando Muslera Micol is an Uruguayan footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Galatasaray and is first-choice keeper for the Uruguayan national team.-Uruguay:...
, as the Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
outfit barely avoided relegation. He appeared four times in the season's UEFA Europa League, winning two and losing two (seven goals conceded).
International career
Although he never gained a capCap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
for Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
, Bizzarri was part of the nation's final squad at the 1999 Copa América.