Pierluigi Pizzaballa

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Pierluigi Pizzaballa

| image = 1970–71 AC Hellas Verona - Pier Luigi Pizzaballa.jpg

| caption = Pizzaballa with Verona in 1970

| full_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1939|9|14}}

| birth_place = Bergamo, Italy

| height = 1.75 m

| position = Goalkeeper

| currentclub =

| youthyears1 = 1958

| youthclubs1 = Verdello

| years1 = 1958–1966

| clubs1 = Atalanta

| caps1 = 87

| goals1 = 0

| years2 = 1966–1969

| clubs2 = Roma

| caps2 = 70

| goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1969–1973

| clubs3 = Verona

| caps3 = 79

| goals3 = 0

| years4 = 1973–1976

| clubs4 = A.C. Milan

| caps4 = 10

| goals4 = 0

| years5 = 1976–1980

| clubs5 = Atalanta

| caps5 = 54

| goals5 = 0

| totalcaps = 300

| totalgoals = 0

| nationalyears1 = 1966

| nationalteam1 = Italy

| nationalcaps1 = 1

| nationalgoals1 = 0

}}

Pierluigi Pizzaballa ({{IPA|it|ˌpjɛrluˈiːdʒi pittsaˈballa}}; born 14 September 1939) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.{{NFT player|17947|accessdate=}}

Club career

Pizzaballa started his club career with Atalanta, where he became one of Serie A's top Italian goalkeepers, before moving to Roma in 1966.{{cite web|url=http://www.storiedicalcio.altervista.org/pierluigi_pizzaballa.html|title=PIERLUIGI PIZZABALLA: NUMERO 1, IN FIGURINA|publisher=Storie di Calcio|language=Italian|accessdate=2 January 2015}} He subsequently played for Hellas Verona and AC Milan, and he finished his career back at Atalanta, earning 275 appearances in Serie A.{{citation needed|date=February 2025}} In his career he won four Coppa Italia trophies (one with Atalanta, one with Roma, and two with Milan), a Serie B title with Atalanta, and a European Cup Winners' Cup with Milan.

International career

Pizzaballa earned one cap for the Italy national team on 18 June 1966, coming on as a substitute against Austria, and was in the Italian squad at the 1966 FIFA World Cup,{{cite web | website=Planet World Cup| title=Italy's World Cup squad 1966 | url=http://www.planetworldcup.com/CUPS/1966/squad_ita66.html | access-date=2025-05-08}} although he did not play a match in the competition, as he was a backup to Enrico Albertosi.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080404002618/http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/statisticsandrecords/players/player=69877/index.html FIFA stats]{{cite web|url=http://www.figc.it/nazionali/DettaglioConvocato?codiceConvocato=839&squadra=1|title=Convocazioni e presenze in campo|publisher=FIGC|language=Italian|accessdate=2 January 2015}} Although he was considered one of the best Italian goalkeepers of his generation, he received little space with the national side due to the presence of many other notable goalkeepers during his time, in addition to Albertosi, such as Lorenzo Buffon, Fabio Cudicini, Carlo Mattrel, Roberto Anzolin, Giuliano Sarti, Lido Vieri, and Dino Zoff.

Personal life

In addition to his success and ability as a footballer, Pizzaballa also achieved fame throughout his career because of his iconic surname, and also as his Panini Italian footballing card was supposedly extremely difficult to obtain.{{cite web|url=http://mattinopadova.gelocal.it/sport/2015/01/11/news/ma-pizzaballa-non-era-cosi-difficile-1.10646769|title=Album Panini, ma Pizzaballa non era così difficile...|publisher=Il Mattino di Padova|language=Italian|author1=Carlo Cruccu|date=11 January 2015|accessdate=1 April 2017}}

He is the uncle of Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem.{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/05/middleeast/cardinal-pizzaballa-jerusalem-pope-contender-intl-cmd|title=Why Pizzaballa, Jerusalem’s first cardinal and an advocate for peace, could be a long-shot contender for pope|publisher=CNN|language=English|author1=Noga Tarnopolsky|date=6 May 2025|accessdate=7 May 2025}}