Angelo Peruzzi
A formidable and agile presence in goal, he anchored Italy's most dominant club side and their 2006 World Cup triumph.
Born 1970 (age 56)·Italian footballer·Birthday: February 16·Generation X
Biography
Angelo Peruzzi's career is a study in resilience and elite performance. Bursting onto the scene as a teenage prodigy at Roma, he soon became a cornerstone of the Juventus dynasty of the 1990s, winning three Serie A titles and the Champions League. Standing relatively short for a goalkeeper, he compensated with explosive reflexes, commanding authority, and an almost preternatural sense of positioning. His move to Lazio in 2000 cemented his status as a legend, where he added another Scudetto. The pinnacle came in 2006, when, as Italy's starting goalkeeper, his crucial saves helped steer the Azzurri to a fourth World Cup in Berlin. After retirement, he brought the same intense focus to coaching, shaping the next generation of goalkeepers.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Angelo was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Angelo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Angelo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- He was the starting goalkeeper for Italy during their victorious 2006 FIFA World Cup campaign.
- Peruzzi won the UEFA Champions League with Juventus in 1996.
- He secured three Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year awards (1997, 1998, 2007).
- He won Serie A titles with three different clubs: Juventus, Lazio, and Inter Milan.
Did You Know?
He made his Serie A debut at just 17 years old for A.S. Roma.
Peruzzi was known for his distinctive, all-black goalkeeper kit.
He began his career as an outfield player before switching to goalkeeper at age 10.
After retirement, he served as the head of the goalkeeping department for the Italian national team.
“A goalkeeper must be the first to attack and the last to defend.”
