Albano Bizzarri

 ( 1977 Births ) 

Albano Benjamín Bizzarri (born 9 November 1977) is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

He spent the vast majority of his professional career in Spain and Italy, starting out at Real Madrid in 1999.

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Club career

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Spain Born in Etruria, Córdoba of Italians, Bizzarri began his career with Racing Club in the Argentine Primera División, 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 Bodo Illgner, being a used player in the club's victorious campaign in the UEFA Champions League.

In the summer of 2000, Bizzarri was transferred to Real Valladolid, eventually becoming the starter. He did not miss one single league game from 2002 to 2004, but his team would be relegated from the top flight in the latter season.

Bizzarri played for Gimnàstic in 2006–07, in another campaign that ended in top-tier relegation.

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Italy In June 2007, Bizzarri signed a two-year deal with Italy's Catania FC, a contract that would be renewed at the end of the season for an equal period. During 2008–09, he became first-choice under new coach Walter Zenga, after spending most of his debut campaign as a reserve behind Ciro Polito. His performances were consistent as the Sicily side retained their league status, and the player'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 season he would not be renewing his link with Catania. Following this announcement, manager Zenga opted to drop him to the bench so young Tomáš Košický could gain some experience.

Bizzarri joined fellow top-flight club SS Lazio in June 2009, on a free transfer. In his first two years, he backed up another South American, Uruguayan Fernando Muslera, as the Rome team ranked 12th in the first (he added four appearances in the UEFA Europa League, winning two, losing two and conceding seven goals).

The 36-year-old Bizzarri moved to AC ChievoVerona in summer 2014, renewing his contract for two years at the end of the season. On 1 July 2016, he signed a one-year deal with Pescara, which included an automatic one-year renewal in the case of top-division survival.

On 16 July 2018, after a further campaign in the main division with Udinese Calcio, Bizzarri joined Serie B club Foggia. In the following transfer window, he was loaned to Perugia also of the latter tier until 30 June.

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International career Although he never earned a cap for Argentina, Bizzarri was part of the nation's final squad at the 1999 Copa América.

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Career statistics

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Real Madrid	1999–00	La Liga	0
Real Valladolid	2000–01	La Liga	0
	2001–02		0
	2002–03		0
	2003–04		0
	2004–05	Segunda División	0
	2005–06		0
Gimnàstic	2006–07	La Liga	0
Catania FC	2007–08	Serie A	0
	2008–09		0
SS Lazio	2009–10	Serie A	0
	2010–11		0
	2011–12		0
	2012–13		0
Genoa CFC	2013–14	Serie A	0
AC ChievoVerona	2014–15	Serie A	0
	2015–16		0
Pescara	2016–17	Serie A	0
Udinese Calcio	2017–18	Serie A	0

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Honours Real Madrid

• UEFA Champions League: 1999–2000

Lazio

• Coppa Italia: 2012–13
• Supercoppa Italiana: 2009

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External links

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