Toldo talks tall

Italy is blessed with some fine goalkeepers. Lazio's Luca Marchegiani
and Parma's Gianluigi Buffon are two good reasons why their clubs are battling for the
title. Fiorentina owe much to their giant, Francesco Toldo. Dominique Anotognoni reports.

Francesco Toldo says: "I'm the No. 1" says Francesco Toldo. And he was
neither talking in his sleep nor under the influence of drink or drugs. He came out with
the bold statement before the match against Juventus, answering questions about Angelo
Peruzzi, the Italian national team's goalkeeper. Many thought it was just provocation. For
others it was boastful talk.
Many though felt he was telling the truth because at the moment he's at the top of the
Serie A goalkeeper rankings. Coach Giovanni Trapattoni says that Fiorentina have gained
seven or eight points just thanks to him. It's true. In the games against Roma, Milan,
Cagliari and Bologna, he made several superb saves as the No I man should do.
He might have taken a further step forward towards the national team but, just before
the Azzurri's double contest with Denmark and Belarus, he sprained his right ankle.
However, there's no hurry. Together with Gianluigi Buffon, he will undoubtedly be the
Italian national team's goalkeeper in the next few years. He won his first cap by
replacing Luca Bucci sent off in Split against Croatia in 1995, and was Italy's third
goalkeeper at the European Championship and at the World Cup. Now the time has come to
become a regular international and improve on his six appearances so far.
With Trapattoni's arrival at Fiorentina, the entire team has improved, especially
physically. They are more eager to win, sweat, fight, and overcome obstacles both to beat
the opponents and to surpass themselves. Toldo, too, has made great strides. He has also
benefited from the tactical system used by Trap, who has made defence a fundamental
element of his team.
So Francesco, who had started his career as a defender at Padova, is now one of the
pillars of Fiorentina, and isn't going to give up. He wants to become the best Italian
goalkeeper. He can make it, for he possesses great willpower, which he already displayed
at the time he played for Montebelluna. His first coach, Giancarlo Caporello, remembers
that Toldo was eager to please and had an impressive physique.
Francesco was noticed and signed by Milan, who loaned him to Verona, Trento and then
Ravenna. There he had the luck to meet Lorenzo Di lorio, the goalkeepers' trainer of the
team, now assistant Coach of Venezia. Di lorio remembers him as a boy with lots of
defects. "For example, he only jumped with one leg, and so I thought he had some
physical problems. But he had a great quality, an incredible self­control unusual for his
age.
On his arrival at Fiorentina in 1993, Toldo found Claudio Ranieri on the bench while
the goalkeeper's trainer was Pellizzaro, who moulded him physically. Now he is trained by
Adriano Bardin who, at the beginning, worked with Toldo especially at a psychological
level. "I asked him to set an example to his teammates. I made him assume
responsibilities. And perhaps this has spurred him." I was eager to find out:

Q: Francesco, are you the one who has made Fiorentina great this season, or is it
Fiorentina who has made you great?

Toldo: Both things are true. This is my best year so far. On the other hand Fiorentina,
with their present play have protected me.

Q: Could you explain?

Toldo: Last season, under Coach Alberto Malesani, I was almost a sweeper. Now, with
Trapattoni, I keep my place and I'm very much protected by defence. I no longer have to
take risks. I just have to concentrate on saves between the posts.

Q: You are also much more aggressive, in the best sense of the term...

Toldo: it's true. With Trap, this comes naturally. He gives you that fantastic charge.
He's unique.

Q: Besides the defence set out by Trapattoni, there must be another reason for your
wonderful performances.

Toldo: I'm growing up. The time has come to show my real worth. Bardin, the
goalkeepers' trainer has helped me to improve my concentration. Now, I never lose it.
Still, part of the credit must also go to my teammates, and I'm talking seriously. There
are many elements that influence a player's performance, and none of them is marginal,
even though the most important one is the energy you've got in yourself. You can do
anything if you really want it.

Q: Your reflexes, too, are better than before and when you saved Signori and Boban's
shots, against Bologna and Milan, you proved it.

Toldo: True. I'm also more agile, which is not easy if you are 1.96m tall.

Q: What are your objectives?

Toldo: To become the No I. I'm working with this aim in mind every day. If I want to
remain at these levels, I'll have to keep on working as I'm doing now.

Q: Who's your idol?

Toldo: Enrico Albertosi, the former Italy and Fiorentina 'keeper. When I meet him at
the training centre, I always touch his moustache.

Q: Have you ever done something for luck?

Toldo: Yes, before every match, I hug Gian Mareggini, the team's second goalkeeper, a
wonderful boy.

Q: Do you live alone?

Toldo: No, I don't I live with my sister Giuliana, who plays handball for Romanella
Firenze in A2. We have been trained by our parents to stay together and help one other.

Q: Does she come to see you at the stadium?

Toldo: When she has time. But my favourite fan is my grandmother Norma. She is 82.

Taken from Football Italia volume 5 issue 5
Thanks to Debs for transcripting the article