) is 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...

 footballer who plays as a goalkeeper

Goalkeeper (football)

In association football, the goalkeeper occupies a position that represents the last line of defence between the opponent's offence and his own team's goal. The primary role of the goalkeeper is to defend his team's goal and prevent the opposition from scoring a goal...

. He is four years into an eight year ban from football for failing a drugs test.

Club

He reached the peak of his career in the 1996-97 season when he joined Serie A giants AC Milan

A.C. Milan

Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...

 after spells with Sampdoria

U.C. Sampdoria

Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...

 and minnows Pistoiese

A.C. Pistoiese

Unione Sportiva Pistoiese 1921 is an Italian association football club, based in Pistoia, Tuscany.At the end of the 2010-11 Eccellenza season, Pistoiese was promoted to Serie D....

. Giorgio Morini

Giorgio Morini

Giorgio Morini is an Italian midfielder, who coached the Italian football team AC Milan for part of the 1996-97 season. As a player, Morini was part of the Serie A winning team of 1978/79.- Career :...

 originally planned to use Pagotto as Rossoneris first choice goalkeeper, but by the end of the season he was only second-choice behind Sebastiano Rossi

Sebastiano Rossi

Sebastiano Rossi is a retired Italian footballer who played as a goalkeeper.During a 21-year professional career, he appeared in 346 Serie A games, most notably representing A.C. Milan , with which he won 12 major titles, namely five national championships and the 1994 UEFA Champions...

. He spent just one season at Milan, making eight league appearances in the process, before moving on to fellow Serie A side Perugia

Perugia Calcio

Associazione Calcistica Perugia Calcio is an Italian association football club based in Perugia, Umbria, direct heir of the old Perugia Calcio and A.C. Perugia, excluded from Italian football because of financial troubles....

.

Following a short stay at the Stadio Renato Curi

Stadio Renato Curi

The Stadio Renato Curi is a football stadium in the Italian city of Perugia.It is home to Perugia Calcio. The stadium is named after Renato Curi, who died from a heart attack during a game against Juventus on October 30, 1977...

, Pagotto had spells at Empoli

Empoli F.C.

Empoli Football Club is an Italian association football club located in Empoli, Tuscany, founded in 1920 and played its first official match in 1921.In recent years, the club has all too often been bouncing between Italy's two top divisions...

 and Reggiana

A.C. Reggiana 1919

Associazione Calcio Reggiana 1919 is an Italian association football club, based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1919 as A.C. Reggiana and refounded in July 2005 as Reggio Emilia F.C., but it was renamed A.C. Reggiana 1919 soon after the start of the 2005–06 season. The...

 in Serie B

Serie B

Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...

 before returning to Perugia for another season. After his second run at the Umbria

Umbria

Umbria is a region of modern central Italy. It is one of the smallest Italian regions and the only peninsular region that is landlocked.Its capital is Perugia.Assisi and Norcia are historical towns associated with St. Francis of Assisi, and St...

n outfit, he dropped down two divisions to play for the Serie C1/A side Triestina

U.S. Triestina Calcio

Unione Sportiva Triestina is an Italian football club based in Trieste, in the region of Friuli Venezia Giulia.It is in the season 2010-11 from Serie B, having returned there in 2002 after 11 seasons in Serie C and Serie D, the club was relegated to Lega Pro Prima Divisione.-History:The club was...

 and was instrumental in their successful 2001-02 season that saw them finish runners-up and earn promotion to the Serie B.

He spent another season at Triestina, helping them finish 5th in their first season in Serie B since the 1990-91 season before dropping back down a division with Arezzo

A.C. Arezzo

Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Atletico Arezzo is an Italian association football club based in Arezzo, Tuscany...

. Arezzo conceded just 27 times in 34 games in the 2003-04 season (with Pagotto playing on 30 occasions in the league) as they marched to the title, something Pagotto just missed out on two seasons earlier with Triestina. He remained their first choice goalkeeper in Serie B as Amaranto survived relegation.

Since leaving the Stadio Città di Arezzo in 2005, Pagotto has had spells with Torino

Torino F.C.

Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....

 and Grosseto

U.S. Grosseto F.C.

Unione Sportiva Grosseto Football Club is a professional Italian association football club, based in the city of Grosseto, Tuscany. The club was founded in 1912. The team's most associated nickname is grifone, after its logo, depicting a griffon...

, before ending his career at Crotone

F.C. Crotone

Football Club Crotone is an Italian football club based in Crotone, Calabria. Founded in 1923, it currently plays in Serie B, holding home games at Stadio Ezio Scida, which has a 9,631-seat capacity.-History:...

.

National

Pagotto was the first-choice goalkeeper for the Italy Under 21's

Italy national under-21 football team

The Italy national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Italy and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation.The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...

 national side between 1994 and 1996. He is a two-time winner of the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship

UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship

The European Under-21 Football Championship is a football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. It is held every two years. The competition has existed in its current form since 1978. It was preceded by the Under 23 Challenge Cup which ran from 1967 to 1970...

, both times under the guidance of then manager Cesare Maldini

Cesare Maldini

Cesare Maldini is an Italian football manager and former player. He played as a centre back and spent the majority of his career with AC Milan. Maldini also represented Italy at international level in the 1962 and 1966 World Cups. His son Paolo, also a defender, previously held the record for the...

. He notched a total of ten caps for the Azzurrini. However, he was never capped with the Azzurri

Italy national football team

The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...

.

He was also part of the squad that competed at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics alongside such players as Gianluigi Buffon

Gianluigi Buffon

Gianluigi "Gigi" Buffon, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Juventus and the Italian national team. He has won the FIFA World Cup and is widely considered by fans and experts to be one of most dominant and successful goalkeepers in history...

, Fabio Cannavaro

Fabio Cannavaro

Fabio Cannavaro, Ufficiale OMRI is a former Italian footballer considered one of the greatest defenders of all time and was given the name "Muro di Berlino" which means The Berlin wall by Italian supporters. He spent the majority of his career in Italy...

, Alessandro Nesta

Alessandro Nesta

Alessandro Nesta, Ufficiale OMRI , is an Italian World Cup-winning footballer who plays as a defender for Serie A club Milan. Considered by many as one of the best centre backs to have ever played the game, he is a four-time member of the annual UEFA Team of the Year.-Early life:Nesta was raised in...

, Gianluca Pagliuca and Christian Panucci

Christian Panucci

Christian Panucci is a retired Italian footballer. He was a member of the Italian national team. Panucci is a right back, but can also play as a centre back.-Early career:...

.

Drugs scandal

On 28 April 2007, just before a game in the Serie B

Serie B

Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...

 between Pagotto's Crotone

F.C. Crotone

Football Club Crotone is an Italian football club based in Crotone, Calabria. Founded in 1923, it currently plays in Serie B, holding home games at Stadio Ezio Scida, which has a 9,631-seat capacity.-History:...

 and Spezia

Spezia Calcio 1906

Spezia Calcio 1906 is an Italian football club, based in La Spezia, Liguria. Founded in 1906, the team's colors are black and white. The club's home ground is Stadio Alberto Picco.-1944 scudetto:...

, Angelo Pagotto tested positive for cocaine

Cocaine

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...

. He pleaded guilty at a hearing on 30 July and was banned from professional football for life. However, Pagotto appealed and on 14 September, his sentence was decreased to eight years. His ban will expire on 2015, when Pagotto will be 41.

External links