Massimo Taibi
Encyclopedia
Massimo Taibi is a retired Italian football goalkeeper, who played for several clubs, mostly in Italy's Serie A
, B
, and C1.
until 1989. He appeared only once, before moving to Trentino, where he was a first-choice goalkeeper, playing 23 matches. After one season, he moved to Milan
in Serie A
for the 1990–91 season. As in his first club, he was not used at all, and shortly moved to Como, where he played the following season. After that he moved to Piacenza
. Taibi stayed there for five seasons, until the 1996–97 season, and appeared for most of the club's games.
Piacenza thought his time was over, so they sold him to the club which had not played him, Milan. This time, Milan played him in half of the 1997–98 season's games as a backup to fellow teammate Sebastiano Rossi
. Then Milan sold him to Venezia
. In his first season with Venezia, he played in nearly every game.
purchased him for £
4.5 million. He made his debut against Liverpool
, where he flapped at a free kick, allowing Sami Hyypiä
to score. However, he later made a number of saves, including a one-on-one save from Vladimír Šmicer
. United went on to win 3–2 with Taibi getting the Man of the Match award. Taibi competed with the other two Manchester United goalkeepers, Mark Bosnich
and Raimond van der Gouw
, for the first-team place, but lost out after a gaffe against Southampton
that resulted in Matthew Le Tissier
scoring a goal. This match led to Taibi being dubbed 'The Blind Venetian' by one newspaper. He only played four matches, one of them being a 5–0 defeat at Chelsea, United's first league defeat since losing to Middlesbrough
in December 1998.
on loan until the end of the season, where he played regularly. After the loan spell ended, Manchester United made it clear that – although Taibi was available for transfer – another loan deal was out of the question, rejecting a bid from Napoli
. In July 2000, Manchester United agreed to allow Taibi to rejoin Reggina for a fee of £2.5 million. On 1 April 2001, Taibi scored a goal with a header off a corner kick
in the 87th minute against Udinese
to equalise the score at 1–1. With the goal, Taibi joined Michelangelo Rampulla
as the only goalkeepers to score from open play in Serie A history.
After his two-year spell at Reggina, he was shifted to Atalanta. In the summer of 2005, he went on loan to Torino
, serving as first-choice goalkeeper; the move became permanent in 2006, with Taibi however becoming the backup goalkeeper behind Christian Abbiati
. He made his seasonal debut on 13 January 2007. In 2007–08, he joined Ascoli, as Torino acquired the services of Matteo Sereni
.Taibi played 47 matches, before he announced his retirement from football in 2009.
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
, 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...
, and C1.
Italy
Taibi started his career for LicataS.S.D. Licata 1931
Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Licata 1931 is an Italian association football club located in Licata, Sicily. The traditional club colours of Licata is yellow and blue; known in Italy as giallloblu...
until 1989. He appeared only once, before moving to Trentino, where he was a first-choice goalkeeper, playing 23 matches. After one season, he moved to 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...
in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
for the 1990–91 season. As in his first club, he was not used at all, and shortly moved to Como, where he played the following season. After that he moved to Piacenza
Piacenza Calcio
Piacenza Calcio is an Italian association football club based in Piacenza. The club was formed in 1919 and currently plays in Italian Lega Pro Prima Divisione B. The team's colors are red and white, prompting one of the team's nicknames, the Biancorossi. They are also known as the Papaveri , and...
. Taibi stayed there for five seasons, until the 1996–97 season, and appeared for most of the club's games.
Piacenza thought his time was over, so they sold him to the club which had not played him, Milan. This time, Milan played him in half of the 1997–98 season's games as a backup to fellow teammate 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...
. Then Milan sold him to Venezia
F.B.C. Unione Venezia
Football Club Unione Venezia , commonly referred to as simply Venezia, is an Italian football club from Venice, Veneto....
. In his first season with Venezia, he played in nearly every game.
Manchester United
In 1999, Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
purchased him for £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
4.5 million. He made his debut against Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, where he flapped at a free kick, allowing Sami Hyypiä
Sami Hyypiä
Sami Tuomas Hyypiä is a retired European Cup winning Finnish footballer who played in the centre back position. He last played for German Bundesliga side Bayer 04 Leverkusen and was the captain of the Finland national football team. He joined Leverkusen in summer 2009, ending a ten year spell at...
to score. However, he later made a number of saves, including a one-on-one save from Vladimír Šmicer
Vladimír Šmicer
Vladimír Šmicer is a former Czech football midfielder and forward player. Šmicer was a devout player of Slavia Prague, the only Czech club he ever played for. He also played notably for Lens in France, with whom he won the Ligue 1 title. In 1999, Šmicer moved to England, where he played several...
. United went on to win 3–2 with Taibi getting the Man of the Match award. Taibi competed with the other two Manchester United goalkeepers, Mark Bosnich
Mark Bosnich
Mark Bosnich is a retired Australian football player and football pundit. He represented Australia 17 times and played for English Premier League clubs Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea.-Manchester United :...
and Raimond van der Gouw
Raimond van der Gouw
Raimond van der Gouw is a former Dutch footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.After a successful career with Vitesse and well into his 30s, he moved to Manchester United, also experiencing relative recognition, although he played very sparingly; he scored his only goal in the last game of his...
, for the first-team place, but lost out after a gaffe against Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
that resulted in Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew Le Tissier
Matthew "Matt" Le Tissier is a retired English footballer who played for Southampton and England.An attacking midfielder with exceptional technical skills, Le Tissier is the second-highest ever scorer for Southampton behind Mick Channon and was voted PFA Young Player of the Year in 1990. He was...
scoring a goal. This match led to Taibi being dubbed 'The Blind Venetian' by one newspaper. He only played four matches, one of them being a 5–0 defeat at Chelsea, United's first league defeat since losing to Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
in December 1998.
Return to Italy
In January 2000, Taibi joined RegginaReggina Calcio
Reggina Calcio are an Italian association football club, the main club of the city of Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in the Italian Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo...
on loan until the end of the season, where he played regularly. After the loan spell ended, Manchester United made it clear that – although Taibi was available for transfer – another loan deal was out of the question, rejecting a bid from Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
. In July 2000, Manchester United agreed to allow Taibi to rejoin Reggina for a fee of £2.5 million. On 1 April 2001, Taibi scored a goal with a header off a corner kick
Corner kick
A corner kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football. It was first devised in Sheffield under the Sheffield Rules 1867...
in the 87th minute against Udinese
Udinese Calcio
Udinese Calcio is an Italian football club based in Udine, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, and currently plays in the Serie A. Founded in 1896, Udinese is the second oldest club in the Serie A, after Genoa....
to equalise the score at 1–1. With the goal, Taibi joined Michelangelo Rampulla
Michelangelo Rampulla
Michelangelo Rampulla is a former Italian football goalkeeper.-Playing career:After a short stint with Sicilian amateurs Pattese followed by three seasons at Varese, Rampulla joined Cremonese in 1993 and became a protagonist in the club's rise to the Serie A league.He is best remembered for being...
as the only goalkeepers to score from open play in Serie A history.
After his two-year spell at Reggina, he was shifted to Atalanta. In the summer of 2005, he went on loan to 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....
, serving as first-choice goalkeeper; the move became permanent in 2006, with Taibi however becoming the backup goalkeeper behind Christian Abbiati
Christian Abbiati
Christian Abbiati is an Italian footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Milan.-Milan:His debut in Serie A came on January 17, 1999 as a 92nd-minute substitute for Sebastiano Rossi...
. He made his seasonal debut on 13 January 2007. In 2007–08, he joined Ascoli, as Torino acquired the services of Matteo Sereni
Matteo Sereni
Matteo Sereni is an Italian football goalkeeper.-Career:Born in Parma, Sereni started his career at UC Sampdoria, and was loaned out to A.C. Crevalcore in 1994. He returned to Sampdoria and only made 10 appearances before being transferred to Piacenza Calcio in 1997...
.Taibi played 47 matches, before he announced his retirement from football in 2009.
Club
Manchester United- Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
: 1
-
- 19991999 Intercontinental CupThe 1999 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 30 November 1999 between Manchester United, winners of the 1998–99 UEFA Champions League, and Palmeiras, winners of the 1999 Copa Libertadores...
- 1999