Italian legends behind outstanding rise of Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario
With Italian legends Dino Zoff and Gianluigi Buffon amongst his admirers, Guglielmo Vicario is preserving good firm on his rise to the highest at Tottenham.
It has been a protracted, at instances arduous, journey for the Spurs stopper, going from the semi-pro depths of Serie D to the giddy, glamour heights of the Premier League Yet if he did or ever does have doubts about his capacity on the elite finish of the sport, then receiving phrases of assist from Zoff and Buffon positive helps.
Ex-Juventus ace Zoff was, arguably, the best keeper on the earth – not to mention Italy – from the late 60s by way of to retirement in 1982. And, in fact, Buffon then assumed that mantle with the Azzurri and Juve between 1995 and 2023.
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Close ties with that duo, understandably, offers unimaginable motivation – as the previous Venezia and Empoli stopper revealed forward of Sunday’s journey to Manchester United.
Born and bred in Udine – identical to Zoff – Vicario, 27, declared. “What can I say about Dino Zoff? When he did all the pieces he did, I used to be not born. He’s an iconic determine for Italy and my area.
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![Maddison has revealed he had to watch highlights of Guglielmo Vicario on YouTube after he signed for Tottenham](https://i2-prod.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article31599755.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/2_GettyImages-1829360993.jpg)
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“He’s a World Cup winner and when I had the pleasure to meet him, he said, ‘I follow you all the time, all of the games. I’m very proud of you because you started at the bottom – and now play in the top league.’ I called him when he turned 81 last year – and he was very surprised and a bit emotional.”
If Zoff’s exploits are from one other period and time, Buffon’s feats are very way more current and actual for Vicario.. He idolised Buffon and charges him the best of the lot. That admiration has solely grown since Buffon began working with the nationwide set-up.
“For me, he’s the best keeper in all history, for what he did. He only retired last season, played until he was 45, which is a huge achievement,” defined Vicario, but to win a senior Italy cap.
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“Just watching him, walking around the dressing room on the couple of occasions he’s been with us, you see his personality, his character. It’s huge. He’s a good guy.”
Consistently spectacular shows since his £17.2 summer time arrival have endeared Vicario, successor to departed skipper Hugo Lloris, to the N17 trustworthy. All of which is in stark distinction to a different keeper plucked from Italy final summer time – Manchester United’s Cameroon worldwide Andre Onana.
The £50m ex-Inter man has produced some expensive howlers throughout his debut Premier League marketing campaign. But dismissing his critics, Vicario, with 4 clear sheets in 20 appearances this time period, insisted: “What he did within the (Italian) league and the Champions League is spectacular. He has large qualities.
![World Cup winner Gianluigi Buffon has set the bar for modern Italian goalkeepers](https://i2-prod.dailystar.co.uk/incoming/article29529949.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_Italian-goalkeeper-Gianluigi-Buffon-kiss.jpg)
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“It’s not simple. You have to understand what Onana’s carried out prior to now and what he’s doing now.
“As a keeper, in your profession, you could have attempt to keep balanced as a result of there are good moments and unhealthy moments. It’s a giant problem for us. I all the time strive to not overthink it.”