Carlo Cudicini

Carlo Cudicini (born 6 September 1973 in Milan, Italy) is an Italian goalkeeper who currently plays for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. In his 10 years at Chelsea he established himself as one of England's best goalkeepers before injury and the arrival of Petr Cech displaced him as first-choice. He is the son of the illustrious former AC Milan goalkeeper Fabio Cudicini and grandson of Circolo Sportivo Ponziana 1912 defender Guglielmo Cudicini.

Early career

Cudicini found it hard to follow in his father's footsteps, only making two appearances for AC Milan (1991–95) in the Champions League and none in Serie A. He was loaned to Como for a season in 1993–94, and was subsequently transferred to Prato in 1995, and then to Lazio in 1996 where he suffered a serious wrist injury, and consequently only made one senior appearance. He then moved to Castel di Sangro in 1997, where his injury problems persisted. However he was recommended to the Chelsea manager Gianluca Vialli by his friend, the Lazio goalkeeper Luca Marchegiani, and was sold to Chelsea for a fee of £160,000 in 1999, where his career took off.

Chelsea

1999–2003

Despite a brief challenge from Mark Bosnich, Cudicini took over from Ed de Goey almost instantly, and retained his first team place with a string of excellent performances.

He was voted Chelsea's Player of the Year for the 2001–02 season by fans, reflecting the value he added to a team struggling for consistency.

Cudicini was recognised as the...
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