Emiliano Viviano

1. Early life and youth career

Emiliano Viviano was born on 1 December 1985, in Florence, Italy. He began his football journey in the youth academy of his hometown club, ACF Fiorentina. In 2002, approximately one month before Fiorentina declared bankruptcy, Viviano transferred to the youth setup of Brescia Calcio. This move was influenced by his belief that the financially struggling Fiorentina, facing relegation, would not have the capacity to utilize young players. His formative years in these academies laid the groundwork for his professional career, although he initially struggled to find opportunities at Brescia due to the presence of experienced goalkeepers like Luca Castellazzi and Matteo Sereni.

2. Club career

Viviano's professional club career was marked by a series of transfers and loan spells across Italy and abroad, where he often established himself as a first-choice goalkeeper, despite facing challenges such as injuries and complex ownership deals.

2.2. Inter and Bologna

In January 2009, Inter Milan acquired 50% of Viviano's registration rights from Brescia in a co-ownership deal for 3.50 M EUR. He was immediately loaned back to Brescia to continue his development. For the 2009-10 season, Viviano made his Serie A debut with Bologna, where he quickly became the first-choice goalkeeper. Bologna secured his services permanently by purchasing Brescia's 50% registration rights for an additional 3.50 M EUR. He featured in 34 matches in his debut Serie A season and continued as a regular in the 2010-11 season, playing 38 matches and contributing to Bologna's Serie A survival.

3. International career

Emiliano Viviano represented Italy at various youth national team levels. He was the first-choice goalkeeper for the Italy U-20 team at the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship. He was also part of the Italian U-21 squad that participated in the 2007 UEFA European Under-21 Championship; he featured in the tournament due to an injury to the primary goalkeeper, Gianluca Curci. Viviano made another appearance for the national U-21 side in a friendly against the Dutch U21 side on 5 February 2008, as part of the preparations for the upcoming Olympics.

Viviano went on to play at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing with Italy's Olympic team, which primarily consisted of players from the 2007 European U-21 Championship squad who were no longer eligible for the 2009 edition. Although he did not participate in the 2008 Toulon Tournament, a warm-up event, Viviano played a role in Italy's Olympic campaign. Italy reached the quarter-finals, where they were defeated 3-2 by Belgium. During this match, Viviano was sent off in the 80th minute for a reactionary foul on Kevin Mirallas, who had kicked the ball at him after play had stopped following Mousa Dembélé's goal, which put Belgium in the lead.

Viviano received his first senior call-up to the Italy senior team on 6 August 2010, ahead of a friendly against Ivory Coast on 10 August, under new coach Cesare Prandelli. He made his debut on 7 September 2010, during a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying match, in a 5-0 victory against the Faroe Islands in his hometown of Florence. At that time, he became Italy's second-choice goalkeeper, behind veteran Gianluigi Buffon and ahead of Salvatore Sirigu. He started in Italy's October European qualifiers, including a 0-0 draw against Northern Ireland in Belfast and a match against Serbia in Genoa. The latter match was abandoned after only seven minutes due to severe crowd trouble, as flares were thrown onto the field, with one narrowly missing Viviano; Italy was subsequently awarded a 3-0 victory.

Following a six-month injury layoff, Viviano was recalled to the national squad on 26 February 2012, for a friendly against the United States. On 13 May 2012, he was included in Cesare Prandelli's 32-man provisional squad for UEFA Euro 2012, but was ultimately excluded from the final 23-man team on 28 May.

4. Playing style

Emiliano Viviano was highly regarded as a promising goalkeeper in his youth, with some pundits and football figures even touting him as a potential successor to Gianluigi Buffon for the Italian national team. His primary strengths as a goalkeeper were his exceptional penalty-saving abilities, sharp reflexes, and strong shot-stopping capabilities. He has saved 12 penalties in Serie A, making him one of the joint-ninth highest penalty savers in the league's history.

Viviano's physical attributes, including his 6 in frame, gave him an initial advantage. Beyond his stature, he was noted for his organizational skills, command of his penalty area, and astute anticipation. While highly effective in preventing goals, one area often cited for improvement was his ability to confidently come off his line to deal with high balls. Additionally, Viviano was considered competent with the ball at his feet, allowing him to facilitate play from the back with ground passes. In 2011, Kris Voakes of Goal.com described him as "one of the best Serie A has to offer," highlighting his comprehensive goalkeeping skills.

5. Retirement

Emiliano Viviano officially retired from professional football on 30 June 2024, upon the expiration of his one-season contract with Ascoli.

6. Honours

Viviano's professional career included the following team honour:

• FA Cup: 2013-14 (with Arsenal)

7. Career statistics

8. Personal life and trivia

Viviano, a native of Florence, has frequently expressed his deep affection for his hometown club, ACF Fiorentina, where he spent his youth career. He had initially left the club in 2002, just a month before its bankruptcy, due to concerns that the struggling club would not be able to offer opportunities to young players. However, throughout his career, he often stated his desire to return to Fiorentina during transfer windows. When he finally rejoined the club on loan in 2012, after a ten-year absence, he emphasized that his decision was driven by his career aspirations rather than financial incentives.

Another notable aspect of Viviano's career is his choice of jersey number. During his tenure at Sampdoria, he wore the number 2, which is highly unusual for a professional goalkeeper, who typically wears numbers 1, 12, or 22.