Albano Bizzarri

Italy In June 2007, Bizzarri signed a two-year deal with Italy's Catania, a contract that would be renewed at the end of the season for an equal period. During 2008–09, he became first-choice under new coach Walter Zenga, after spending most of his debut campaign as a reserve behind Ciro Polito. His performances were consistent as the Sicily side retained their league status, and the player's performances also allowed him to be part of Goal.com's weekly "Serie A Team of the Week" more than any other goalkeeper in the competition.

Despite some stellar performances, Bizzarri admitted towards the end of the season he would not be renewing his link with Catania. Following this announcement, manager Zenga opted to drop him to the bench so young Tomáš Košický could gain some experience.

Bizzarri joined fellow top-flight club Lazio in June 2009, on a free transfer. In his first two years, he backed up another South American, Uruguayan Fernando Muslera, as the Rome team ranked 12th in the first (he added four appearances in the UEFA Europa League, winning two, losing two and conceding seven goals).

The 36-year-old Bizzarri moved to ChievoVerona in summer 2014, renewing his contract for two years at the end of the season. On 1 July 2016, he signed a one-year deal with Pescara, which included an automatic one-year renewal in the case of top-division survival.

On 16 July 2018, after a further campaign in the main division with Udinese, Bizzarri joined Serie B club Foggia. In the following transfer window, he was loaned to Perugia also of the latter tier until 30 June.

International career Although he never earned a cap for Argentina, Bizzarri was part of the nation's final squad at the 1999 Copa América.

Career statistics

Honours Real Madrid UEFA Champions League: 1999–2000