Paulo Gazzaniga

Paulo Dino Gazzaniga Farías (born 2 January 1992) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Segunda División club Girona.

Early life Gazzaniga was born in Murphy, Santa Fe, the same small town in Argentina where his future Southampton and Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino was also born. His father is Daniel Gazzaniga, a footballer, as is his brother Gianfranco who also plays as a goalkeeper. Gazzaniga studied in the only public school and a secondary college in Murphy. He played for the football team of Centro Recreativo Unión y Cultura in Murphy as a goalkeeper. However, he failed to make a first team appearance for the club, and was subsequently released in May 2011.

In July 2011, Gazzaniga signed a two-year contract with League Two club Gillingham, to challenge Ross Flitney for the number one spot. Gazzaniga was recommended to Gillingham manager Andy Hessenthaler by Gary Penrice, Wigan Athletic's European scout, following his release from Valencia. He made his professional debut for the club on 4 October, in a 3–1 home defeat to Barnet in the Football League Trophy.

Southampton On 20 July 2012, Gazzaniga signed a four-year deal with newly promoted Premier League side Southampton, with Tommy Forecast going to Gillingham on loan as part of the deal. He described it as "a crazy situation" but said it was like "a dream". He made his league debut almost a month later, on 22 September in a 4–1 win against Aston Villa.

Gazzaniga was used as cover for first choice keepers Kelvin Davis, Artur Boruc and Fraser Forster, making only two appearances in 2014–15. He signed a new four-year deal with Southampton on 11 September 2015.

On 29 July 2016, Gazzaniga joined Segunda División club Rayo Vallecano on loan for the 2016–17 season.

Tottenham Hotspur On 23 August 2017, Gazzaniga signed for fellow Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur on a five-year contract. He reunited with his compatriot and former Southampton manager, Mauricio Pochettino. He made his Premier League debut for the club on 5 November 2017, playing in a 1–0 victory against Crystal Palace. Pochettino said that Gazzaniga performed "fantastically well" on his debut.

In 2018–19 after starting for Tottenham in the Premier League against Brighton & Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town, in the EFL Cup against Watford and West Ham United and in the UEFA Champions League home fixture against PSV, he earned his first Argentina national team call-up. He became effectively the number two goalkeeper for Tottenham this season, having started in more games than Michel Vorm when Hugo Lloris was not available.

In the 2019–20 season, following Lloris' elbow injury in the opening ten minutes of a loss at Brighton & Hove Albion on 5 October 2019, Gazzaniga enjoyed an extended run as Spurs' first-choice goalkeeper.

On 1 February 2021, Gazzaniga joined Spanish side Elche on loan for the remainder of the 2020–21 season.

On 27 May 2021, Tottenham announced the departure of Gazzaniga at the end of the campaign following the conclusion of his contract.

Fulham On 24 July 2021, Gazzaniga joined EFL Championship club Fulham on a two-year contract. A backup to Marek Rodák during his first year, he was pushed to third choice keeper with the arrival of Bernd Leno in August 2022. He was released by the London club at the conclusion of 2022–23 season.

Girona On 1 September 2022, Gazzaniga joined Girona on loan for the 2022–23 season. On 6 June 2023, he signed a permanent two-year contract with the club. On 14 February 2024, he extended his contract with the club until 2027. In the 2023–24 season, he played in all 38 La Liga matches, achieving twelve clean sheets, which helped his club secure third place in the league and their first-ever qualification for the UEFA Champions League.

On 18 September 2024, during the club's inaugural European match, he conceded an own goal in the 90th minute, leading to a 1–0 away defeat against Paris Saint-Germain. However, just a few weeks later on 6 October, he managed to save three penalty kicks, including a retaken one, in a 2–1 victory over Athletic Bilbao.

International career Gazzaniga's first senior Argentina call-up was on 9 November 2018, when Lionel Scaloni added him to the squad for two friendlies against Mexico in November 2018. He made his first international appearance on 20 November 2018, coming off the bench to replace Gerónimo Rulli in the 59th minute of a friendly match against Mexico, and helped keep a clean sheet in a 2–0 win for Argentina.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours Southampton U21 Premier League Cup: 2014–15

Tottenham Hotspur UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2018–19

Fulham EFL Championship: 2021–22

Individual Gillingham Young Player of the Season: 2011–12