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The Italian goalkeeper could not stop the Azzurri from suffering a penalty shootout defeat in the 1994 FIFA World Cup final.

Gianluca Pagliuca, Italy’s first-choice goalkeeper during the 1994 World Cup campaign, was at the centre of one of football’s most unforgettable finals that ended in a penalty shootout against Brazil.

For the former Sampdoria and Inter Milan shot-stopper, that tournament was a combination of personal redemption, brushes with disaster, and a lasting reminder that a single moment can define an entire football career.

More than thirty years later, Pagliuca looks back on that summer with both pride and a lingering sense of ‘what if’ that has never quite faded.

The 59-year-old’s World Cup journey began with an unfortunate milestone — he became the first goalkeeper in the tournament’s history to be sent off, receiving a red card during Italy’s group-stage clash against Norway.

“At the time, it felt like a knife to the heart,” Pagliuca told FourFourTwo. “I had gone to the World Cup with huge ambitions, and that red card could have cost me my place in the starting lineup. I had no idea what would happen when I came back.”

“Luca Marchegiani, my backup, did brilliantly while I was suspended. He was a good friend, but I was nervous, as I missed the matches against Mexico and Nigeria in the round of 16. Before the quarter-final against Spain, assistant coach Carlo Ancelotti and goalkeeping coach Pietro Carmignani came to my room and told me I’d be starting again.”

“They also asked me not to tell Marchegiani because they would handle it. I was so happy. During dinner, Luca asked if I’d heard anything, and I said no, even though I already knew. They had asked me to keep it secret. We still laugh about it today. Luca was a fantastic goalkeeper and a great character.”

Italy advanced to the final, where Pagliuca produced one of the most memorable images of the tournament — kissing his glove and tapping the post after Mauro Silva’s shot slipped through his hands, struck the upright, and bounced back into his grasp during the match against Brazil.

“That moment changed my life,” he admitted. “If that ball had gone in, we would have lost the final because of my mistake. It would have haunted me forever. I would have continued playing, but that error would have defined my career. Just think about Walter Zenga in the 1990 World Cup semi-final, when Claudio Caniggia’s header ended Italy’s dream — that tournament should have been ours because we were the stronger team.”

“So yes, that post saved my life and my career. Today, people remember the kiss to the post, not the fumble. I was lucky — it came down to just a few inches.”

Pagliuca’s fortune did not hold in the final, as Italy went on to lose to Brazil in the penalty shootout.

“At first, when you lose a final like that, it doesn’t truly sink in,” he reflected. “You tell yourself that you lost and move on with life. But the real understanding comes twenty or thirty years later, when you realise what you actually lost. Those are once-in-a-lifetime chances.”

“Look at Italy’s 2006 team — they are all heroes because they won on penalties. We lost, and history remembers us differently. Life can change in a matter of seconds — or even centimetres.”