Marco Storari

Marco Storari (born 7 January 1977) is an Italian former footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Marco Storari
Storari playing for Juventus in 2012
Personal information
Date of birth (1977-01-07) 7 January 1977
Place of birth Pisa, Italy
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1995–1998 Perugia
1998 Montevarchi
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2002 Ancona 91 (0)
2002–2003 Napoli 4 (0)
2002–2003 → Messina (loan) 16 (0)
2003–2007 Messina 127 (0)
2007–2010 Milan 10 (0)
2007–2008 → Levante (loan) 17 (0)
2008 → Cagliari (loan) 20 (0)
2008–2009 → Fiorentina (loan) 1 (0)
2010 → Sampdoria (loan) 19 (0)
2010–2015 Juventus 43 (0)
2015–2017 Cagliari 56 (0)
2017–2018 Milan 0 (0)
Total 404 (0)
National team
2005 Italy 0 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 30 June 2018

After a lengthy spell in Italy's lower leagues, he arrived in Serie A aged 27. Steady performances for Messina prompted his signing by A.C. Milan in 2007; during his time at the Milanese club, Storari had loan spells with several other Italian sides, as well as Spanish club Levante. He later joined Juventus in 2010, where he mainly served as a back-up to Gianluigi Buffon, winning four consecutive Serie A titles with the club as well as the Coppa Italia. He later returned to Cagliari, where he spent a season and a half, helping the team win the 2015–16 Serie B title and earn promotion to Serie A. He returned to Milan in January 2017, where he spent another season and a half as the club's reserve goalkeeper before retiring in the summer of 2018.

Club career

Early years / Messina
Storari in action with Messina (2005)

Born in Pisa, Storari finished his football formation at Perugia Calcio and Montevarchi Calcio Aquila 1902 (six months), making his professional debuts with A.C. Ancona, in the third division. With the latter, he helped to promotion to Serie B in 2000.

After two seasons, Storari left for S.S.C. Napoli which was also then in the second level, in a joint-ownership deal. He continued to play in that category subsequently, joining F.C. Messina Peloro on loan in January 2002 in exchange for Emanuele Manitta, with the deal being made permanent in summer 2003; Messina promoted at the end of the 2003–04 campaign, with him as an undisputed starter.

Storari made his Serie A debut on 12 September 2004 in a 0–0 away draw against Parma FC, as the newcomer club went on to finish in seventh place. In the following seasons he remained the starter, as Messina nearly relegated in 2005–06 after only being reinstated after the outcome of the 2006 Italian football scandal, but eventually dropping down a level the following year, as last.

Milan

On 17 January 2007, Storari was acquired by A.C. Milan for €1.2 million,[1] signing a 2½ year contract as an emergency signing as both Dida and backup Željko Kalac were out of action due to injury.[2] In three league appearances, against A.S. Livorno Calcio, A.C. Siena and Udinese Calcio, he conceded seven goals.

On 3 July 2007, reports surfaced that Milan were close to sending Storari to La Liga side Real Betis, on a one-year loan. The deal was increased to two years and the player, along with his manager, traveled to Seville. Although having stayed in the city for three days, Betis president Manuel Ruiz de Lopera failed to meet with the player and Storari returned to Italy as the transfer failed to materialize;[3] on 12 August he was eventually loaned to another club in Spain, Levante UD, on a two-year contract.[4]

However, the loan deal ended after only six months, as the Valencian team was immerse in a deep financial crisis; on 5 January 2008 Storari returned to Italy, with Cagliari Calcio[5] due to Levante's inability to pay his salary. "[The] club was in financial difficulty and couldn’t pay me...there are some wonderful people here who were honest with us, but working without pay is a difficult situation to be in".[6]

Storari signed a loan contract for ACF Fiorentina in July 2008. His output consisted of a Coppa Italia match and another in the league, barred by longtime first-choice Sébastien Frey.

Due to injury to starter Christian Abbiati, Storari began 2009–10 as first-choice, over Dida. On 22 August 2009, two years and three months after his last official match for the club, he was between the posts for the 2–1 win at Siena; additionally, in October, he signed a new contract, adding two extra years to his link,[7] but suffered an injury afterwards, losing his place to the Brazilian.

After the recovery of Abbiati, Storari faced additional competition for a regular starting berth. Thus, on 15 January 2010, he went on loan to U.C. Sampdoria, replacing injured Luca Castellazzi;[8] he played his first game two days later, in a 1–1 home draw against Calcio Catania.[9]

Juventus

After Sampdoria failed to agree a deal with Milan to sign him outright, after losing Castellazzi to Inter Milan on a free transfer,[10] Storari was sold to Juventus F.C. from Milan for a fee of €4.5 million on 23 June 2010,[11] becoming the second signing of head coach Luigi Delneri and sports director Giuseppe Marotta, with whom he already had worked at Sampdoria. He signed a three-year contract effective on 1 July, providing cover for Gianluigi Buffon who sustained a back injury at the 2010 FIFA World Cup,[12] and competed for a starting spot with Alex Manninger;[13] Milan signed Marco Amelia on loan from Genoa C.F.C. on the same day, to act as his replacement.[14]

After the recovery of Buffon, Storari became second-choice again. Despite the backup role he did not leave the Vecchia Signora in the summer of 2011 to play more often, and instead extended his contract until 30 June 2014 in November.[15]

On 16 May 2015, as Juventus had already been crowned league champions for the fourth straight time, Storari started against Inter in order to rest Buffon for the 2015 UEFA Champions League Final. In the last five minutes of play, he made a double save on Rodrigo Palacio first and then Mauro Icardi to keep his team's 2–1 lead and secure the away win.[16][17] Additionally, he appeared in five matches in the Italian Cup, including the 2–1 final win over S.S. Lazio.[18]

Return to Cagliari

On 3 July 2015, Storari signed with Cagliari on a two-year contract, returning to the club after a seven-year absence.[19] In his first season in his second spell he only missed one league in 42, helping to obtain top flight promotion after one year.[20]

Return to Milan

On 10 January 2017, 40-year-old Storari re-joined his former team Milan on an initial six-month deal.[21] In June, he extended his contract until the end of 2017–18 season.[22] After his contract with the club expired at the end of the season, Storari became a free agent in the summer of 2018,[23] after which he subsequently retired from professional football.[24]

International career

Storari was never capped for Italy, although he was selected as third-choice by national boss Marcello Lippi for a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Slovenia in October 2005.[25]

Style of play

Storari was known to be an extremely reliable goalkeeper and a consistent shot-stopper, who was gifted with good reactions and who inspired a sense of confidence in his back-line; he was also adept at stopping penalties.[26][27][28][29]

Personal life

Storari and his wife Veronica had two sons, Tommaso (b. 2010) and Piergiorgo (2011).[30]

Club statistics
As of 30 June 2018[31][32][33]
Club performance League Cup Continental Total
SeasonClubLeague AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals AppsGoals
Italy League Coppa Italia Europe Total
1998–99AnconaSerie C10000–00
1999–200036[lower-alpha 1]000360
2000–01Serie B36030390
2001–0222030250
Total Ancona94060–1000
2002–03Serie BNapoli4000–40
Messina16000160
2003–0445010460
2004–05Serie A28020300
2005–0635000350
2006–0719030220
Total Messina143060001490
2006–07MilanSerie A30000030
2007–08LevanteLa Liga17000––170
CagliariSerie A20010––210
2008–09Fiorentina10100020
2009–10Milan70102[lower-alpha 2]0100
Sampdoria19000––190
2010–11Juventus230105[lower-alpha 3]0290
2011–123050––80
2012–1360300050
2013–1460200080
2014–15505000100
Total Juventus43016050640
2015–16CagliariSerie B41020––430
2016–17Serie A15010––160
Total Cagliari7604000800
2016–17MilanSerie A0000––00
2017–18Serie A00002[lower-alpha 3]020
Total Milan1001040150
Career total 4070340904500
  1. Includes three appearances in the 1999–2000 Serie C1 play-offs for qualification to the 2000–01 Serie B
  2. All appearances in the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League
  3. All appearances in the UEFA Europa League

Honours

Juventus[32]

Cagliari[32]

References
  1. "2007 relazioni e bilancio al 31 Dicembre" [2007 report and finance by 31 December] (PDF) (in Italian). A.C. Milan. 31 March 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2011.
  2. "Storari signs, Ronaldo to follow?". UEFA. 17 January 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  3. "Storari: "Ahora no es importante hablar de dinero"" [Storari: "Now it's not important to talk about money"] (in Spanish). Soitu. 22 November 2007. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  4. "Storari, cedido por el Milán dos temporadas" [Storari, loaned by Milan for two seasons]. Diario AS (in Spanish). 12 August 2007. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  5. "Signings boost Cagliari survival bid". UEFA. 9 January 2008. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  6. "El Levante libera a Savio, Storari, Viqueira y Bruno si perdonan lo que les adeudan" [Levante free Savio, Storari, Viqueira and Bruno if they forgive debt]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 8 January 2008. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  7. "A.C. Milan official announcement". A.C. Milan. 7 October 2009. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  8. "Mercato: Storari alla Samp Castillo dalla Viola al Bari" [Market: Storari to Samp Castillo from the Viola to Bari]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 15 January 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  9. "Calcio, Sampdoria-Catania 1–1: la cronaca" [Calcio, Sampdoria-Catania 1–1: the report] (in Italian). Sicilia Today. 17 January 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  10. "Sampdoria director Sergio Gasparin admits Marco Storari deal has hit a snag". Goal. 10 June 2010. Retrieved 22 June 2010.
  11. "Agreement with A.C. Milan for the acquisition of the registration rights of the player Marco Storari" (PDF). Juventus F.C. 23 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 September 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  12. "Buffon return unknown". Sky Sports. 15 June 2010. Retrieved 24 June 2010.
  13. Ormezzano, Timothy (5 July 2010). "Buffon super, ma io non mi sento un vice" [Buffon super, but I do not feel like I am a second–choice]. La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  14. "Amelia: "Genoa? Maglia speciale"" [Amelia: "Genoa? A special shirt"] (in Italian). Genoa C.F.C. 23 June 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2010.
  15. "Storari: "Meritiamo un 8, ma teniamo la guardia alta"" [Storari: "We deserve an 8, but we don't drop our guard"] (in Italian). Juventus F.C. 4 November 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  16. "Marco Storari pulled off a quality double save to secure Juventus win v Inter [videos]". 101 Great Goals. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
  17. "Serie A, Inter-Juve 1–2: derby d'Italia ai bianconeri" [Serie A, Inter-Juve 1–2: the derby d'Italia goes to the white-and-black]. Corriere dello Sport (in Italian). 16 May 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  18. "Juventus vs. Lazio: Final score 2–1, Juventus lifts the Coppa Italia trophy after extra time". SB Nation. 20 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  19. "Storari ufficiale al Cagliari. La Juve: "Un leader vero"" [Storari officially to Cagliari. Juve: "A true leader"]. Tuttosport (in Italian). 3 July 2015. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  20. "Cagliari in A, un anno dopo: il film promozione" [Cagliari in Serie A, one year later: the promotion film] (in Italian). Sky Sport. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  21. "A.C. Milan official statement" (Press release). A.C. Milan. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  22. "Official: Storari is once again a red and black" (Press release). A.C. Milan. 6 June 2017. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
  23. "Calciomercato, tutte le trattative del 21 luglio" [Transfermarket, all the deals of 21 July] (in Italian). sport.sky.it. 21 July 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  24. Matteo Culurgioni (1 December 2018). "Storari: "Cragno può ancora migliorare tanto. Tornerei a Cagliari"" [Storari: "Cragno can still improve significantly. I would return to Cagliari"] (in Italian). cagliarinews24.com. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  25. "Storari convocato in extremis Santoni era tornato a casa" [Storari called up at the last moment Santoni had already returned home]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). 9 October 2005. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  26. "Riflessi e affidabilità: Marco Storari, per servirvi" [Reflexes and reliability: Marco Storari, at your service] (in Italian). U.C. Sampdoria. 15 January 2010. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  27. "La Juve ripensa a Mirante. Intanto c'è Storari" [Juve reconsiders Mirante. In the meantime, there's Storari] (in Italian). Calcio Mercato. 11 April 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  28. Cardone, Giulio (26 January 2014). "Biglia da applausi, il palo ferma Keita Tevez è ovunque, che riflesso Storari" [Biglia worthy of applause, the post stops Keita Tevez is everywhere, what reflexes from Storari]. La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved 23 May 2018.
  29. Piras, Andrea (8 February 2010). "Storari: "Si è visto ancora una volta come il nostro sia un gruppo vero"" [Storari: "It was once again evident that ours is a true group"] (in Italian). Sampdoria News. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  30. "Storari welcomes arrival of second son". Juventus F.C. 10 November 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
  31. "Storari Marco" (in Italian). Lega Serie A. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  32. "M. Storari". Soccerway. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  33. "Marco Storari". tuttocalciatori.net (in Italian). Retrieved 2 April 2019.
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