Claudio Garella

Lore & Background

Garella was born in Turin in 1955, to parents Piera and Domenico. He first started playing football with Auxilium Monterosa, before joining the Torino youth system. He made his Serie A debut with Torino during the 1972–73 season, appearing in the final eight minutes of a 1–0 defeat to Lanerossi Vicenza, replacing Luciano Castellini; this was his only appearance for the club. In 1973, he joined JuniorCasale, where he remained for two seasons, first in Serie D and subsequently Serie C, even scoring a goal from a penalty. In 1975, he joined Novara, helping the club to a sixth–place finish in Serie B. The following season he joined Lazio, breaking into the starting line-up during his second season at the age of 22, after initially serving as a back-up to Felice Pulici. In 1978, he moved to Sampdoria, where he spent three seasons in Serie B, before moving to Hellas Verona. Under manager Osvaldo Bagnoli, he helped the club win promotion back to Serie A, reach the 1984 Coppa Italia Final, and played a decisive role in helping the team win the 1984–85 Serie A title. His performances earned him a move to Napoli, where he won a domestic double during the 1986–87 season. After two and a half seasons in Serie B with Udinese, Garella retired at the age of 36 after the 1990–91 Serie B season with Avellino, collecting two appearances with the club. He never appeared for the Italy national team.

Reader's Guide

Garella was a large, physically imposing, and acrobatic goalkeeper, known for his agility, bravery, and reflexes despite his sturdy build, as well as his unorthodox and spectacular – yet efficient – shot-stopping ability, including his penchant for stopping the ball with his feet. He was also highly regarded for his speed when rushing off his line and his ability to get to ground quickly to parry, punch, or claim low balls. However, he drew criticism in his youth due to inconsistency and occasional errors, which were dubbed 'garellate' by Rai journalist Beppe Viola; he also came to be known by the nickname Paperella by Lazio fans. Despite initial skepticism, he performed at a high level and contributed to Verona's scudetto victory, later earning the nickname Garellik, a reference to Diabolik.

Did You Know?

• He was nicknamed 'Paperella' by Lazio fans during the 1970s.
• His move to Napoli was in part due to the insistence of Diego Maradona.
• He never appeared for the Italy national team due to competition from goalkeepers like Giovanni Galli, Franco Tancredi, Stefano Tacconi, and Walter Zenga.