Francesco Toldo

Italian goalkeeper who starred for Fiorentina and Inter Milan, and was a Euro 2000 finalist with Italy.

Francesco Toldo (born 2 December 1971) is an Italian former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He is regarded by some pundits as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation. In a professional career which spanned two full decades, he mainly represented Fiorentina and Inter Milan (eight and nine seasons respectively), winning a total of 15 trophies combined. For the Italy national team, Toldo took part in five international competitions, being a starter in UEFA Euro 2000, where he helped Italy reach the final.

Quick Facts

Born: 2 December 1971
Birthplace: Padua, Italy
Height: 1.96 m / 6 ft 5 in
Position: Goalkeeper
Total caps: 483

Lore & Background

Toldo began his career with Milan in 1990 but never played a game for them, being loaned to Hellas Verona (1990–91), Trento (1991–92), and Ravenna (1992–93). He joined Fiorentina in 1993, becoming their starter for eight seasons, winning Serie B in his first season, two Coppa Italia titles, the Supercoppa Italiana, and reaching the semi-finals of the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. In 2000, he was named Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year. In June 2001, Toldo was sold to Parma for 55 billion lire (about €28.4 million), but he refused to join and instead moved to Inter Milan for the same fee. At Inter, he reached the UEFA Cup semi-final in 2001–02, narrowly missed the Serie A title on the final day, and helped Inter reach the Champions League semi-finals in 2002–03, losing to Milan on away goals. He won the Coppa Italia in 2004–05 and the Supercoppa Italiana in 2005. After being relegated to the bench by Júlio César in 2005, Toldo briefly regained first-choice status in February 2006. He contributed to Inter's Serie A titles in 2005–06, 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, and 2009–10, as well as the Coppa Italia in 2005–06 and the Supercoppa Italiana in 2006. He retired after the 2009–10 treble-winning season. For Italy, Toldo made 28 appearances, debuting on 8 October 1995. He was a starter at Euro 2000, helping Italy reach the final, saving penalties in the semi-final shoot-out against the Netherlands. His final appearance for Italy came on 18 February 2004, in a 2–2 friendly draw against Czech Republic.

Reader's Guide

Toldo was a consistent and agile goalkeeper with strong reactions, competent with the ball at his feet. He became known as a penalty-saving specialist and stood out for his composure and mentality. Despite his large stature, he was excellent at stopping low shots but less effective at handling crosses and high balls.

Did You Know?

Toldo's goal against Juventus in 2002–03 is often referred to as 'Toldo's goal' even though Christian Vieri was the scorer.
He was an unused reserve for Italy at the 1998 World Cup, 2002 World Cup, and Euro 2004.