Francesco Toldo

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Born in Padua, Veneto, Toldo began his career with Milan in 1990. He never played a game for Milan, however, being loaned during his stint with the club, successively to Hellas Verona (1990–91), Trento (1991–92), and Ravenna (1992–93). Toldo then joined Fiorentina in 1993, and became the Viola club's starter for eight seasons, helping the club win the Serie B title in his first season, and earn promotion to Serie A, later also winning the Coppa Italia twice, the Supercoppa Italiana, and playing in one edition of the UEFA Champions League, as well as reaching the semi-finals of the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. In 2000, Toldo was named the Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year for his performances. One year before Fiorentina faced bankruptcy, Toldo and Rui Costa were sold to Parma for a combined 140 billion lire in June 2001 (55 billion lire for Toldo; about €28.4 million in fixed exchange rate). It made the club a net profit in 2000–01 financial year, instead of a net loss. However, both players refused to join. Toldo himself said he would be the replacement of departing goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, whom Toldo refused to live under the expectation of. Eventually, Toldo joined Inter Milan instead of Parma for the same fee; Parma signed Sébastien Frey from Inter instead of Toldo; Buffon joined Juventus from Parma; and Edwin van der Sar went to Fulham from Juventus. During his first season with Inter under manager Héctor Cúper, Toldo performed at a high level, reaching the semi-final of the UEFA Cup, and narrowly missing out on the Serie A title on the final match-day as Inter threw away their lead by losing to Lazio, eventually finishing the 2001–02 Serie A season in third place behind Juventus and Roma. Due to his consistency with Inter, Toldo soon became a fan favourite and was noted for his passionate and high-quality performances. The following season, he was praised particularly for his saves against Valencia in the Champions League quarter-final, leading football pundits to nickname the Mestalla 'La Plaza de Toldo'. During the match, Toldo was seen getting choked by teammate Luigi Di Biagio after an argument on the pitch. With his performances, Toldo helped Inter reach the semi-finals of the Champions League that season, losing out to the eventual champions and inter-city rivals Milan on away goals. Another great memory for Inter fans was his contribution to t

In Their Own Story

Toldo was the number one keeper for Inter until the summer of 2005, when the Brazilian Júlio César relegated him to the bench after he had elected to sit out Inter's summer friendly match tour of England. Toldo briefly regained first-choice status in February 2006, following his signing of a contract extension (until June 2009) and a slip in form by Júlio César. He contributed nine appearances for Inter in Serie A during the 2005–06 season, where Inter were awarded the title following Juventus's and Milan's involvement in the 2006 Calciopoli scandal, also helping Inter to win another Coppa Italia, as well as the 2006 Supercoppa Italiana. In June 2010, it was reported that Toldo would retire from football after winning a Serie A, Coppa Italia and Champions League treble during the 2009–10 season, since the club had also signed a new backup goalkeeper, Luca Castellazzi. It was formally announced on 7 July via Inter Channel, the official club channel.

Reader's Guide

Francesco Toldo is an Italian former goalkeeper, regarded as one of the best of his generation. He played for Fiorentina (8 seasons) and Inter Milan (9 seasons), winning 15 trophies combined. He was a starter for Italy at Euro 2000, helping them reach the final, and was named to the Team of the Tournament. At club level, he won multiple Serie A titles, Coppa Italia titles, and Supercoppa Italiana titles with Inter, including a treble in 2009–10. He was known for his penalty-saving ability and consistency.

Did You Know?

• Toldo was named Serie A Goalkeeper of the Year in 2000.
• He saved two penalties in the Euro 2000 semi-final shootout against the Netherlands.
• Toldo's final appearance for Italy was in a 2–2 friendly draw against Czech Republic in February 2004.
• He was a member of the Italy under-21 team that won the 1994 European Under-21 Championship.