- Carlo Cudicini
Biography
Italian goalkeeper with a decade of Premier League experience joined us from Chelsea in January, 2009.
In November, 2009, Carlo sustained injuries to his wrists and pelvis in a road accident, cutting his season short.
But by the end of the 2009-10 campaign, he had returned to training and was awarded a new one-year contract at the Club.
Carlo then made his return to match action in a pre-season friendly at Bournemouth in July, 2010.
The former AC Milan stopper had previously made eight first team appearances in the early part of the 2009-10 season, deputising for injured regular number one Heurelho Gomes.
Having arrived at the Lane during the previous January transfer window, Carlo went straight into Harry Redknapp’s starting lineup for our 3-1 Premier League victory at home to Stoke City the day after he joined.
He then retained his place between the sticks for our following three Premier League games before Gomes reclaimed the No.1 jersey for the remainder of the 2008-09 season.
CARLO CUDICINI INFO
Name Carlo Cudicini
Born September 6, 1973
Position Goalkeeper
Squad No. 23
Joined Spurs January 2009
Previous Club(s) AC Milan, Como, Prato, Lazio, Castel di Sangro, Chelsea
Carlo previously served at Stamford Bridge for almost ten years, making 210 appearances and is second behind Peter Bonetti in Chelsea’s all-time list of clean sheets.
He was number one between 2002-04 before playing understudy to Petr Cech, widely regarded as the world’s best goalkeeper.
Earlier in his career, Carlo had spells at Italian giants AC Milan, where his father Fabio played, and Lazio.
Carlo Cudicini (born 6 September 1973 in Milan) is an Italian goalkeeper who currently plays for English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. He is the son of former AC Milan goalkeeper Fabio Cudicini and grandson of Circolo Sportivo Ponziana 1912 defender Guglielmo Cudicini.
Club career
Chelsea: 1999–2003
Despite a brief challenge from Mark Bosnich, Cudicini took over from Ed de Goey almost instantly, and retained his first team place with a string of excellent performances.
He was voted Chelsea’s Player of the Year for the 2001–02 season by fans, reflecting the value he added to a team struggling for consistency.
Cudicini was recognised as the best goalkeeper in the Premier League in the 2002–2003 season, when he won the ITV “Golden Gloves” Premiership Goalkeeper of the Season award.
After a bright start to the 2003–04 season, the old injury problems experienced in his Lazio days came back, leaving him unable to carry on his success from last season and unable to play for a large portion of the season. His value to the team was highlighted when Chelsea’s replacement goalkeeper Marco Ambrosio failed to effectively fit into the first team, leading to Chelsea’s exit from the Champions League at the semi final stage to AS Monaco.
2008–2009
Cudicini made his first Premier League appearance of the season in Chelsea’s 5–0 win at Middlesbrough and this marked his 100th clean sheet in a Chelsea shirt. He played his last game for Chelsea at home in the FA Cup 3rd Round tie with Southend United which ended in a 1–1 draw.
Tottenham Hotspur: 2008–2009
On 26 January 2009, it was confirmed that Cudicini signed for Tottenham Hotspur on a free transfer. He was allowed to move on a free due to his services given to Chelsea. He made his debut for ‘Spurs on 27 January 2009 in the Premier League fixture against Stoke City, the match ended in a 3–1 win. Since Tottenham’s loss in the Carling Cup final against Manchester United, Cudicini’s appearances have been limited. He did not play again for Spurs in the 2008–2009 season after the 2–1 victory over Hull City at the KC stadium a week before the Carling Cup final.
2009–2010
Cudicini made his first competitive appearance in nearly six months for Tottenham when he came on as a substitute for the injured Heurelho Gomes in a 5–1 victory over Hull City on 19 August 2009. He played a number of matches, including a 3–0 defeat at his former club Chelsea on 20 September 2009 which saw him return to Stamford Bridge for the first time since leaving the club. He was then benched in favour of the returning Gomes for the match against Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
On 12 November 2009, Cudicini was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in Walthamstow, east London on his way to Tottenham’s training ground. It was reported that he had fractured both his wrists and injured his pelvis. He was taken to an east London hospital then later was transferred to a private hospital. In late February, the Tottenham Hotspur website reported that Cudicini had started some ball work.
On 12 May 2010, Cudicini was handed a new one year contract with Spurs. On the 10th July 2010, Carlo played 45 minutes in a pre-season friendly against Bournemouth. This was the first action Cudicini had played since the accident.
On 25 August 2010, Cudicini saw his first official action for the club in nearly a year as a half-time replacement for the injured Gomes in a UEFA Champions’ League Qualifier against Young Boys of Switzerland. Three days later he started against Wigan Athletic in the Premiership at White Hart Lane but was criticised for the Latics’ winning goal scored by Hugo Rodallega.
International career
Cudicini has been capped at Under-18 and Under-21 level, but has yet to appear for his country of birth. He was called into the squad for the 2002 friendly against Turkey but was not named in the matchday squad, behind Gianluigi Buffon and Francesco Toldo, and thus remains potentially eligible to represent any of the British nations – England, Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales.