The former Perugia defender on his goal in the downpour in 2000: “Collina didn’t know what to do; everyone was in the tunnel waiting. Now I’m a coach, but the ones who market themselves best are the ones who get rewarded the most.” On his relationship with Guardiola: “A great friendship”
There are moments destined to stand the test of time—moments that take on a special significance and change the course of history. Alessandro Calori, the match-winner of that 2000 Perugia-Juventus game, knows something about that. An absurd match, played in a downpour, that made him immortal. “It was a historic goal. People still stop me and remind me of that day”
Calori, it’s impossible not to start with that May 14. The downpour, Collina having to decide whether to let the game go on or not. A movie-worthy end to the season.
“I remember every detail—Collina not knowing what to do, all of us waiting in the tunnel. For fifteen minutes, it rained like crazy. It was very strange—an hour and a quarter delay between the first and second halves. Something like that probably wouldn’t happen today.”
In the end, the game went on. 50th minute: Conte played a short clearance, you controlled it with your chest, and on the volley, you fired past Van Der Sar. The Scudetto went to Lazio.
“People still stop me and remind me of that day. Every now and then I look back at the lineups: they had Zidane, Del Piero, Inzaghi, and the rest. A powerhouse team. We had nothing left to prove. But when they conceded that goal, they realized they’d fallen into a curse with no way out.”
And yet, Calori was a center back by trade. Not exactly a goal-scorer.
“That year, though, I scored five in total. Among other things, I scored a really nice one against Buffon’s Parma. And in defense, we had Cannavaro, Thuram, and Sensini—not exactly rookies.”
Some even said that you declared yourself a Juventus fan after the goal to feel less responsible.
“People say all sorts of things… often it’s just nonsense. I used to go to the stadium with my dad, Mario, and I’ve been a Juve fan my whole life. I grew up idolizing Scirea. Scoring against Juve itself was a bizarre twist of fate.”
A few months earlier, *Famiglia Cristiana* published a letter from an anonymous player who confessed to fixing a match. You were dragged into it…
“It’s a nasty story, a fabrication that hurt me. I sued everyone—including newspapers and TV stations—and I won in every court. I’m not a scoundrel, nor am I a repentant sinner; I’ve never understood why my name came up. I suffered a lot because of it, but today I’ve moved past it.”
Let’s take a step back. For seven years, you were captain of Udinese. Any highlights?
“Those were incredible seasons. I remember that at the end of practice I’d stop and challenge Bierhoff to a header contest. He’d win, but I held my own…”
You had many coaches during your time with Udinese. Let’s start with Zaccheroni.
“Zac and I have a very close relationship; we still see each other today. When he was sick, I’d call his family almost every day to get updates. I was his captain; with him on the bench, we finished third: qualifying for Europe with Udinese was my dream.”
Then Galeone and Guidolin.
“Two masters. Each in their own way. Galeone once came into the locker room wearing ski boots just to make us laugh and lighten the tension. He always knew how to take the edge off. I consider Guidolin a visionary. When we were losing, he’d show up in camouflage to make us understand that we had to go to war.”
In Perugia and Brescia, on the other hand, Mazzone was on the bench.
“Carletto was like a father. After the win against Juventus, he told us, ‘It took a Roma fan to make Lazio win.’ Meanwhile, Gaucci, before we took the field, revealed to the reporters that he’d send us to China for a month if we lost. After the final whistle, another quip from Mazzone: ‘It’s not like we were actually going.’ He was one of a kind. I was also on the field the day of the race against Atalanta. Another crazy scene.”
What a team that Brescia was. There were champions like Baggio and Guardiola, and a young Pirlo.
“Our strength was the locker room. Corioni had gone all out; we finished seventh in a really tough league. Baggio was out of this world—he played like a god even with his knees in ruins. At the end of the game, he’d bend over and massage them, then he’d need two days to get back to training. But every time he stepped onto the field… all hell broke loose. Mazzone told us: ‘You’re you, he’s Roberto Baggio.’ But for the sheer joy of playing with a champion like that, it was worth protecting him and running that extra mile.”
He formed a close friendship with Guardiola.
“Pep is a genuine, warm-hearted person. After the Champions League final, which we won in Rome in 2009, he took all of us out to dinner. When he arrived in Brescia, he’d been accused of doping, but we always stood by him, believing in his innocence. And he hasn’t forgotten that.”
As a team, you also had to cope with the death of a teammate, Vittorio Mero. A tragic accident took him from us.
“We were playing in the Coppa Italia; Vittorio was suspended. It was a tragedy—one of those things you just can’t explain. At the end of the season, we avoided relegation and dedicated that achievement to him.”
Today, Calori is a coach; his most recent stint was with Lazio’s Primavera team in 2021–22. What does he expect from the future?
“I’d like an opportunity, but these days, those who market themselves best stand out more than those with actual expertise. You have to be put forward by someone—connections matter. It’s not a healthy system.”
