Franco Constanzo
 |
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Franco Costanzo | ||
| Date of birth | 5 September 1980 | ||
| Place of birth | Río Cuarto, Argentina | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Playing position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Club information | |||
|
Current team
|
Universidad Católica | ||
| Number | 21 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2005 | River Plate | 87 | (0) |
| 2005–2006 | Alavés | 31 | (0) |
| 2006–2011 | FC Basel | 141 | (0) |
| 2011–2012 | Olympiacos | 6 | (0) |
| 2013– | Universidad Católica | 39 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 1999 | Argentina U-20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2003 | Argentina | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 22 December 2011. ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 12 December 2010 |
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Franco Costanzo (born 5 September 1980) is an Argentine football goalkeeper who plays for Chilean club Universidad Católica of the Primera División.
He has earned the reputation of being an eccentric goalkeeper by often dribbling the ball past the opposition's strikers and by making somewhat unorthodox saves. Early in his career, Costanzo was once considered an excellent prospect; however, due to a few lengthy injuries, he has only recently managed to fulfill his full potential.
Costanzo started playing professionally with Buenos Aires giants Club Atlético River Plate in 2000 and made his first-team debut in 2001. He had become the first choice goalkeeper by 2002 and was looked upon by many as one of the most talented goalkeepers in South America. However, injury started to plague him and when he returned from the sidelines, Germán Lux had established himself as River Plate's Number 1. His search for first-team action then took him to Spain's La Liga as he transferred to Deportivo Alavés in 2005. He was first choice at Alavés straight away, but when they were relegated into the Segunda División, he asked the manager, José María Salmerón, to be put on the transfer list.
Swiss side FC Basel acquired his services in July 2006 for £1.4 million after the departure of veteran goalkeeper Pascal Zuberbühler. His Basel career did not get off to a great start; he made a blunder in his first match against FC St. Gallen on 30 July 2006 in the 3–2 away defeat. However, he played excellent in the second half of the 2006–07 season and was voted the FCB Player of the Year. He earned much praise during the 2007–08 season for his form as Basel became Champions and especially for his part in helping the team earn a valuable UEFA Cup away point against NK Dinamo Zagreb in the hostile atmosphere of the Maksimir Stadium on 8 November 2007.
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