UEFA honours
UEFA European Championship: runner-up 2012

• Started out with Pescara Calcio and impressed sufficiently in Serie B to earn a move to Juventus but his route to the first XI was blocked by Angelo Peruzzi and Michelangelo Rampulla.

• Switched to Udinese in 1999 and made his European debut in his first season − away to Bayer 04 Leverkusen in the UEFA Cup − but was second choice behind Luigi Turci before finally taking over as No1 in 2002/03, amassing 174 Serie A appearances in five seasons and 16 outings in Europe, including all six during the club's debut UEFA Champions League campaign in 2005/06.

• Won his first cap for Italy in March 2005 versus Iceland; his second appearance came seven months later in a World Cup qualifier against Moldova but there would be just two more caps over the next six years – despite making the squad for both UEFA EURO 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.

• Joined Sevilla FC in 2007 but was the back-up to Andrés Palop and barely figured; much more active the following season at Galatasaray AŞ, where he started 31 league games and all ten in the UEFA Cup.

• Joined Napoli in 2009 and was ever-present in each of his first two Serie A campaigns; impressed also in helping the Partenopei reach the knockout phase of the 2011/12 UEFA Champions League and win the Coppa Italia.

• Was an unused squad member once again as Italy reached the final of UEFA EURO 2012.