Gianluca Festa

Infobox Football biography
playername = Gianluca Festa
fullname = Gianluca Festa
height = height|m=1.82
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1969|3|15
cityofbirth = Cagliari
countryofbirth = Italy
currentclub =
position = centre/right back
years = 1986-1987
1987-1988
1988-1993
1993-1994 1994
1994-1997
1997-2002
2002-2003
2003-2004
2004-2007
2007-
clubs = Cagliari
Fersulcis (on loan)
Cagliari
Inter
AS Roma
Internazionale
Middlesbrough
Portsmouth
Cagliari
Nuorese
Tavolara
caps(goals) = 003 0(0)
026 0(2)
125 0(0)
004 0(0)
021 0(1)
062 0(3)
136 (10)
027 0(1)
026 0(2)
079 0(6)

pcupdate = September 22, 2007

Gianluca Festa (born March 15, 1969 in Cagliari) is an Italian football defender.

Festa played with several notable teams, including Internazionale, AS Roma and Middlesbrough F.C., being one of the first Italians to play in the English Premier League. Popular and professional to the point of obsession, Gianluca Festa became the standard against which imports would be measured. Festa was dedicated to the art of defending, a studious trainer and a supreme athlete but his physical qualities were combined with a loyalty, fierce determination and a passion that won him the admiration of players and supporters alike. Festa arrived from Internazionale in the midst of a bleak relegation battle and added steel and discipline - and scored on an impressive winning debut - as Boro made a brave late bid to beat the drop. An accomplished martial arts master, a junior Italian tennis champion and captain of the Army team when he did his national service, Festa was rock hard and super-fit. He had shrewd positional sense, was tough in the tackle, a dominating figure in the air and got forward on occasions to score the odd important goal. One that could have been vital and historic was ruled out when Festa’s header in the FA Cup final was ruled offside. That was one of three Wembley appearances he made in his first action-packed 18 months at the club. When many of the other big names bailed out following relegation, Festa stayed, knuckled down and helped win promotion back to the top flight with consistently outstanding displays that earned him the player of the year gong in 1998. Festa was squeezed out by the big money arrivals of Gareth Southgate and Ugo Ehiogu but remained as a useful squad player before leaving for a short spell at Portsmouth. In 2003 he returned in his native Sardinia, joining Cagliari and helping the "rossoblu" to win promotion to Serie A. In 2004 he joined then-Eccellenza side F.C. Nuorese Calcio, serving as team captain and leading the club to two consecutive promotions and an unsuccessful appearance in the Serie C2 campaign playoffs in his third season. He agreed to leave Nuorese by mutual consent on September 2007. [cite web|url=http://www.tuttomercatoweb.com/index.php?action=read&id=75634|language=Italian|publisher=TuttoMercatoWeb|title=UFFICIALE: Gianluca Festa, ex Inter, rescinde con la Nuorese|date=2007-09-21|accessdate=2007-09-22] He then signed for Tavolara of Serie D, coached by his former teammate Vittorio Pusceddu. [cite web|url=http://www.calciatori.com/calcom/almanacco/calciatore.jsp?id=3560|publisher=Calciatori.com|language=Italian|title=Gianluca Festa|accessdate=2007-12-13]

Teams and clubs

*1986-1987: Cagliari (Serie B)
*1987-1988: Fersulcis (Serie D)
*1988-1993: Cagliari (Serie C1 88/89, Serie B 89/90, Serie A 90-93)
*1993-January 1994: Internazionale Milano F.C. (Serie A)
*January-June 1994: AS Roma (Serie A)
*June 1994-January 1997: Inter (Serie A)
*January 1997-2002: Middlesbrough (FA Premier League 96/97, Football League Championship 1997/1998, FA Premier League 1998-2002)
*2002-2003: Portsmouth (Football League Championship)
*2003-2004: Cagliari (Serie B)
*2004-2007: Nuorese (Eccellenza 04/05, Serie D 05/06, Serie C2 06/07, 07/08)
*October 2007- Tavolara (Serie D 07/08)

References

External links

*it icon [http://nuke.nuoresecalcio.com/ArchivioStorico/Iricordi/PersonaggiletteraF/FestaGianLuca/tabid/354/Default.aspx Profile of Gianluca Festa (from Nuorese official website)]