Sebastiano Rossi

Infobox Football biography
playername = Sebastiano Rossi


fullname =
height = Height|m=1.98
nickname = "Seba", "Ascensore Umano" (Human Elevator)
dateofbirth = birth date and age|df=yes|1964|7|20
cityofbirth = Cesena
countryofbirth = Italy
currentclub =
position = Goalkeeper
youthyears = 1979-1982
youthclubs = Cesena
years = 1982–1984 1982–1983 1984–1985 1985–1986 1986–1990 1990–2002 2002–2003
clubs = Cesena → Forlì (loan) → Empoli (loan) → Rondinella (loan) Cesena AC Milan Perugia
caps(goals) = 000 (0) 011 (0) 000 (0) 028 (0) 127 (0) 240 (0) 012 (0)
nationalyears = 1981–1991
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
manageryears =
managerclubs =

Sebastiano Rossi (born 20 July 1964 in Cesena) was an Italian footballer who played goalkeeper for several clubs, most notably AC Milan. He was a hugely successful player, winning the "scudetto" five times with Milan. In total, he made 346 appearances in the Serie A, 240 of them for Milan. Rossi was known for his knack for saving penalties.

Refusing the opportunity to play basketball, Rossi joined his hometown club, A.C. Cesena, in 1979 at the age of fifteen. They were in the Serie B, the second level of Italian football. He would not make his league debut until the 1982-83 season, during a one-year stint with A.C. Forlì, a small club in the Serie C1. Several unsuccessful seasons followed, including one at Empoli F.C. (also in the Serie B). After a more fruitful season at Rondinella Calcio, he finally became Cesena's first-choice goalkeeper, making 33 appearances during the 1986-87 season. At the end of the season, manager Bruno Bolchi was replaced by Alberto Bigon (coincidentally, a famous Milan player in his own right). During his two seasons in charge, Bigon was able to achieve promotion to the Serie A. In 1989, Bigon left to manage SSC Napoli. His successor was Marcello Lippi, at the time a relatively unremarkable coach making his managerial debut in the Serie A. During his first season in the top flight, Rossi was noticed by AC Milan, who would win their second successive European Cup final that season. Unable to resist their offer, he joined the so-called "Dream Team" that would dominate Italian football for much of the 1990s.

After one season as a backup to Andrea Pazzagli, Rossi became Milan's first choice goalkeeper. Immediately, he enjoyed great success behind world class defenders such as Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, Mauro Tassotti, Alessandro Costacurta, Marcel Desailly, and Christian Panucci. Ironically, this strong defence was one of the reasons why Rossi was rarely called up for the Italian national team; Arrigo Sacchi, who coached the national team during this time, evidently felt that it was the defence and not the goalkeeper that was responsible for Milan's great success. Under the tutelage of Fabio Capello, the "Invincibles" went on a famous 58-match unbeaten run and won four "scudetti" in five seasons. After their 1996 championship, Milan suddenly fell from the throne, finishing 11th in 1997 and 10th in 1998. Rossi's own career declined simultaneously; he made fewer and fewer appearances, eventually losing the first-choice goalkeeper spot to Christian Abbiati. He did win another "scudetto" in 1999, but after the 2000-01 season, he moved to Perugia Calcio, who were facing a goalkeeper crisis at the time. He would make 24 league appearances in two seasons before hanging up his boots in 2003.

Along with the five "scudetti", Rossi won two European Super Cups, an Intercontinental Cup, three Italian Super Cups, and one Champions League trophy during his time at Milan. He is considered one of the best goalkeepers to have played for Milan. He made one final appearance at the San Siro in a testimonial match for Demetrio Albertini; the two of them were teammates for ten seasons.

Sebastiano Rossi is currently goalkeepers' trainer in AC Milan youth department.

Record

Rossi is also the record holder for the longest streak without conceding a goal in Serie A history. In an 11-match span from 12 December 1993 to 27 February 1994, he kept a clean sheet for 929 consecutive minutes, before being beaten by an excellent long-range strike by Foggia's Igor Kolyvanov in San Siro. Nevertheless, Rossi still beat the record set by Dino Zoff in the 1972-73 season by 26 minutes.