The old saying “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone” was certainly true of Fiorentina’s Francesco Toldo.
In truth, however, the Viola knew exactly what they had, they just never thought they’d lose him.
For eight seasons, fans who frequented the Stadio Artemio Franchi watched in awe as their 6ft 5” custodian built a global reputation as one of the outstanding Italian goalkeepers of his generation. In a land that has produced some of the best goalkeepers on the planet, Toldo consistently showed that he was right up there amongst them.
But his status as one of Italy’s best goalkeepers wasn’t instant.
Nomadic beginnings
At 19 years of age, Toldo signed for Milan. He would stay there for three years without ever gracing the famed San Siro turf. Instead, the boy from Padua, would lead a nomadic three-year life on loan.
First he had a short loan spell with Hellas Verona, but didn’t play a single game. Next he moved northeast to Trento, where he made 38 appearances in Serie C2 for A.C. Trento, a spell that proved vital for his development as a keeper. However, it was in his final loan spell, at Ravenna FC on the Adriatic coast, that would prove most decisive as it was here that talent scouts from Fiorentina spotted his potential.
At Fiorentina, who were playing in Serie B when he arrived, Toldo soon established himself as their number one keeper.
Despite playing in Italy’s second tier, Toldo joined an outstanding squad that consisted of players such as Gabriel Batistuta, Francesco Baiano, Stefan Effenberg and many more. He was an instant hit and, as Fiorentina quickly won the division and returned to Serie A, his star was clearly on the rise.
It was a sweet moment for the keeper that Milan had once discarded.
The complete keeper
It is hard to describe just how complete Toldo was as a goalkeeper. It is even harder to identify an obvious weakness. Of course, he made errors, but they were few and far between and, even in areas where he was expected to struggle, he was superbly capable.
Let us expand on that for a moment.
Toldo had always professed that he was not comfortable when facing penalties. Yet one of the most iconic images of that era is the Viola shot stopper punching his fists by his hips whilst facing the Curva Fiesole after saving another penalty.
Just look at his exploits for the national team in the penalty shoot-out against Holland in the semi-final of Euro 2020, now that was something.
He may not have looked forward to facing penalties, but face them he did and with some success!
Strength and composure
That was a trait of the man. His strength of mind and composure allowed any defence he played with to feel comfortable.
He had played out field as a child and, despite idolising Giovanni Galli and Dino Zoff, he simply enjoyed playing all positions and it showed. He was happy to take time on the ball and his passing range was so good one may argue that he was a little before his time.
When it came to shot stopping it is hard to find many better from this era. His height allowed him to arc back and tip shots over the bar or simply cover immense distances at an incredible height to thwart some of the best strikers in the world plying their trade in Italy at this time. It is also notable how many second saves he makes with his feet, and it is not talked about enough how quickly he could get back up and throw himself in front of the ball to make two or even three saves in quick succession. There is perhaps a reason for this however, it is because, when he would parry the ball, if you watch back, he gets a lot of power on these parries and they often go so far that they go out for throw ins. When they didn’t, he was always ready for the rebound.
No goalkeeper is perfect and, by his own admission, Toldo’s least comfortable area was taking crosses. This doesn’t mean he fumbled them, it simply means that he felt uncomfortable and seldom ventured beyond his penalty spot to reach for a cross. This didn’t matter, however, as his teammates were aware of this and defended accordingly.
A lasting legacy
For financial reasons (the club was facing bankruptcy), Toldo left the Viola in 2001, leaving an enormous void – one that arguably has never been filled.
A gentleman on and off the pitch, Francesco Toldo is a man that everyone seems to like (other than the strikers he faced on match day). He left a legacy at the Franchi and has to be regaded as one of Fiorentina’s greatest ever players.
He won the Serie B title, two Coppa Italia and a SuperCoppa Italiana.
In an age where Italy had some of the best strikers on the planet, Francesco Toldo was every bit their equal.
Words by Richard Hall