Massimo Taibi is remembered as one of the worst Premier League goalkeepers ever, but is that really fair?
His complete howler that allowed a feeble Matt Le Tissier shot through his legs is genuinely one of the worst goalkeeping mistakes the Premier League has ever seen, and in the match that followed he was at fault for the first goal as Chelsea shipped five past him, but he was man of the match at Anfield, and only played four games.
Two good, two bad, is the short summary of those four games, but Taibi went back to Italy at the earliest possible opportunity and faded away from the consciousness of Premier League fans.
MUTV sent a TV crew to Modena, Italy to catch up with Taibi and see what he's up to now. Here is what we learned.
Now a director at an amatuer club, thinks about the mistake all the time.
That was the first thing we saw in the documentary. Literally the first thing.
His wife doesn't like the English media.
She believes they painted him as a disaster and everyone just accepted it.
He left England due to personal problems.
Many believe Fergie sent him packing for being shite, but apparently that's not the case.
He has a pretty impressive office to be fair.
Look at it there. Not bad.
He also runs a goalkeeping school.
Sadly it isn't called the 'Massimo Taibi School Of Excellence'.
And has a favourite pupil who he slags for being fat.
We assume it's all in good fun.
His philospophy on whether goalkeepers are born and not made is inconsistent.
Which is it?
He loved his situation before leaving for United.
United were looking for an Italian goalkeeper and he was seen as the best after the unattainable Buffon.
And he had no probelms settling in.
The personal problems that caused him to leave happened back in Italy.
He has a clear affinity for rotund people.
Seriously, he thinks about that mistake a LOT.
It's kind of sad.
His decision to stay in Italy was made upon the news of Barthez signing.
Another keeper who didn't quite work out.
He was really hurt by the media reaction to his mistake.
And he took it personally.
But now he has his own media job.
He knows from experience not to be too hard on anyone.
It turns out he actually scored a goal in Serie A.
Peter Schmeichel eat your heart out.
He has unfinished business in England.
The tabloids would have a field day.
But really, he thinks about that mistake a lot.
The clip was played four times, and in almost every interview it was brought up.
And he left us with a very Italian message.
Loyalty above all else.
In summary, the short documentary was interesting, and paints a picture of a man who has a genuine passion for the sport but cannot forget a bad mistake that was seen as the defining moment of his career.
It comes across as a bit sad when his wife and former coaches are defending him, suggesting to the viewer that "No, honestly, he actually was good!", but in the end he is happy doing what he is doing at that is all that matters at the end of the day.
