Julián Speroni

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Julián Speroni
Personal information
Full name Julián Speroni
Date of birth 18 May 1979 (age 27)
Place of birth    Buenos Aires, Argentina
Height 6ft0
Playing position Goalkeeper
Club information
Current club Crystal Palace
Number 12
Senior clubs1
Years Club App (Gls)*
2000-2001
2001-2004
2004-
Platense
Dundee
Crystal Palace
 ?
112 (0)
18 (0)   

1 Senior club appearances and goals
counted for the domestic league only and
correct as of 11/02/2007.
* Appearances (Goals)

Julián Speroni (born May 18, 1979 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine footballer who plays for Crystal Palace in The Championship. He wears the number 12 shirt and is a goalkeeper.

Speroni started his career with Club Atlético Platense, in his homeland, but moved after just one year as a professional, to Scottish side Dundee.

He excelled at Dundee, becoming a cult figure due to his cavalier style, often attempting to beat players using his feet. He also made himself all the more popular by vowing that he would "never join [Dundee's rivals] Dundee United".

However, with Dundee in financial trouble, Speroni ended up moving south of the border, to newly-promoted Crystal Palace, for a fee of £500,000.

On his home debut for Palace, against Everton, his erratic play would lead to him coming a cropper when, with Palace a goal up, he failed to wrong-foot Kevin Campbell while dithering on the ball when a simple clearance from a backpass was expected to be made, and having brought down the veteran striker, Thomas Gravesen converted the resulting penalty and Palace went on to lose by three goals to one. Consequently, with the Palace backline having lost confidence in their goalkeeper, the Eagles did not pick up a single point from their next four games (all in which Speroni featured), leading to his being replaced by Hungarian international Gábor Király. The game, however, also proved to be a change in fortunes for the Toffees who, after a bad start to the cxampaign, succeeded in claiming a place in European competition come the end of the season.

Although Speroni is currently injured, his hard work has been rewarded with a place back in the side, and he is currently ahead of England U-20 international Scott Flinders in the pecking order.


Crystal Palace F.C. - Current Squad

2 Lawrence | 3 Granville | 4 Ward | 5 Hudson | 6 Cort | 7 McAnuff | 8 Scowcroft | 9 Freedman | 11 Morrison | 12 Speroni | 14 Watson | 15 Kennedy | 16 Black | 17 Hughes | 18 Borrowdale | 19 Soares | 20 Butterfield | 21 Martin | 23 Fletcher | 25 Green | 27 Ifill | 28 Király | 31 Fray | 32 Kuqi | 33 Grabban | 34 Starkey | 35 Wiggins | 36 Spence | 37 Sheringham | 38 Wilkinson | 40 Hall | Manager: Taylor


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