Michele Padovano

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Michele Padovano (born August 28, 1966 in Turin) is an Italian retired football player.

Padovano began his career at Torino, before short spells at Pisa, Napoli and Genoa, he signed for Reggiana where he impressed. It was here that he caught the eye of Juventus manager Marcello Lippi who signed him in the summer of 1995, where he won the UEFA Champions League in 1996. His form for Juventus was good enough for him to be given a cap for the Italian national team by Cesare Maldini, who played him during the 3-0 win over Moldova.

Padovano was eventually placed in the reserves at Juventus and was looking for a move away from the club. He was signed by Crystal Palace in November, 1997 for £1.7 million by chairman Mark Goldberg, who saw Padovano as the ideal player to save the club from relegation. However Padovano struggled to adapt to the Premiership, scoring just once in twelve appearances for the club. He was sold on to Metz after falling out of favour at Crystal Palace, and later moved to Como. In May 2006, he was arrested by Italian police in Torino over allegation of his implication in hashish traffic.[1]