Gianluca Festa
| Date of birth | 15 March 1969 |
| Place of birth | Cagliari |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Weight | 85 kg |
| Height | 1.83 m |
| Position | Defender |
With Middlesbrough, FA Cup runner-up 1997, League Cup runner-up 1997.
This experienced central defender has a tough no-nonsense tackling style with an almost mischievous sense of adventure going forward, often leaving a mountain to climb when he needs to get back into position quickly.
The big Italian has now completed five seasons with Middlesbrough where the fans adore him, while from the club viewpoint he remains one of the best buys Bryan Robson ever made. It was good news for all at the club when he declared himself to be settled on Teesside thus ruling out a bid from his old boss Claudio Ranieri at Chelsea.
Club history
| Team | Joined | Left | Loan / Trialist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cagliari | 01 Jul 1986 | 01 Jul 1993 | |
| Fersuicis | 01 Jul 1987 | 01 Jul 1988 | L |
| Internazionale | 01 Jul 1993 | 18 Jan 1997 | |
| AS Roma | 01 Aug 1993 | 31 May 1994 | L |
| Middlesbrough | 18 Jan 1997 | 29 Aug 2002 | |
| Portsmouth | 23 Aug 2002 | 28 Aug 2002 | L |
| Portsmouth | 29 Aug 2002 | 01 Jul 2003 | |
| Cagliari | 01 Jul 2003 |
Club stats
| Season | Team | Competition | Apps | Subs | Goals | Y | R |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-97 | Middlesbrough | FA Cup | 5 | 1 |
3
|
||
| 1996-97 | Middlesbrough | League Cup | 4 | ||||
| 1996-97 | Middlesbrough | Premier League | 13 | 1 |
5
|
||
| 1997-98 | Middlesbrough | FA Cup | 1 |
1
|
|||
| 1997-98 | Middlesbrough | League Cup | 4 |
1
|
|||
| 1998-99 | Middlesbrough | League Cup | 2 | 1 |
|||
| 1998-99 | Middlesbrough | Premier League | 25 | 2 |
9
|
||
| 1999-00 | Middlesbrough | FA Cup | 1 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Middlesbrough | League Cup | 2 | ||||
| 1999-00 | Middlesbrough | Premier League | 27 | 2 |
2 |
6
|
1
|
| 2000-01 | Middlesbrough | FA Cup | 3 |
1
|
|||
| 2000-01 | Middlesbrough | League Cup | 3 | ||||
| 2000-01 | Middlesbrough | Premier League | 21 | 4 |
2 |
3
|
|
| 2001-02 | Middlesbrough | FA Cup | 3 | 1 |
|||
| 2001-02 | Middlesbrough | Premier League | 8 | 1 |
2
|
||
| 2002-03 | Portsmouth | League Cup | 2 |
1
|
|||
| 2002-03 | Portsmouth | League Division 1 | 27 | 1 |
5
|
Please note: Career stats are based on performances in the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.
Club matches
| Date | Match | Result | Competition | Round | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 2002 | Portsmouth v Watford | W | 3-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 26 Aug 2002 | Grimsby Town v Portsmouth | W | 0-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 31 Aug 2002 | Portsmouth v Brighton and Hove Albion | W | 4-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 07 Sep 2002 | Gillingham v Portsmouth | W | 1-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 10 Sep 2002 | Portsmouth v Peterborough United | W | 2-0 | League Cup | 1st round |
| 14 Sep 2002 | Portsmouth v Millwall | W | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 17 Sep 2002 | Portsmouth v Wimbledon | W | 4-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 21 Sep 2002 | Norwich City v Portsmouth | L | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 28 Sep 2002 | Portsmouth v Bradford City | W | 3-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 01 Oct 2002 | Portsmouth v Wimbledon | L | 1-3 | League Cup | 2nd round |
| 05 Oct 2002 | Rotherham United v Portsmouth | W | 2-3 | League Division 1 | |
| 19 Oct 2002 | Portsmouth v Coventry City | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 29 Oct 2002 | Portsmouth v Preston North End | W | 3-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 02 Nov 2002 | Portsmouth v Leicester City | L | 0-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 13 Jan 2003 | Portsmouth v Sheffield United | L | 1-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 22 Feb 2003 | Portsmouth v Gillingham | W | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 01 Mar 2003 | Millwall v Portsmouth | W | 0-5 | League Division 1 | |
| 04 Mar 2003 | Wimbledon v Portsmouth | L | 2-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 12 Mar 2003 | Portsmouth v Norwich City | W | 3-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 15 Mar 2003 | Portsmouth v Wolverhampton Wanderers | W | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 19 Mar 2003 | Coventry City v Portsmouth | W | 0-4 | League Division 1 | |
| 22 Mar 2003 | Preston North End v Portsmouth | D | 1-1 | League Division 1 | |
| 05 Apr 2003 | Walsall v Portsmouth | W | 1-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 12 Apr 2003 | Portsmouth v Sheffield Wednesday | L | 1-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 15 Apr 2003 | Portsmouth v Burnley | W | 1-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 18 Apr 2003 | Ipswich Town v Portsmouth | L | 3-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 21 Apr 2003 | Portsmouth v Reading | W | 3-0 | League Division 1 | |
| 27 Apr 2003 | Portsmouth v Rotherham United | W | 3-2 | League Division 1 | |
| 04 May 2003 | Bradford City v Portsmouth | W | 0-5 | League Division 1 | |
Please note: Match history is complete for the Premier and Football Leagues and (in most cases all) internationals.