Gianluca Pagliuca ana suna a matsayin ɗaya daga cikin mafi kyawun masu tsaron gida a tarihin Italia — ƙarfi mai ƙarfi a Sampdoria da Inter, kuma fuskar da ba za a manta da ita ba a gasar Kofin Duniya ta 1994. Duk da haka, ko da yake ya yi dukan aikin nasa a cikin Serie A, tsohon mai tsaron gidan na riƙe da ƙauna mai zurfi da dawwama ga kulob ɗin Ingilishi da bai taɓa wakilta ba: Aston Villa.
Pagliuca, yanzu yana da shekaru 59, ya kwatanta wannan ƙulli zuwa farkon shekarun 1980, lokacin da talabijin na Italiya ke nuna guntun hotuna na ƙwallon ƙafa na Ingila. A cikin waɗannan hotuna, launukan claret da shuɗi na Villa sun farfaɗo da hankalinsa a karon farko.
"Na fara ƙaunatar Aston Villa ina kallon gutsuttsuren ƙwallon ƙafa na Ingila a talabijin a farkon shekarun '80," Pagliuca ya gaya wa FourFourTwo. "Ina tuna waɗancan launukan claret da shuɗi, da kuma gasar taken da suka yi da Ipswich a shekarar 1981."
Shekaru goma da takwas ke nan a shekarar 1999 kafin Villa — a lokacin ƙarƙashin jagorancin manajan John Gregory — suka nemi hidimar Pagliuca. A wannan lokacin, Pagliuca ya riga ya bar Inter kuma yana kusa da rattaba hannu tare da Bologna.
"Bayan lokacina a Inter, kafin in amince da shiga Bologna, na sami kiran tarho daga Villa," ya tuna. "A wancan lokacin, Premier League ba ita ce ta yau ba — Serie A ita ce babbar gasar duniya."
Abin da ya zama kamar yanke shawara mai ma'ana a wancan lokacin a yanzu haka ya zama abin nadama ga tsohon ɗan wasa na ƙasar Italia mai kiran 39.
"Da ina wasa yanzu, ko zan iya komawa baya a cikin lokaci, da na kama irin wannan damar nan da nan — musamman a Ingila, wanda ya kullum ya jawo ni, har ma da ƙasashen waje baki ɗaya."
Ko da yake wannan motsi zuwa Villa Park bai taba yin aiki ba, ƙaunar Pagliuca ga kulob ɗin ta ci gaba da ƙarfafuwa tsawon shekaru — har ta ɓullo cikin tunatarwa na dindindin a jikinsa.
"A shekarar 2019, kafin Villa su ci gasar wasan play-off na karshe da Derby, na yi wa ɗana alkawari cewa, idan suka hau Premier League, zan zana tambarin su a hannuna na dama," ya yarda. "Kuma na yi haka! Har yau, har yanzu ina duba sakamakonsu ta atomatik — al'ada ce da take daɗa min kima."
Ga Pagliuca, Aston Villa ba kawai ɓangaren soyayya mai nisa ba ne — yana wakiltar alaƙa da aka ƙirƙira a ƙuruciya, wacce ta tsaya tsawon shekaru da kuma zaɓuɓɓukan aiki, wacce yanzu aka sassaƙa a jikinsa.
