the best goalkeepers in the Premier League and in the world in his prime, and is considered to be one of Chelsea's greatest goalkeepers, as well as one of the best Italian keepers of his generation. Although he was regarded as a talented prospect in his youth, he was a somewhat late bloomer, and only came to prominence in his late 20s. Despite not being a particularly commanding goalkeeper in the penalty area, as he is not particularly tall and does not possess particularly large hands, Cudicini was however an excellent and instinctive shot-stopper, who was known in particular for his positional sense, intelligence, and composure in goal, as well as his agility, speed, and explosive reactions, which made him effective at stopping penalties. Coaching career In March 2015, Cudicini joined the Republic of Ireland national under-21 football team coaching staff as goalkeeping coach. In July 2016, Cudicini returned to Chelsea to become a club ambassador and assistant to the new first-team head coach Antonio Conte. He was present amongst the rest of the coaching staff during Chelsea's 2–1 home win over West Ham in their first match of the 2016–17 season. He continued the job under Maurizio Sarri in 2018–19 season. In August 2019, Cudicini had been appointed technical coach for the players on loan from other clubs following Eddie Newton's move to Frank Lampard's backroom staff. In December 2022, Cudicini received his UEFA Pro License in Dublin after attending the FAI Coach Education Department course. Career statistics Club Honours Chelsea FA Cup: 1999–2000, 2006–07 Football League Cup: 2004–05, 2006–07 FA Community Shield: 2000, 2005 Individual ITV 'Golden Gloves' Goalkeeper of the Year: 2003 Chelsea's Player of the Year: 2002 References External links Stats: National Team Profiles: Yahoo/EuroSport BBC 1973 births Living people Footballers from Milan Association football goalkeepers Italian footballers Italy youth international footballers Italy under-21 international footballers Italian expatriate footballers Expatriate footballers in England Expatriate soccer players in the United States Italian expatriate sportspeople in England A.S.D. Castel di Sangro Calcio players A.C. Milan players S.S. Lazio players A.C. Prato players Como 1907 players Chelsea F.C. players Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players LA Galaxy players Serie A players Serie B players Premier League players Major League Soccer players Italian expatriate sportspeople in the United States FA Cup Final players Chelsea F.C. non-playing staff