Davide Gualtieri

Davide Gualtieri, born on April 27, 1971, is a former Sammarinese footballer renowned for his remarkable achievement as a forward. He made history on November 17, 1993, by scoring the second fastest goal in FIFA World Cup qualification history against England, a feat that would see him hold the record for over twenty-three years.

The match took place in Bologna, Italy, where San Marino kicked off and quickly advanced the ball through the right channel. England defender Stuart Pearce's under-hit back pass to goalkeeper David Seaman allowed Gualtieri to seize the opportunity, touching the ball past Seaman just eight point three seconds into the game. This goal remained the fastest in World Cup history until Christian Benteke scored after eight point one seconds in 2016.

Despite Gualtieri's early goal, England equalized after twenty minutes and ultimately won the match seven to one. A common misconception is that Gualtieri's goal eliminated England from qualifying for the 1994 World Cup; however, England's fate was also dependent on Poland's performance against the Netherlands, which did not go in their favor.

Gualtieri continued to represent the San Marino national team until his retirement in 2000 due to injury. Following his football career, he transitioned into a new profession as a computer salesman in San Marino. In 2020, he made a memorable appearance on the TV series 'Harry's Heroes: Euro Having a Laugh,' where he assembled a Sammarinese team to face off against a squad of 1990s England players once again.