1.
Roberto Baggio
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Roberto Baggio is an Italian former professional footballer who mainly played as a second striker, or as an attacking midfielder, although he was capable of playing in several offensive positions. He is the former President of the sector of the Italian Football Federation. A technically gifted, creative playmaker and a set piece specialist renowned for his free kicks and goalscoring. In 1999 he came fourth in the FIFA Player of the Century internet poll, in 1993, he was named FIFA World Player of the Year and won the Ballon dOr. In 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA100, Baggio played for Italy in 56 matches, scoring 27 goals, and is the fourth highest goalscorer for his national team. He starred in the Italian team that finished third in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, at the 1994 FIFA World Cup he led Italy to the final, scoring five goals, received the World Cup Silver Ball and was named in the World Cup All-Star Team. Although he was the performer for Italy at the tournament. At the 1998 FIFA World Cup he scored twice, before Italy were eliminated to eventual champions France in the quarter-finals. Baggio is the only Italian to score in three World Cups, and with nine goals holds the record for most goals scored in World Cup tournaments for Italy, along with Paolo Rossi and Christian Vieri. In 2002, he became the first Italian player in over 50 years to more than 300 career goals. In 1990, he moved from Fiorentina to Juventus for a record transfer fee. Baggio is known as Il Divin Codino, for the hairstyle he wore for most of his career, for his talent, in 2002, Baggio was nominated Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. In 2003, he was the winner of the Golden Foot award. In recognition of his human rights activism, he received the Man of Peace award from the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates in 2010 and he was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2011. Roberto Baggio was born in Caldogno, Veneto, son of Matilde and Fiorindo Baggio and his younger brother, Eddy Baggio, was also a footballer who played 86 games in Serie B. Baggio began his career after being noticed by his hometown youth team, Caldogno. By the time he had turned 11, he had scored 45 goals and provided 20 assists in 26 matches and his talent was recognised by scout Antonio Mora, and he was acquired by the Vicenza youth team at the age of 13 for £300. After scoring 110 goals in 120 matches, Baggio began his career with the Vicenza senior side in 1983
2.
Marcello Lippi
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Marcello Lippi, Commendatore OMRI is an Italian former professional football player and current manager of the China national team. He served as Italian national team coach from 16 July 2004 to 12 July 2006. He was re-appointed as Italian national team coach in the summer of 2008 and was succeeded by Cesare Prandelli after the disappointing performance in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Lippi is regarded as one of the greatest and most successful managers in football history and he is the first and to date the only coach to win both the UEFA Champions League and the AFC Champions League. He was named the worlds best football manager by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics both in 1996 and 1998, and worlds best National coach in 2006. He is the coach to have won the most prestigious international competitions both for clubs in different continents, and for national teams. Born in Viareggio, in northern Tuscany, Lippi began his career as a defender in 1969. He spent most of his years with Sampdoria, where he played consecutively from 1969 to 1978. In 1979, he joined Pistoiese, being part of the Arancioni s promotion to Serie A and he finished his playing career with Lucchese. Lippi retired from football in 1982, at the age of 34. Despite never having played for Italy at senior level, Lippi gained experience playing in his countrys top flight as a defender for Sampdoria. His rise to the top of the tree also began at the Genoese club. After various stints in Italys lower divisions, he became a coach in Serie A in 1989 with Cesena. Lippi then moved on to Lucchese and Atalanta, the turning point for Lippi came in the 1993–94 season when he led Napoli to a place in the UEFA Cup. The achievement was all the more remarkable given the turmoil of a club still basking in the past triumphs inspired by Diego Maradona. With his success at Napoli, Lippi became a target for the top Serie A clubs. The following season, Lippi guided Juventus to 1995 Supercoppa Italiana, following the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti, Lippi was subsequently re-appointed as Juventus head coach for the 2001–02 season. His team lost 4–3 at Old Trafford, Lippi was appointed head of the Italy national team on July 2004, following a disappointing UEFA Euro 2004 campaign by Giovanni Trapattoni
3.
France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks
4.
Michel Platini
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Michel François Platini is a French former football player, manager and administrator. Nicknamed Le Roi for his ability and leadership, he is regarded as one of the greatest footballers of all time, Platini won the Ballon dOr three times, in 1983,1984 and 1985, and came sixth in the FIFA Player of the Century vote. In recognition of his achievements, he was named Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1985, during his career, Platini played for the clubs Nancy, Saint-Étienne, and Juventus. Together with the midfielders Alain Giresse, Luis Fernández and Jean Tigana, Platini was his countrys record goalscorer until 2007, and holds the record for most goals scored in the European Championship despite only appearing in the victorious 1984 edition. Following his retirement as a player, Platini was the French national team coach for four years, from 2007, he served as the president of the Union of European Football Associations. He also held the positions of chairman of FIFAs Technical and Development Committee, in 2015, however, he was banned from football administration for conflict of interest by the FIFA Ethics Committee. Born in Jœuf, in the Lorraine region, Platini is the son of Aldo and Anna, Aldo was a professional footballer and a long-time director for AS Nancy, the club where Michel started his professional career. Platini was called up for a trial with Metz, but missed out on the opportunity due to injury and he returned to regional league football with Jœuf. Another trial at Metz went horribly wrong when a breathing test on a spirometer caused Platini to faint, the doctors verdict on Platinis breathing difficulties and weak heart ended any hopes Platini had of playing for his boyhood favorites. He then joined the side of his fathers club Nancy in September 1972. Platini was quick to make a big impression at his new club, further outstanding displays put him in contention for a place in the Nancy first team. His introduction to the squad was inauspicious. On the substitutes bench for a match against Valenciennes, Platini was spat on, playing for the reserves a few days later, a hefty challenge from an opponent left Platini with a bad ankle injury. His season would finish on a positive note, and he would go on to make his league debut against Nîmes on 3 May 1973. In March 1974, he suffered a setback when he sustained a fracture of his left arm in a match at OGC Nice. Platini missed the remainder of the season as a result, unable to assist Nancy in a bid to avoid relegation from Ligue 1. The following season saw Nancy win promotion back to the French first division with ease, Platini became the teams most important player, scoring 17 goals, a number of which were scored from free-kicks, as was becoming Platinis specialty. Saint-Étienne, the then reigning French league champions, were knocked out of the French Cup with two goals from Platini free-kicks, Platini practised his free-kicks with the help of his friend, goalkeeper Moutier, and using a row of dummies to form a defensive wall of sorts
5.
Enzo Bearzot
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Vincenzo Enzo Bearzot was an Italian professional football manager and former footballer, who played as a defender or midfielder. He led the Italian national team to a triumph in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, nicknamed Vecio, he holds the record for most appearances on the bench of the Italian national team at 104 times from 27 September 1975 to 18 June 1986. A year after his death, an award was named in honour of the 1982 World Cup winning coach, born in Aiello del Friuli, in the friulian Province of Udine in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Bearzot was son of a bank teller and attended high school at Udine. He had a successful playing career as a centre back. Enzo Bearzot made his debut in football with Pro Gorizia in 1946. After three seasons with the Nerazzurri, Bearzot moved to Sicily and joined Catania for three more seasons, in 1954 he moved to Torino, which was rebuilding after the tragedy of Superga in 1949. In two seasons as a starter he played 65 matches, scoring one goal, in 1956 he returned to Internazionale where he appeared 27 times, the last of which was a 3–2 defeat at Bologna on 9 June 1957. The following year he returned to Torino, here, he made 164 appearances and scored 7 goals for the Granata before retiring in 1964, aged 37, to take up coaching. After having ended his career, Bearzot became assistant coach of Torino, working alongside Italian managers Nereo Rocco. He successively moved in Tuscany to take his first head coaching job in Tuscany at the helm of Serie C side Prato, after the German World Cup, Bearzot was appointed as assistant coach of Fulvio Bernardini, and was then promoted head coach of Italy in 1975. It was Bearzot who drove the team to fourth place in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. This performance was repeated in the 1980 European Championship, hosted by Italy, in the 1982 FIFA World Cup, after poor performances in the three first matches, Bearzot announced the so-called silenzio stampa in order to avoid rising criticism from the Italian press. Italy did not qualify for the Euro 1984, Bearzot resigned after the 1986 FIFA World Cup, which saw Italy being defeated in the round of 16 by France. Bearzot was criticised during the tournament for relying too heavily on players from the 1982 team. He holds the record for the most amount of times on the bench as manager of Italy, after a long period of inactivity, Bearzot was appointed President of the FIGC Technical Sector in 2002. He left this office in 2005, Bearzot was highly regarded for his tactical prowess, meticulousness, and versatility as a manager. At the same time, he preferred not to set plays and tactical plans on his players, as he believed that above all, they should have the freedom to express their ability. His side were also adept at subsequently creating goalscoring opportunities from quick
6.
Giuseppe Meazza
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Giuseppe Peppino Meazza, also known as il Balilla, was an Italian football manager and player. Along with Giovanni Ferrari and Eraldo Monzeglio, he is one of only three Italian players to have won two World Cups. Meazza is widely considered one of the best players of his generation, due to his technical skill, prolific goalscoring, and creative ability, he was often given the nickname il genio by the Italian press during his career. He has been ranked fourth-best player in the history of the World Cup, with 338 goals, he is the third-highest Italian goalscorer in all competitions. In 2011, he was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame. Meazza was born in Porta Vittoria, Milan, however, it was football that was his true calling. His mother hid his shoes so he would not waste his time and he began playing at six years old on the streets on a team named the Maestri Campionesi who played with a ball made of rags. At twelve years old he finally got permission from his mother to pursue being a footballer and it was here that a fan bought him his first proper pair of football boots. He began his career as a striker, but due to his talent and technical skills. Now we even take players from kindergarten, the National Opera Balilla, the Fascist youth organisation which collected all children aged 8 to 14 years, was established in 1926 and so Conti thought it a good way to describe the young rookie. Meazza scored two goals on his debut in a 6–2 win against Milanese Unione Sportiva in the Coppa Volta in Como, at the age of 13, Meazza admired Milan, but was rejected by the team for being too skinny. However, he was received with open arms by Internazionale and he was randomly observed juggling a rag ball in the street by an Inter scout and quickly signed. They fed him steaks so he would get bigger and stronger, at first he was used to fill a gap in defense instead of being allowed to follow his attacking instinct, but luckily Inters junior coach later corrected the mistake. He scored two goals on his debut in a 6–2 win against Milanese Unione Sportiva in the Coppa Volta di Como, Meazza still holds the record for the most goals scored in a debut season in Serie A, with 31 goals in his first season. The year before, when Serie A did not exist, and he scored 5 goals in a single game, twice in one season,6 January 1929 Inter against Pistoiese 9–1 and 17 March 1929 Inter v Verona 9–0. That same season on 12 May 1929, he scored six goals as Inter beat Venezia 10–2,27 April 1930 was the first time Inter ever played A. S. Inter won 6–0 and Meazza scored four goals, scoring his first three within three minutes of the game, with Meazza on the squad, Inter won 3 national championships in 1930,1938 and 1940, and helped win the teams first Coppa Italia in 1939. The 1930 championship was Inters first since 1920 and they were considered underdogs to teams like Bologna, Torino, Juventus and it was Meazzas dazzling form that clinched the inaugural Serie A title
7.
Paolo Maldini
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Paolo Cesare Maldini is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a left back and central defender for A. C. Milan and the Italy national team. He spent all 25 seasons of his career in the Serie A with Milan, Maldini made his debut for Italy in 1988 before retiring in 2002 with 126 caps, a record which was only bettered by Fabio Cannavaro in 2009 and Gianluigi Buffon in 2013. Maldini captained Italy for eight years and held the record for appearances made as Italys captain, wearing the armband 74 times, until he was again overtaken by Cannavaro. With Italy, Maldini took part in three UEFA European Championship and four FIFA World Cups, although he did not win a tournament with Italy, he reached the final of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000, and the semi-final of the 1990 World Cup and Euro 1988. He was elected into the teams for each of these tournaments. Maldini is regarded as one of the greatest defenders of all time and he came second to George Weah for the FIFA World Player of the Year award in 1995. Maldini also placed third in the Ballon dOr on two occasions, in 1994 and 2003, in 1999, he was voted 21st in World Soccers list of the 100 greatest football players of the 20th century. In 2002, he was chosen as a defender on the FIFA World Cup Dream Team, Maldini was also the Milan and Italy captain for many years and was considered a leader by fellow footballers, leading to the nickname Il Capitano. He is also the record holder for Milan with 902 appearances in all competitions. He is one of only 18 players to have made over 1,000 career appearances. Following his retirement after the 2008–09 season, his lifelong club Milan retired his number 3 shirt in his honour, and in December 2012, he was inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame. Paolos father Cesare formerly played for and captained Milan, and was a successful national under-21 manager, as of 2015, Paolo Maldini is the co-owner of North American Soccer League club Miami FC. Originally a Milan youth squad product, Maldini also went on to play his club career with the Milan senior side. It was his league appearance of the campaign, but he was immediately made a member of the starting eleven the following season, at age 17, at right back. He was later switched to his more iconic position of left back due to his ability with his left foot, Maldini scored the first of his 29 goals in Serie A on 4 January 1987 in a 1–0 win against Como. The 1987–88 Scudetto under Arrigo Sacchi marked Maldinis first trophy, during the 1987–88 Serie A season, Milan only conceded 14 goals, finishing with the best defence in Italy, as they went on to win the Serie A title. Following Baresis retirement, he would form a formidable and successful partnership with Alessandro Nesta. To this day, Milan are the last team to have defended the European Cup trophy
8.
Giovanni Trapattoni
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Giovanni Trapattoni, sometimes popularly known as Trap or Il Trap, is an Italian football manager and former footballer, considered the most successful club coach in the history of Serie A. A former defensive midfielder, as a player he spent almost his entire career with A. C. Milan. Internationally, he played for Italy, earning 17 caps and participating in the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile, alongside Udo Lattek, he is the only coach to have won all three major European club competitions and the only one to make it with the same club. Also, he is the one to have won all official continental club competitions. He is one of the few to have won the European Cup. Trapattoni was most recently the manager of the Republic of Ireland national team and he led them to their first European Championships in 24 years, enjoying a successful UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. This followed narrowly missing out on the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Trapattoni also played for the Italian national team, earning 17 caps and scoring 1 goal. Most notably, he played at the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile, Trapattoni began coaching at Milan as a youth team coach, before becoming caretaker coach. Trapattoni was caretaker coach from 9 April 1974 to 30 June 1974 and his first match was the UEFA Cup Winners Cup semi–final first leg against Borussia Mönchengladbach. They got to the final after losing the second leg 1–0. Milan lost the final 2–0 to East German club 1, Milan finished seventh in Serie A. He was appointed first team coach in 1975, Trapattoni was head coach for Juventus for ten consecutive years, from 1 July 1976 to 30 June 1986. Trapattoni won all UEFA club competitions, during his years managing Juventus, Trapattoni established himself as one of the best managers in football history, well-known and respected among fans and journalists throughout Europe. He was renowned for combining expert man-management with almost unmatched tactical knowledge, Trapattoni coached Inter Milan from 1 July 1986 to 30 June 1991. While in charge of the nerazzurri, he won the Serie A in 1988–89, the Supercoppa Italiana in 1989 and he then managed Juventus for a second time between 1991 and 1994, winning the UEFA Cup in 1992–93. Trapattoni became coach of Bayern Munich in the summer of 1994, however, he left at the end of the 1994–95 season. Trapattoni coached Cagliari in the 1995–96 season and his first match was a 1–0 loss to Udinese on 26 August 1995. The clubs board of directors decided to dismiss him in February 1996, after a string of bad results and his final match was a 4–1 loss to Juventus
9.
Netherlands
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The Netherlands, also informally known as Holland is the main constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is a densely populated country located in Western Europe with three territories in the Caribbean. The European part of the Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North Sea to the northwest, sharing borders with Belgium, the United Kingdom. The three largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague, Amsterdam is the countrys capital, while The Hague holds the Dutch seat of parliament and government. The port of Rotterdam is the worlds largest port outside East-Asia, the name Holland is used informally to refer to the whole of the country of the Netherlands. Netherlands literally means lower countries, influenced by its low land and flat geography, most of the areas below sea level are artificial. Since the late 16th century, large areas have been reclaimed from the sea and lakes, with a population density of 412 people per km2 –507 if water is excluded – the Netherlands is classified as a very densely populated country. Only Bangladesh, South Korea, and Taiwan have both a population and higher population density. Nevertheless, the Netherlands is the worlds second-largest exporter of food and agricultural products and this is partly due to the fertility of the soil and the mild climate. In 2001, it became the worlds first country to legalise same-sex marriage, the Netherlands is a founding member of the EU, Eurozone, G-10, NATO, OECD and WTO, as well as being a part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union. The first four are situated in The Hague, as is the EUs criminal intelligence agency Europol and this has led to the city being dubbed the worlds legal capital. The country also ranks second highest in the worlds 2016 Press Freedom Index, the Netherlands has a market-based mixed economy, ranking 17th of 177 countries according to the Index of Economic Freedom. It had the thirteenth-highest per capita income in the world in 2013 according to the International Monetary Fund, in 2013, the United Nations World Happiness Report ranked the Netherlands as the seventh-happiest country in the world, reflecting its high quality of life. The Netherlands also ranks joint second highest in the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index, the region called Low Countries and the country of the Netherlands have the same toponymy. Place names with Neder, Nieder, Nether and Nedre and Bas or Inferior are in use in all over Europe. They are sometimes used in a relation to a higher ground that consecutively is indicated as Upper, Boven, Oben. In the case of the Low Countries / the Netherlands the geographical location of the region has been more or less downstream. The geographical location of the region, however, changed over time tremendously
10.
Marco van Basten
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Marcel Marco van Basten is a Dutch football manager and former football player, who played for Ajax and Milan, as well as the Netherlands national team, in the 1980s and early 90s as a forward. He was later the coach of Ajax and the Netherlands national team. Playing for the Netherlands, Van Basten won, and was named player of the tournament, at UEFA Euro 1988, at the club level, he won three Eredivisie titles and the Cup Winners Cup with Ajax, and three Serie A titles and two European Cups with Milan. He was also voted eighth in a poll organised by the French magazine France Football, in 2004, he was named by Pelé in the FIFA100 list of the worlds greatest living players. In 2004, a poll for the 100 greatest Dutch people was held in the Netherlands, Van Basten ranked number 25, in 2007, Sky Sports ranked Van Basten first on its list of great athletes who had their careers cut short. Marco van Basten was born on 31 October 1964 in Utrecht and he began playing for a local team, EDO, when he was six years old. A year later, he moved to UVV Utrecht, after nine years there, he briefly played for another club from Utrecht, Elinkwijk. Ajax signed Van Basten for the 1981–82 season and he played his first game for Ajax in April 1982, scoring a debut goal in the 5–0 victory over NEC. In the 1982–83 season, he competed with the European top scorer Wim Kieft for the position of centre forward, after Kieft left for Serie A club Pisa the next season, Van Basten solidified his position as the teams main attacker. He became a top scorer in the league for four seasons from 1983–84 to 1986–87, in the 1985–86 season, he scored 37 goals in 26 league matches, including six goals against Sparta Rotterdam and five against Heracles Almelo, and won the European Golden Boot. He also scored the goal in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup final against Lokomotive Leipzig in 1987. He had scored 128 goals in 133 league games for Ajax, on November 1986 he scored his most famous goal in an Ajax jersey, a spectacular overhead kick against FC Den Bosch. In 1987, Silvio Berlusconi signed Van Basten for Milan, with fellow countrymen Ruud Gullit, in his first season, Milan won their first Scudetto in eight years, but Van Basten played only 11 games and was constantly troubled by an ankle injury. In 1988–89, Van Basten won the Ballon dOr as Europes top footballer and he scored 19 goals in Serie A and scored two goals in the final of the European Cup as Milan triumphed against Steaua Bucureşti. In 1989–90, he became Capocannoniere, Serie As leading goal scorer, Milan struggled in the 1990–91 season, as Sampdoria won the Scudetto. After Van Basten fell out with Arrigo Sacchi, Berlusconi sacked the manager, fabio Capello took over the following season, and Milan went undefeated in the league to win another Scudetto. Van Basten scored 25 league goals, and became Capocannoniere again, in November 1992, he became the first player to score four goals in a Champions League match, against IFK Göteborg, including a picture perfect bicycle kick. In December 1992, Van Basten was named FIFA World Player of the Year, Milan stretched their unbeaten run into the 1992–93 season, going 58 matches over two seasons before they lost a game
11.
Valentino Mazzola
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Valentino Mazzola was an Italian footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or forward. He was also captain of the Italian national team for a biennium and he became known during his spell at Venezia, where he played as a midfielder, a playing position he held throughout his career that allowed him to expand his fame beyond Italy. In his later seasons, he was considered one of the best players in Europe in his role and he died at the age of 30 in the Superga air disaster. He was born in Cassano dAdda, Ricetto, a neighbourhood of abandoned homes to a very modest family and his father, Alessandro, was a labourer for Azienda Torinese Mobilità and died in August 1940, hit by a truck. His mothers name was Leonina Ratti and his four brothers were Piero, Silvio, Carlo and he had an unsettled childhood, in 1929 his father was fired from his job because of the Great Depression. To help his family, Valentino sought work the following year and he found employment as a bakers boy, then, at age 14, the linen mill at Cassano dAdda. C. A Juventus fan at an age, he was nicknamed Tulen for his habit of kicking old tin cans. In Venice he obtained his elementary school diploma, attending night school, Valentino was a private person of few words. On 15 March 1942 he married Emilia Rinaldi, whom he had two sons, both players, Sandro - who played for Inter Milan and the Italian national team - and Ferruccio, in Turin he lived in a small apartment in Via Torricelli 66. He worked in Lingotto and reported as a FIAT worker essential to wartime production, although the Torino players salaries were very good, they were not considered exaggerated, compared to normal payroll. Mazzola, who considered himself a solitary person led a secluded life and his entertainment consisted of a few games of bowls near his house. He used to write everything, both in regard to his personal and professional life. He was very strict and meticulous and demanded the same treatment from others, this was the reason for separation from his first wife. He separated from his wife in autumn 1946 and remarried on 20 April 1949 to the 19-year-old Giuseppina Cutrone and he briefly moved to Fara dAdda and then returned to Tresoldi. He was used in the roles of centre midfielder and right midfielder and he participated in his first season with Tresoldi in 1935–36 and the following year he entered into the first team, earning 10 lire per game. He was very indecisive and opted for Alfa Romeo, because the car manufacturer also guaranteed him a job, at Alfa Romeo he played one season as a winger, but according to another source, he instead played as a right midfielder. He left the team in 1939, after having played in front of an audience, who appreciated his rhythm and play, to join the military service in Venice. At the trial, which he showed up and played barefoot, having left his boots intentionally at home not to them, he convinced everyone
12.
Fabio Capello
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Fabio Capello is an Italian manager and a former professional footballer who was most recently the head coach of the Russia national team. As a player, Capello represented SPAL1907, Roma, Milan and he played as a midfielder and won several trophies during his career which lasted over 15 years. He won the Coppa Italia with Roma in 1969, though he was most successful with Juventus, with Milan, he won the Coppa Italia again in 1977 and also won another Serie A in 1979. Capello also played internationally for Italy during his career, amassing 32 caps, in his first five seasons as a manager, Capello won four Serie A titles with Milan, where he also won the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, defeating Barcelona 4–0 in a memorable final. He then spent a year at Real Madrid, where he won the La Liga title at his first attempt, Capello also won two titles at Juventus, and in 2006 returned to Real Madrid, where he won another La Liga title. Overall, he has won a league championship in seven of his 16 seasons as a coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, Capello was appointed as manager of the England national team in December 2007. In February 2012, he resigned as manager due to a dispute with The Football Association, on 14 July 2015, he was sacked by the Russian Football Union and replaced with Leonid Slutsky. Capello was signed by Paolo Mazza, the President of SPAL, in his second season in the youth team, he helped the club win the Italian Youth Championship and made his first-team debut against Sampdoria on 29 March 1964. A holding midfield player, he could read the play and was both in the air and in the tackle, going forward he was a solid passer with both feet, but lacked pace. He made four appearances for a side that was relegated from Serie A. After returning to the top division at the first attempt, Capello became a key player in the 1965–66 season, taking penalties and he was also called up to the Italian under-23 side alongside teammate Edoardo Reja despite still being a teenager. However, injury to his left knee restricted him to just 16 appearances the following season, in 1967, Capello moved to Roma where he became a key player for the club. In his first season, he helped them to first place after eight matches, a recurrence of the injury to his left knee, however, kept him out for the rest of the season and Roma eventually finished in tenth place, just five points away from relegation. The following season, under new manager Helenio Herrera, a fit Capello scored six goals as Roma finished eighth and won his first major trophy and this qualified Roma to play the Anglo-Italian League Cup, where they played Swindon Town. Capello played in both legs against Swindon, Roma winning 2–1 at home in the first leg but losing 4–0 in the leg at the County Ground. They also reached the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners Cup and he was then sold to Juventus in 1970. He had a start to his time there, as he publicly criticised manager Armando Picchi on the same day it was revealed that Picchi had been diagnosed with cancer
