Arrigo Sacchi

Arrigo Sacchi
Sacchi in 2007
Personal information
Full name Arrigo Sacchi[1]
Date of birth (1946-04-01) 1 April 1946 (age 78)
Place of birth Fusignano, Italy
Height 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in)
Managerial career
Years Team
1973–1976 Fusignano
1976–1977 Alfonsine
1977–1978 Bellaria
1978–1982 Cesena (youth)
1982–1983 Rimini
1983–1984 Fiorentina (youth)
1984–1985 Rimini
1985–1987 Parma
1987–1991 AC Milan
1991–1996 Italy
1996–1997 AC Milan
1998–1999 Atlético Madrid
2001 Parma
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Italy (as manager)
FIFA World Cup
Runner-up 1994

Arrigo Sacchi (born 1 April 1946) is an Italian former professional football coach, best known for having twice managed AC Milan (1987–1991, 1996–1997), with great success. He won the Serie A title in his 1987–88 debut season and then dominated European football by winning back to back European Cups in 1989 and 1990. From 1991 to 1996, he was head coach of the Italy national team and led them to the 1994 FIFA World Cup Final, where they lost to Brazil in a penalty shoot-out.

Sacchi is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time[2] and his Milan side (1987–1991) is widely regarded to be one of the greatest club sides to ever play the game, and by some to be the greatest of all time.[3][4][5]

Sacchi was never a professional football player and for many years worked as a shoe salesman. This led to his famous quote directed at those who questioned his qualifications: "I never realised that in order to become a jockey you have to have been a horse first."[6] Another famous Sacchi quote is that "football is the most important of the least important things in life."[7]

  1. ^ "Sacchi Sig. Arrigo" [Sacchi Mr. Arrigo]. Quirinale (in Italian). Presidenza della Repubblica Italiana. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Greatest Managers, No. 6: Arrigo Sacchi". ESPN FC. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  3. ^ "The greatest teams of all time". The Telegraph. 4 July 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
  4. ^ Paolo Menicucci (4 July 2015). "The greatest teams of all time: AC Milan 1988-90". UEFA.com. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  5. ^ "La Uefa: "Il Milan di Sacchi è la più grande squadra di sempre"" (in Italian). Mediaset.it. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
  6. ^ "No experience required". Fifa.com. 12 December 2008. Archived from the original on 13 December 2008. Retrieved 19 October 2010.
  7. ^ "Davide Astori's death leaves Fiorentina and Italy in state of shock'". BBC. 4 March 2018.