Giovanni Trapattoni

Giovanni Trapattoni
Trapattoni as manager of the Republic of Ireland team in 2013
Personal information
Date of birth (1939-03-17) 17 March 1939 (age 85)
Place of birth Cusano Milanino, Kingdom of Italy
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s) Centre back
Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1953–1959 Milan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1957–1971 Milan[1] 274 (3)
1971–1972 Varese[3] 10 (0)
Total 284 (3)
International career
1960–1964 Italy[2] 17 (1)
Managerial career
1972–1974 Milan (youth)
1974 Milan
1975–1976 Milan
1976–1986 Juventus
1986–1991 Inter Milan
1991–1994 Juventus
1994–1995 Bayern Munich
1995–1996 Cagliari
1996–1998 Bayern Munich
1998–2000 Fiorentina
2000–2004 Italy
2004–2005 Benfica
2005–2006 VfB Stuttgart
2006–2008 Red Bull Salzburg
2008–2013 Republic of Ireland
2010 Vatican City
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Giovanni Trapattoni (Italian pronunciation: [dʒoˈvanni trapatˈtoːni]; born 17 March 1939), sometimes popularly known as 'Trap' or 'Il Trap', is an Italian football manager and former player, considered the most successful club coach of Italian football.[4] A former defensive midfielder, as a player he spent almost his entire club career with AC Milan, where he won two Serie A league titles (1961–62 and 1967–68), and two European Cups, in 1962–63 and 1968–69. Internationally, he played for Italy, earning 17 caps and being part of the squad at the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile.

One of the most celebrated managers in football history,[5] Trapattoni is one of only five coaches, alongside Carlo Ancelotti, Ernst Happel, Tomislav Ivić and José Mourinho, to have won league titles in four different European countries; in total, Trapattoni has won 10 league titles in Italy, Germany, Portugal and Austria. Alongside Udo Lattek and José Mourinho, he is one of the three coaches to have won all three major European club competitions (European Cup, UEFA Cup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup) and the only one to make it with the same club (Juventus).[6] Also, he is the only one to have won all official continental club competitions and the world title, achieving this with Juventus during his first spell with the club.[7] He is one of the rare few to have won the European Cup, the Cup Winners' Cup and Intercontinental Cup as both a player and manager.

Regarded as the most famous and consistent disciple of Nereo Rocco,[5] Trapattoni coached his native Italy national team to the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2004, but could not replicate his club successes with Italy, suffering a controversial early exit in both competitions. Trapattoni was most recently the manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team. 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, after his team were controversially knocked out by France.

  1. ^ "Homepage - AC Milan". acmilan.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
  2. ^ Di Maggio, Roberto (13 April 2003). "Giovanni Trapattoni – International Appearances". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 12 February 2009.
  3. ^ "Club Italia – FIGC". FIGC – Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio. Archived from the original on 18 December 2004. Retrieved 19 March 2007.
  4. ^ "Trapattoni wants Italy deal". BBC Sport. 30 March 2004. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
  5. ^ a b James Horncastle (6 August 2013). "Greatest Managers, No. 12: Trapattoni". ESPN FC. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  6. ^ "Giovanni Trapattoni". Union des Associations Européennes de Football. 31 May 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
  7. ^ "Football Philosophers" (PDF). The Technician. 46. Union des Associations Européennes de Football: 5. May 2010.