Nereo Rocco

Nereo Rocco
Personal information
Date of birth (1912-05-20)20 May 1912
Place of birth Trieste, Austria-Hungary
Date of death 20 February 1979(1979-02-20) (aged 66)
Place of death Trieste, Italy
Position(s) Midfielder, forward
Youth career
1927–1930 Triestina
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1930–1937 Triestina 232 (66)
1937–1940 Napoli 52 (7)
1940–1942 Padova 47 (14)
1942–1943 94° Reparto Distretto Trieste
1943–1944 Libertas Trieste 14 (1)
1944–1945 Padova
International career
1934 Italy 1 (0)
Managerial career
1947–1950 Triestina
1950–1953 Treviso
1953–1954 Triestina
1954–1961 Padova
1960 Italy Olympic
1961–1963 AC Milan
1963–1967 Torino
1967–1973 AC Milan
1974–1975 Fiorentina
1977 AC Milan
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Nereo Rocco (Italian pronunciation: [neˈrɛːo ˈrɔkko]; 20 May 1912 – 20 February 1979) was an Italian football player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time,[1] he is famous for having been one of the most successful head coaches in Italy, winning several domestic and international titles during his tenure with AC Milan. At Padova, he was one of the first proponents of catenaccio in the country.[2]

  1. ^ Jamie Rainbow (4 July 2013). "The Greatest manager of all time". World Soccer. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  2. ^ Andrea Schianchi (2 November 2014). "Nereo Rocco, l'inventore del catenaccio che diventò Paròn d'Europa" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 5 November 2015.