Walter Zenga

Walter Zenga
Zenga coaching Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2016
Personal information
Full name Walter Zenga[1]
Date of birth (1960-04-28) 28 April 1960 (age 64)
Place of birth Milan, Italy
Height 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Youth career
1969–1971 Macallesi 1927
1971–1978 Inter Milan
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1978–1994 Inter Milan 328 (0)
1978–1979Salernitana (loan) 3 (0)
1979–1980Savona (loan) 23 (0)
1980–1982Sambenedettese (loan) 67 (0)
1994–1996 Sampdoria 41 (0)
1996–1997 Padova 21 (0)
1997–1999 New England Revolution 47 (0)
Total 530 (0)
International career
1984–1986 Italy U21 15 (0)
1987–1992 Italy 58 (0)
Managerial career
1998–1999 New England Revolution
2000–2001 Brera
2002–2003 Naţional București
2004–2005 FCSB
2005–2006 Red Star Belgrade
2006 Gaziantepspor
2007 Al-Ain
2007 Dinamo București
2008–2009 Catania
2009–2010 Palermo
2010 Al-Nassr
2011–2013 Al-Nasr
2013–2014 Al Jazira
2015 Sampdoria
2015–2016 Al-Shaab
2016 Wolverhampton Wanderers
2017–2018 Crotone
2018–2019 Venezia
2020 Cagliari
2023–2024 Persita Tangerang (Technical Director)
2024 Emirates
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Italy
FIFA World Cup
Third place 1990 Italy
UEFA European Championship
Third place 1988 West Germany
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Walter Zenga Cavaliere OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [ˈvalter ˈdzeŋɡa, - ˈdzɛŋ-]; born 28 April 1960) is an Italian football manager He is currently the coach of the team Emirates. He was a long-time goalkeeper for Inter Milan and the Italy national team.

During his playing career, Zenga was part of the Italian squad that finished fourth at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and was the starting goalkeeper for the Italian team that finished third in the 1990 FIFA World Cup tournament held in Italy, keeping a World Cup record unbeaten streak.[2] A three-time winner of the IFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper Award, Zenga is regarded by pundits as one of the best goalkeepers of all time,[3] and in 2013 was voted the eighth best goalkeeper of the past quarter-century by IFFHS.[4] In 2000, he also placed 20th in the World Keeper of the Century Elections by the same organisation.[5]

After retiring as a player, Zenga briefly became an actor in an Italian soap opera and also a pundit on Italian TV. Since 1998 he has worked as a head coach and managed clubs in the United States, Italy, Turkey, Romania, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and England.

  1. ^ "Comunicato Ufficiale N. 192" [Official Press Release No. 192] (PDF). Lega Serie A. 20 March 2018. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference alt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Legend of Calcio: Walter Zenga". 13 September 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  4. ^ "Iffhs, Buffon miglior n.1 ultimi 25 anni". Il Corriere della Sera (in Italian). 17 January 2013. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
  5. ^ Karel Stokkermans (30 January 2000). "IFFHS' Century Elections: World – Keeper of the Century". RSSSF. Retrieved 13 August 2015.