Alberto Zaccheroni facts for kids
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Alberto Zaccheroni | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 1 April 1953 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Meldola, Italy | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Full-back | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1983–1985 | Cesenatico | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1985–1987 | Riccione | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1988 | Boca San Lazzaro | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1988–1990 | Baracca Lugo | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1990–1993 | Venezia | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Bologna | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Cosenza | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995–1998 | Udinese | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–2001 | Milan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2001–2002 | Lazio | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Internazionale | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Torino | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Juventus | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2014 | Japan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Beijing Guoan | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | United Arab Emirates | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Alberto Zaccheroni (born on April 1, 1953) is a famous Italian former football manager. He has coached many top teams in Italy and also led the national teams of Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
One of the biggest moments in his career was managing AC Milan from 1998 to 2001. In his very first season, he helped them win the Serie A title in 1998–99. He also coached other well-known Italian clubs like Lazio, Internazionale, and Juventus. In 2011, he guided the Japan team to win the AFC Asian Cup. Zaccheroni is known for using a special 3–4–3 playing style, which was quite new at the time.
Contents
Zaccheroni's Coaching Journey
Alberto Zaccheroni started his coaching career at a young age, around 30. He used to play as a full-back but had to stop due to an injury. He began coaching amateur clubs and quickly moved up. He won titles in Italy's lower football leagues, Serie C2 and Serie C1. His career really took off when he joined Udinese.
Success with Udinese
Zaccheroni became the manager of Udinese in 1995. Under his leadership, Udinese had great success.
- In the 1996–97 season, they qualified for the UEFA Cup, a big European competition.
- The next season, 1997–98, they finished third in Serie A, which was an amazing achievement for the club. This was largely thanks to striker Oliver Bierhoff, who scored 27 goals.
Leading AC Milan to a Title
Zaccheroni's success at Udinese caught the eye of Silvio Berlusconi, the owner of the famous Italian club AC Milan. Milan had not been doing well, even with many star players. Zaccheroni asked Berlusconi to bring two key players from Udinese, Oliver Bierhoff and Thomas Helveg, to Milan, and Berlusconi agreed.
Zaccheroni made an immediate impact. Milan won the Serie A title in his first season, 1998–99. They achieved this by winning their last seven matches in a row. Zaccheroni used his attacking 3–4–3 formation, which helped Milan's forwards and midfielders score many goals.
The next two seasons were not as successful. Milan struggled in the UEFA Champions League and in Serie A. Because of these results, Zaccheroni left Milan in March 2001. However, he had signed important players like Oliver Bierhoff, Kakha Kaladze, Gennaro Gattuso, and especially Andriy Shevchenko, who became key players for the club in the future.
Coaching Lazio and Inter Milan
After leaving Milan, Zaccheroni joined Lazio in September 2001. The team had a difficult start to the season, but he helped them finish 6th in Serie A, earning a spot in the UEFA Cup. Despite his efforts, he left Lazio in 2002.
In 2003, he was called to coach Internazionale mid-season. He helped Inter reach fourth place in Serie A, which meant they qualified for the Champions League the next season. However, he was again replaced by another coach.
Time with Juventus
On January 29, 2010, Zaccheroni became the head coach of Juventus, another big Italian club. He signed a four-month contract.
- He won his first game with Juventus, beating Genoa 3–2.
- He also led Juventus in the UEFA Europa League. They won against Ajax but were later knocked out by Fulham in a close match.
Juventus finished the season in seventh place.
Managing the Japan National Team
On August 30, 2010, Alberto Zaccheroni was announced as the new manager of the Japan national football team. His first match in charge was a historic 1–0 win against Argentina.
His biggest achievement with Japan was winning the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. Japan won the final 1–0 against Australia, securing their record fourth Asian Cup title.
He also led Japan to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. However, Japan was eliminated in the group stages after losing to Ivory Coast and Colombia, and drawing with Greece. After the tournament, Zaccheroni resigned as Japan's manager.
Later Coaching Roles
- Beijing Guoan: In 2016, Zaccheroni managed the Chinese club Beijing Guoan. He left after a difficult start to the season.
- United Arab Emirates: From 2017 to 2019, he coached the United Arab Emirates national football team. He led them to the semi-finals of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, which was hosted by the UAE. After a loss in the semi-final, his contract ended.
Other Roles
- Italian Non Profit National Team: Since April 2022, he has been the technical commissioner for the "Italian Non Profit National Team." This group promotes good values through sports.
- FIFA: In 2022, he joined FIFA's Technical Study Group (TSG) for the World Cup in Qatar. This group studies the game and tactics.
Zaccheroni's Coaching Style
Zaccheroni is known for his unique attacking style of play, often using a 3–4–3 formation. This system used three defenders at the back and players called "wing-backs" who would run up the sides of the field. These wing-backs would send crosses (passes) into the box for the team's main striker.
In his early career, he used a 4–4–2 formation, which was common in Italy. However, he became famous for his 3–4–3, which allowed his teams to attack quickly. His teams would often use three forwards who could combine well or make smart runs without the ball to create chances or score goals. When his team didn't have the ball, they would press the opponents, trying to win the ball back quickly.
Managerial Statistics
Here's a look at Alberto Zaccheroni's coaching record:
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Udinese | 1995 | 1998 | 112 | 49 | 25 | 38 | 43.75 |
| Milan | 1998 | 14 March 2001 | 125 | 54 | 44 | 27 | 43.20 |
| Lazio | September 2001 | 1 July 2002 | 46 | 19 | 11 | 16 | 41.30 |
| Internazionale | 19 October 2003 | 14 June 2004 | 44 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 40.91 |
| Torino | 7 September 2006 | 26 February 2007 | 24 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 20.83 |
| Juventus | 29 January 2010 | 16 May 2010 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 38.10 |
| Japan | 30 August 2010 | 26 June 2014 | 55 | 30 | 12 | 13 | 54.55 |
| Beijing Guoan | January 2016 | May 2016 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 30.00 |
| United Arab Emirates | 16 October 2017 | 30 January 2019 | 23 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 30.43 |
| Total | 461 | 195 | 128 | 138 | 42.30 | ||
Personal Life
In February 2023, news reports said that Zaccheroni was being treated for a head injury.
Honours and Awards
Club Achievements
- Riccione
- Campionato Interregionale: 1986–87
- Baracca Lugo
- Campionato Interregionale: 1988–89
- Serie C2: 1989–90
- Venezia
- Serie C1: 1990–91
- Milan
- Serie A: 1998–99
International Achievements
- AFC Asian Cup: 2011
- EAFF East Asian Cup: 2013
Individual Awards
- Albo Panchina d'Oro (2): 1996–97, 1998–99 (Award for best coach in Italy)
- Serie A Coach of the Year: 1999
- Japan Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2024
See also
In Spanish: Alberto Zaccheroni para niños
