Arrigo Sacchi facts for kids
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Sacchi in 2007
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Arrigo Sacchi | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 1 April 1946 | |||||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Arrigo Sacchi (born 1 April 1946) is a famous Italian football coach. He is best known for leading AC Milan to amazing victories. Many people think he is one of the greatest football managers ever. His Milan team from 1987 to 1991 is seen as one of the best club teams in history.
Sacchi won the Serie A title in his first season with Milan (1987–88). Then, he led them to win the European Cup two years in a row, in 1989 and 1990. From 1991 to 1996, he coached the Italian national team. He guided them to the 1994 FIFA World Cup final, where they lost to Brazil in a penalty shootout.
Arrigo Sacchi never played football professionally. For many years, he worked as a shoe salesman. When people questioned his coaching skills because he wasn't a former player, he famously said: "I never realised that in order to become a jockey you have to have been a horse first." Another famous quote from Sacchi is: "Football is the most important of the least important things in life."
Contents
Arrigo Sacchi's Coaching Journey
Starting Out: Early Coaching Days
Arrigo Sacchi grew up watching exciting football teams. These included teams like Real Madrid and the Netherlands. He began his coaching career at his local club, Baracca Lugo. He once said about this challenge: "I was twenty-six, my goalkeeper was thirty-nine and my centre-forward was thirty-two. I had to win them over."
After Baracca Lugo, he coached at Bellaria. Then, he joined Cesena as a youth team coach. Next, he took over Rimini, a team in Serie C1. He almost led them to win the league title.
Big Break: Success with Parma
Sacchi got his big chance when he moved to Fiorentina as a youth coach. His success with their youth team caught the eye of Parma. Parma was also in Serie C1 at the time. He led Parma to get promoted to a higher league in his first season. The next season, they almost made it to Serie A, the top Italian league.
Even more important, Parma did very well in the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup). They beat AC Milan 1–0 in the group stage. Then, they beat Milan again 1–0 over two games in the knockout round. This impressive win against Milan got the attention of Milan's owner, Silvio Berlusconi. Berlusconi quickly hired Sacchi as Milan's new manager.
Leading AC Milan to Glory
When Sacchi arrived at Milan, some people still doubted him. The media wondered how someone who wasn't a professional player could be a successful coach. Sacchi used his famous "jockey and horse" quote again to answer them.
Sacchi was an instant hit at Milan. He led the team to win their first Serie A title in nine years during his first season (1987–88). After that, they also won the Supercoppa Italiana in 1988.
Winning European Cups
Sacchi's biggest achievements at Milan were winning two European Cups in a row. A big part of this success came from three amazing Dutch players he brought in: Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, and Frank Rijkaard. Other fantastic players were also key, like Roberto Donadoni. The strong defense included Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacosta, Mauro Tassotti, and Paolo Maldini.
The first European Cup final in 1989 was against Steaua București. Milan won convincingly, 4–0. Gullit and Van Basten each scored two goals. Milan lifted the European Cup for the first time in over 20 years. On their way to the final, Milan had beaten Real Madrid 6–1 over two games in the semi-final.
In 1990, even though the team wasn't quite as strong, they won the European Cup again. After beating teams like Real Madrid and KV Mechelen, Milan faced Bayern Munich in the semi-final. They won thanks to an away goal. In the final, Frank Rijkaard scored the only goal, helped by Van Basten. Milan beat Benfica 1–0. By winning, Milan became the first team to win the title two years in a row since 1980. Sacchi also led Milan to win two European Super Cups and two Intercontinental Cups in 1989 and 1990.
His last season with Milan saw them finish second in Serie A. They were knocked out of the European Cup by Marseille.
Coaching the Italian National Team
In November 1991, Sacchi became the manager of the Italian national team. He often chose many Milan players for his team, especially in defense. The attack was led by the talented Roberto Baggio from Juventus.
Sacchi led Italy through the qualifying games to reach the 1994 FIFA World Cup. In the World Cup, Italy lost their first match but still made it to the final. This was Italy's first World Cup final since 1982. They played against Brazil and lost in a penalty shootout. This was the first time a World Cup final was decided by penalties.
Under Sacchi, Italy also qualified for UEFA Euro 1996. However, they were eliminated in the group stage. Sacchi later said that the Euro 96 team was his best Italian team.
Later Coaching Roles
After leaving the national team, Sacchi returned to Milan in December 1996. However, his second time coaching Milan was not as successful. Milan finished 11th in the league and had their worst ever home defeat in Serie A, losing 6–1 to Juventus.
Sacchi also had short coaching periods in Spain. He managed Atlético Madrid in 1998 but left in March of that season. He also briefly returned to Parma in 2001 but resigned after only three matches due to stress. Later, he worked as a director of football at Real Madrid for the 2004–05 season.
Arrigo Sacchi's Achievements
Parma
- Serie C1: 1985–86
Milan
- Serie A: 1987–88
- Supercoppa Italiana: 1988
- European Cup: 1988–89, 1989–90
- European Super Cup: 1989, 1990
- Intercontinental Cup: 1989, 1990
- Coppa Italia runner-up: 1989–90
Italy
- FIFA World Cup runner-up: 1994
Individual Awards
- Seminatore d'Oro: 1988, 1989
- World Soccer Awards Manager of the Year: 1989
- Ranked among the Greatest Managers of All Time by various football publications.
- Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2011
- UEFA President's Award: 2022
See also
In Spanish: Arrigo Sacchi para niños
