Azeglio Vicini facts for kids
Vicini with Sampdoria
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Azeglio Vicini | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 20 March 1933 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Cesena, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 30 January 2018 (aged 84) | |||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Brescia, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defensive Midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1952–1953 | Cesena | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1953–1956 | Vicenza | 54 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 1956–1963 | Sampdoria | 191 | (6) | |||||||||||||
| 1963–1966 | Brescia | 55 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 300 | (16) | ||||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||
| 1967–1968 | Brescia | |||||||||||||||
| 1975–1976 | Italy U23 | |||||||||||||||
| 1977–1986 | Italy U21 | |||||||||||||||
| 1986–1991 | Italy | |||||||||||||||
| 1992–1993 | Cesena | |||||||||||||||
| 1993–1994 | Udinese | |||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Azeglio Vicini (born March 20, 1933 – died January 30, 2018) was a famous Italian football coach and player. He also served as the President of the Technical Sector for the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).
Vicini was one of Italy's most important coaches in the 1980s. He led the Italy Under-21 team to the semi-finals of the 1984 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. They even reached the final of the 1986 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Later, he coached the main Italian national team. He guided them to the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 1988 and a third-place finish at the 1990 FIFA World Cup held in Italy.
Contents
Playing Career: Azeglio Vicini's Early Days
Azeglio Vicini started his football journey as a defensive midfielder. He began playing with his hometown team, Cesena. His professional career kicked off with Lanerossi Vicenza.
Rising Through the Ranks
Vicini helped Vicenza get promoted to Serie A, Italy's top football league. This happened after they won the 1954–55 Serie B title. He made his first Serie A appearance on September 25, 1955.
He then joined Sampdoria, playing there for seven seasons. After Sampdoria, he moved to Serie B club Brescia. He made his debut for Brescia on September 15, 1963.
Success with Brescia
In his second season with Brescia, Vicini helped them win the Serie B title. This achievement brought the club back to Serie A after 17 years. He ended his playing career during the 1967–68 season. At that time, he also became the club's manager.
Managerial Career: Leading Italian Football
After his playing days, Azeglio Vicini started his coaching career. He first managed his former club Brescia in 1967–68.
Coaching Italy's Youth Teams
In his 30s, he became the head coach of the Italian Under-23 team from 1975 to 1976. He then took charge of the Italy national under-21 football team from 1977 to 1986. With the Under-21 team, he reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA European Under-21 Championship several times. In 1984, they made it to the semi-finals. In 1986, his team reached the final of the 1986 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. For this success, he won the "Seminatore d'Oro" award as the best coach in Italian football.
Leading the Senior National Team
Vicini then became the manager of the senior Italian team from 1986 to 1991. He guided Italy to the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 1988.
Two years later, he led Italy in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, which was held in their home country. Italy reached the semi-finals and finished in third place. They beat England 2–1 in the match for the bronze medal. Italy won six out of seven games in the tournament. They scored ten goals and only let in two. Their only draw was in the semi-finals against Argentina, which they lost in a penalty shootout.
Later Coaching Roles
After Italy failed to qualify for the UEFA Euro 1992, Vicini was replaced as coach. In 1991, he received the "Panchina d'Oro" Award for his career achievements. He later managed his hometown team Cesena from 1992 to 1993. He also coached Udinese from 1993 to 1994 before retiring. He then worked as the head of the technical sector for the FIGC.
Style of Management: Vicini's Football Philosophy
As Italy's manager, Azeglio Vicini was known for bringing in talented young players. He also introduced a more exciting, attacking style of play. This style focused on keeping possession of the ball.
Balancing Attack and Defense
He successfully used this approach to lead Italy to two semi-finals. These were at Euro 1988 and the 1990 World Cup. Because of this, he became one of Italy's most loved managers. Under Vicini, the Italian team played with a modern attacking style. This was combined with a strong defense. They used elements of the Italian zona mista approach. This was a mix of zonal marking and man-marking systems, like catenaccio. Even with their attacking play, Italy was still very good defensively. They conceded few goals while creating many chances to score.
Personal Life and Death
Azeglio Vicini was married and had three children. He passed away in Brescia on January 30, 2018, at the age of 84.
Honours
Player
Vicenza
- Serie B: 1954–55
Brescia
- Serie B: 1964–65
Manager
Italy
- UEFA European Under-21 Championship runner-up: 1986
- FIFA World Cup third place: 1990
Individual
- Seminatore d'oro: 1986
- Panchina d'oro alla carriera: 1991
- Premio Malatesta Novello – Comune di Cesena: 2008
Orders
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2nd Class / Grand Officer: Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 1991
See also
In Spanish: Azeglio Vicini para niños
