Claudio Gentile facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Claudio Gentile

Gentile in 2006
Personal information
Date of birth	(1953-09-27) 27 September 1953 (age 71)
Place of birth	Tripoli, Kingdom of Libya
Height	1.78 m
Playing position	Defender
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1971–1972	Arona	34	(4)
1972–1973	Varese	34	(1)
1973–1984	Juventus	283	(9)
1984–1987	Fiorentina	70	(0)
1987–1988	Piacenza	20	(0)
Total		441	(14)
National team
1975–1984	Italy	71	(1)
Teams managed
2000–2006	Italy U21 / Italy Olympic
2014	Sion
Honours Men's football Representing  Italy (as player) FIFA World Cup Winner 1982 Spain Representing  Italy (as manager) UEFA European Under-21 Championship Winner 2004 Germany Olympic Games Third 2004 Athens Team
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Claudio Gentile (born 27 September 1953) is a famous Italian football manager and former player. He was a strong defender in the 1970s and 1980s.

Gentile played for the Italian national team in two World Cup tournaments. He was part of the winning Italian team in the 1982 World Cup final. Most of his club career was with Juventus, where he played nearly 300 league games. With Juventus, he won six national titles and two big European trophies.

Claudio Gentile's Club Career

Claudio Gentile was born in Tripoli, Libya. His family moved to Brunate, Italy, when he was eight years old.

He started his football career with a team called Arona. Then, he played in Serie B, which is Italy's second-highest football league, for Varese during the 1972–73 season.

Playing for Juventus

Gentile playing for Juventus in 1975

In 1973, Gentile joined Juventus, one of Italy's biggest clubs. He played his first game for them in August 1973. His first game in Serie A, Italy's top league, was in December 1973.

He played a total of 414 matches for Juventus, including 283 in Serie A. During his more than ten years with Juventus, he won many important titles. These included two major European club competitions: the 1976–77 UEFA Cup and the 1983–84 European Cup Winners' Cup. He also won six Serie A championships and two Coppa Italia cups.

In 1983, Juventus reached the final of the 1982–83 European Cup, which is now called the UEFA Champions League. However, they lost 1–0 to Hamburg. During that match, Gentile was involved in an incident where he collided with an opposing player, Lars Bastrup, who was injured.

Later Club Years

In 1984, Gentile moved to Fiorentina, another Serie A team. He played there for three seasons, appearing in over 60 games.

He finished his playing career with Piacenza in Serie B. He retired from playing football at the end of the 1987–88 season.

Claudio Gentile's International Career

Claudio Gentile played for the Italian national team 71 times between 1975 and 1984. He scored one goal for his country.

1978 FIFA World Cup

He played in all of Italy's matches at the 1978 FIFA World Cup. Italy played well and finished in fourth place in that tournament.

1980 European Championship

Gentile also played in the 1980 European Championship. His strong performances earned him a spot in the "Team of the Tournament."

1982 FIFA World Cup Victory

Gentile lining up for Italy in 1977

In the 1982 World Cup, Gentile was a key player for Italy. He helped them win the World Cup that year.

He became well-known for his tough marking of star players. In a match against Argentina, he closely marked their famous player, Diego Maradona. Gentile famously said, "Football is not for ballerinas!" after that game. Italy won that match 2–1.

Italy then faced the strong Brazil team. Gentile was tasked with marking Brazil's star playmaker, Zico. Italy won this exciting game 3–2.

Italy beat Poland 2–0 in the semi-final. Gentile could not play in this match because he was suspended. However, he returned for the final against West Germany. Italy won the final 3–1, becoming World Cup champions! Gentile was again named in the "Team of the Tournament" for his great play.

Claudio Gentile's Style of Play

Claudio Gentile was known as a very tough, strong, and determined defender. Many people consider him one of the best defenders of his time.

He was a versatile player, meaning he could play in different defensive roles. He could play as a centre-back, which is a central defender, or as a full-back on either side of the field. He was especially known for how closely and physically he marked opposing players. He also had a great work-rate and made strong tackles.

Gentile could also play as a sweeper, a defender who plays behind the main defensive line. Sometimes, he even played as a defensive midfielder in the middle of the field. He was also good at heading the ball.

Even though he wasn't known for fancy skills at first, he worked very hard in training. He improved his technical skills a lot throughout his career. He was a mobile and hard-working player. He could also help the attack by running down the side of the field and sending crosses into the box.

At Juventus and for Italy, he was part of a very strong defensive line. This defense included teammates like Dino Zoff, Brio, Cabrini, and Scirea.

In 2007, The Times newspaper listed Gentile as one of the toughest footballers in history. Despite his reputation for being tough, Gentile always believed he played fairly. He was only sent off (given a red card) once in his entire career.

Claudio Gentile's Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Claudio Gentile became a coach. He coached the Italy national under-21 team. This team won the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.

He also coached the Italian Olympic team. This team won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

In 2014, he signed a two-year deal to coach Sion, a football club.

Honours

Player

Juventus

• Serie A: 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84
• Coppa Italia: 1978–79, 1982–83
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1983–84
• UEFA Cup: 1976–77
• Intercontinental Cup: Runner-up: 1973
• European Cup: Runner-up: 1982–83

Italy

• FIFA World Cup: 1982
• FIFA World Cup: Semi-finals: 1978
• UEFA European Football Championship: Semi-finals: 1980

Individual Awards

• Sport Ideal European XI: 1978
• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1980
• FIFA World Cup All-star Team: 1982
• Serie A Team of The Year: 1982

Coach

Italy U21

• UEFA European Under-21 Championship: 2004

Italy Olympic Team

• Summer Olympic Games: Bronze Medal: 2004

Images for kids

• 

  Gentile playing for Juventus in 1975

• 

  Gentile lining up for Italy in 1977

See also

In Spanish: Claudio Gentile para niños