Dino Zoff facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dino Zoff
OMRI

Zoff with Juventus in 1972
Personal information
Full name	Dino Zoff
Date of birth	(1942-02-28) 28 February 1942 (age 83)
Place of birth	Mariano del Friuli, Italy
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s)	Goalkeeper
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1961–1963	Udinese	38	(0)
1963–1967	Mantova	131	(0)
1967–1972	Napoli	143	(0)
1972–1983	Juventus	330	(0)
Total		642	(0)
International career
1968–1983	Italy	112	(0)
Managerial career
1988–1990	Juventus
1990–1994	Lazio
1997	Lazio
1998–2000	Italy
2001	Lazio
2005	Fiorentina
Medal record Men's football Representing  Italy (as player) FIFA World Cup Winner 1982 Spain Runner-up 1970 Mexico UEFA European Championship Winner 1968 Italy Representing  Italy (as manager) UEFA European Championship Runner-up 2000 Belgium-Netherlands
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Dino Zoff (born 28 February 1942) is a famous Italian former professional footballer. He played as a goalkeeper. Many people consider him one of the greatest goalkeepers ever.

Zoff is the oldest player to win the World Cup. He lifted the trophy as captain of the Italy national team in 1982. He was 40 years old at the time. He also won the award for the best goalkeeper of that tournament. He was chosen for the team of the tournament, keeping two games without letting in a goal. He also received this honor after winning the 1968 European Championship in Italy. Zoff is the only Italian player to have won both the World Cup and the European Championship.

He also had great success with his club team, Juventus. With Juventus, he won six Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia titles, and a UEFA Cup. He also played in two European Champions' Cup finals.

Experts like the IFFHS named Zoff the third greatest goalkeeper of the 20th century. Only Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks were ranked higher. He holds a record for not letting in goals in international games for a very long time (1,142 minutes) between 1972 and 1974. He played 112 games for the Italian national team. In 2004, the legendary player Pelé named Zoff as one of the 100 greatest living footballers.

After he stopped playing, Zoff became a manager. He coached the Italian national team and led them to the Euro 2000 final. He also coached several Italian club teams, including Juventus. With Juventus, he won a UEFA Cup and a Coppa Italia in the 1989–90 season. He had won these trophies as a player too. In 2014, Zoff wrote his autobiography called Glory only Lasts a Moment.

Early Life and Football Start

Dino Zoff was born in Mariano del Friuli, Italy. He grew up in a farming family. His father suggested he also study to be a mechanic. This was a backup plan in case his football career did not work out. As a young player, Zoff also liked other sports. His heroes were the cyclist Fausto Coppi and the race walker Abdon Pamich.

Zoff's football career did not start easily. When he was 14, he tried out for Inter Milan and Juventus. Both teams rejected him because he was not tall enough. Five years later, he had grown by 33 centimeters! He made his first Serie A game for Udinese on 24 September 1961.

Playing for Clubs

Udinese, Mantova, and Napoli

Zoff (left) with Napoli in January 1970.

After his debut, Zoff played only four games in his first season for Udinese. The team was moved down to Serie B. He became the main goalkeeper the next season, helping the club get promoted back to Serie A. In 1963, he moved to Mantova, where he played for four seasons. He played 131 games for them.

His good performances at Mantova caught the eye of bigger clubs. In 1967, Zoff moved to Napoli. He played five seasons there, appearing in 143 Serie A games. During this time, he became more well-known in Italy. He also played his first game for the Italian national team in 1968. He was part of Italy's teams for Euro 68 and the 1970 World Cup. Italy won the 1968 European Championship, and Zoff was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament. He did not play in the 1970 World Cup final, where Italy lost to Brazil.

Juventus Success

After his success with the national team and Napoli, Zoff joined Juventus in 1972. He was 30 years old. In his eleven years with Juventus, Zoff won the Serie A championship six times. He also won the Coppa Italia twice and the UEFA Cup once. He reached two European Cup finals with the club.

In 1973, he finished second in the 1973 Ballon d'Or award. He almost won three major trophies with Juventus that year, but they lost in the European Cup and Coppa Italia finals. Zoff played 479 games for Juventus in total. He played 330 consecutive Serie A games for the club, which is a club record.

Zoff (left) with Juventus in 1975.

Zoff won his last Serie A title with Juventus in the 1981–82 season. In the same year, he also won the 1982 FIFA World Cup with Italy as captain. The 1982–83 season was his last as a player. He won the Coppa Italia with Juventus and reached his second European Cup final. Juventus lost 1–0 to Hamburg in that final. This was the last club game of his career. His final league game was a 4–2 win against Genoa on 15 May 1983.

Club Records

When he retired, Zoff held records for being the oldest Serie A player (at 41) and having the most Serie A games played (570). These records stood for over 20 years. He also had one of the longest unbeaten streaks in Serie A without letting in a goal (903 minutes) in the 1972–73 season. This record was later broken. Zoff also holds the record for playing the most consecutive games in Serie A (332). He is also the oldest player to have played in a European Cup final, at 41 years and 86 days old.

Playing for Italy

Zoff first won a gold medal with the Italy under-23 team in 1963. He made his debut for the senior Italian team on 20 April 1968. Italy won the 1968 European Championships at home. Zoff was the starting goalkeeper and was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament.

He was a backup goalkeeper in the 1970 World Cup, where Italy reached the final but lost to Brazil. Zoff returned as the main goalkeeper for the 1974 World Cup, but Italy was eliminated early.

Franco Causio, Italian president Sandro Pertini, Zoff (lower left) and coach Enzo Bearzot returning from Spain with the 1982 World Cup.

Zoff was Italy's main goalkeeper from 1972 onwards. He played in the 1978 World Cup, where Italy finished fourth. He was also the starting goalkeeper for the 1980 European Championships in Italy, where his team again finished fourth. Zoff was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament for a second time.

Zoff's biggest achievement came in the 1982 World Cup in Spain. He was the captain of the Italian team that won the tournament. At 40 years old, he became the oldest player to win the World Cup. In a key game against Brazil, he made a crucial save that helped Italy win 3–2 and move to the semi-finals. In the final, Italy beat West Germany 3–1. Zoff was voted the Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament.

His coach, Enzo Bearzot, praised Zoff for his calm and confident nature. After the Brazil match, Zoff gave Bearzot a quiet kiss on the cheek. Bearzot said this was the most intense moment of the whole World Cup for him.

On the flight back from Spain, Zoff, Italian President Sandro Pertini, Franco Causio, and coach Enzo Bearzot were famously photographed playing cards.

Zoff also holds the record for the longest time (1,142 minutes) without letting in any goals in international football. This streak lasted from 1972 to 1974. It ended when Haitian player Emmanuel Sanon scored against Italy in the 1974 World Cup. Zoff played his last game for Italy on 29 May 1983. He had 112 games for Italy, which was a record at the time.

How Zoff Played

Zoff in training with Juventus, around January 1973.

Zoff was a very effective and experienced goalkeeper. He was known for being calm and focused under pressure. He was excellent at positioning himself and handling the ball, especially when catching crosses. He also had good reactions and could stop shots well. Zoff was good at reading the game and telling his defenders where to be. This helped him start attacks quickly after getting the ball.

Even though he was serious, Zoff was a great leader. He was the captain of his national team. He made his teammates feel calm and confident. Zoff was also known for working very hard in training. He was dedicated and disciplined. This helped him avoid injuries and have a very long and successful career. He kept playing at a high level even when he was in his late 30s and early 40s.

Coaching Career

After retiring as a player, Zoff became a coach. He first worked with Juventus as a goalkeeping coach. Then he coached the Italian Olympic team, helping them qualify for the 1988 Summer Olympics. The Olympic team finished fourth.

Zoff became the head coach of Juventus from 1988 to 1990. He won the UEFA Cup and the Coppa Italia in the 1989–90 season. He then joined Lazio, first as a coach and later as a sporting director. He won the Coppa Italia with Lazio in 1998.

In 1998, Zoff became the head coach of the Italian national team. He led a young Italian team to the final of Euro 2000. They lost 2–1 in extra time to France. Despite reaching the final, Zoff resigned a few days later. He was named the World Soccer Manager of the Year in 2000.

Zoff returned to Lazio as a manager in 2001. He finished third in Serie A that season. He resigned early in the next season. In 2005, he coached Fiorentina and helped them avoid being moved down to a lower league. This was the last club he coached.

Personal Life

Dino Zoff is married to Annamaria Passerini. They have a son named Marco, who was born in 1967. Zoff is a Roman Catholic.

In November 2015, Zoff was in the hospital for three weeks with a viral infection that made it hard for him to walk. In December 2015, he said he was recovering well. He mentioned that for the first time, he was scared, not for himself, but for his family. He also shared a special moment where he felt the presence of his former teammates and coaches who had passed away.

Career Statistics

Club Appearances

International Appearances

Managerial Record

Team	Nation	From	To	Matches	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win %
Juventus	Italy	1 July 1988	30 June 1990	&&&&&&&&&&&&0104.&&&&&0104	&&&&&&&&&&&&&053.&&&&&053	&&&&&&&&&&&&&034.&&&&&034	&&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017	&&&&&&&&&&&&&050.96000050.96
Lazio	Italy	1 July 1990	30 June 1994	&&&&&&&&&&&&0154.&&&&&0154	&&&&&&&&&&&&&057.&&&&&057	&&&&&&&&&&&&&058.&&&&&058	&&&&&&&&&&&&&039.&&&&&039	&&&&&&&&&&&&&037.&1000037.01
Lazio	Italy	28 January 1997	3 June 1997	&&&&&&&&&&&&&016.&&&&&016	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&09.&&&&&09	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&02.&&&&&02	&&&&&&&&&&&&&056.25000056.25
Italy	Italy	31 July 1998	4 July 2000	&&&&&&&&&&&&&022.&&&&&022	&&&&&&&&&&&&&010.&&&&&010	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&045.45000045.45
Lazio	Italy	9 January 2001	30 September 2001	&&&&&&&&&&&&&032.&&&&&032	&&&&&&&&&&&&&017.&&&&&017	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&053.13000053.13
Fiorentina	Italy	25 January 2005	7 June 2005	&&&&&&&&&&&&&020.&&&&&020	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&05.&&&&&05	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&07.&&&&&07	&&&&&&&&&&&&&&08.&&&&&08	&&&&&&&&&&&&&025.&&&&&025.00
Total				&&&&&&&&&&&&0348.&&&&&0348	&&&&&&&&&&&&0151.&&&&&0151	&&&&&&&&&&&&0119.&&&&&0119	&&&&&&&&&&&&&078.&&&&&078	&&&&&&&&&&&&&043.39000043.39

Awards and Honours

As a Player

Juventus

• Serie A: 1972–73, 1974–75, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1981–82
• Coppa Italia: 1978–79, 1982–83
• UEFA Cup: 1976–77
• Intercontinental Cup: Runner-up: 1973
• European Cup: Runner-up: 1972–73, 1982–83

Italy National Team

• FIFA World Cup: 1982
• UEFA European Championship: 1968

As a Manager

Juventus

• Coppa Italia: 1989–90
• UEFA Cup: 1989–90

Italy National Team

• UEFA European Championship: Runner-up: 2000

Individual Awards

Player

• UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1968, 1980
• Ballon d'Or: 1973 (2nd place)
• FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1982
• FIFA Order of Merit: 1984
• FIFA World Cup Best Goalkeeper: 1982
• IFFHS Italian Goalkeeper of the 20th Century: 1999
• IFFHS World Goalkeeper of the 20th Century (3rd): 1999
• Italy's Golden Player (best Italian player of the last 50 years): 2003
• FIFA 100 (one of the 100 greatest living footballers)
• Golden Foot "Football Legends" Award: 2004
• Inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2012

Manager

• Seminatore d'oro: 1990
• World Soccer Manager of the Year: 2000

Records Held

• FIFA World Cup: Oldest player to play in and win a final (40 years, 4 months, 13 days in 1982)
• UEFA Champions League/European Cup: Oldest player to play in a final (41 years, 86 days in 1983)
• Most consecutive appearances in Serie A with Juventus: 330 (1972–1983)
• Most consecutive appearances in Serie A: 332 (1972–1983)
• Longest time without letting in a goal in international matches: 1142 minutes (1972–1974)
• Most consecutive minutes without letting in a goal at the European Championships (including qualifying): 784 (1975–1980)
• Fewest goals conceded in a single European Championship: 1 (1968)
• One of four goalkeepers to win the FIFA World Cup as captain: 1982

See also

In Spanish: Dino Zoff para niños