Enzo Bearzot facts for kids
Bearzot c. 1975 depicted on a Panini football card
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Enzo Bearzot | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 26 September 1927 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Aiello del Friuli, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Date of death | 21 December 2010 (aged 83) | |||||||||||||||
| Place of death | Milan, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defensive midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 1946–1948 | Pro Gorizia | 39 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| 1948–1951 | Internazionale | 19 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1951–1954 | Catania | 95 | (5) | |||||||||||||
| 1954–1956 | Torino | 65 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 1956–1957 | Internazionale | 27 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 1957–1964 | Torino | 164 | (7) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 409 | (15) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 1955 | Italy | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| Teams managed | ||||||||||||||||
| 1964–1967 | Torino (youth) | |||||||||||||||
| 1968–1969 | Prato | |||||||||||||||
| 1969–1975 | Italy U23 | |||||||||||||||
| 1975–1986 | Italy | |||||||||||||||
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Honours
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Enzo Bearzot (born 26 September 1927 – died 21 December 2010) was a famous Italian football player and manager. He played as a defender and midfielder. Bearzot is best known for leading the Italian national team to win the 1982 FIFA World Cup.
People often called him Vecio, which means 'old man' in Italian. Bearzot coached the Italian national team more than anyone else. He managed them 104 times between 1975 and 1986. He was known for being calm and often seen smoking his pipe.
A year after he passed away, a special award was created in his honor. It's called the "Enzo Bearzot Award" and it's given to the best Italian football coach each year.
Contents
Enzo Bearzot's Playing Career
Enzo Bearzot was born in Aiello del Friuli, a town in Italy. His father worked at a bank. Enzo went to high school in Udine.
He started his professional football career in 1946 with Pro Gorizia. In 1948, he moved to Internazionale, a big club. After three seasons there, he joined Catania in Sicily for another three years.
In 1954, Bearzot joined Torino. This team was rebuilding after a terrible plane crash in 1949. He played 65 matches for Torino and scored one goal. In 1956, he went back to Internazionale for a short time.
The next year, he returned to Torino. He played 164 more matches for them, scoring 7 goals. Enzo Bearzot retired from playing football in 1964 when he was 37 years old. He then decided to become a coach.
During his playing career, Bearzot played 251 matches in Italy's top league, Serie A. He also played one match for the Italian national team. His only international game was in 1955 against Hungary.
Enzo Bearzot's Coaching Career
After he stopped playing, Bearzot became an assistant coach for Torino. He worked with famous Italian managers like Nereo Rocco. Later, he got his first main coaching job at a smaller club called Prato.
However, Bearzot didn't stay with club teams for long. He decided to work for the Italian Football Federation, which runs football in Italy. First, he coached the Italy Under-23 team. Then, he became an assistant coach for the main national team during the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
After the 1974 World Cup, Bearzot became the head coach of the Italian national team in 1975. He led the team to fourth place in the 1978 FIFA World Cup. They also finished fourth in the 1980 European Championship, which Italy hosted.
Winning the 1982 World Cup
In the 1982 FIFA World Cup, Italy started slowly. They didn't play well in their first three matches. Because of this, Bearzot told the team to stop talking to the press. This was called silenzio stampa (press silence). He wanted to protect his players from criticism.
After that, the Italian team started playing much better. They beat strong teams like Argentina and Brazil in the second round. Then, they defeated Poland in the semi-final. Finally, Italy won the World Cup by beating Germany in the Final. It was Italy's first World Cup win since 1938!
Italy did not qualify for the Euro 1984. Bearzot left his role as manager after the 1986 FIFA World Cup. In that tournament, Italy lost to France in the round of 16. Some people criticized Bearzot for using too many players from the 1982 team, as some of them were older and not in their best form anymore.
Bearzot holds the record for coaching the Italian national team the most times. He was on the bench for 104 matches.
After a long break, Bearzot became the President of the FIGC Technical Sector in 2002. This is a main organization for football coaching in Italy. He left this job in 2005.
Bearzot's Coaching Style
Bearzot was known for being a very smart and careful manager. He studied his opponents in great detail before games. This helped him plan his team's strategy. He was also good at changing tactics and formations depending on the other team's style. He always tried to find the best way for his players to succeed.
At the same time, he didn't like to force his players to follow strict plans. He believed they should have the freedom to show their skills and talent. In the 1978 World Cup, his Italian team played an exciting, attacking style. They focused on passing, creativity, and movement. Their forwards often swapped positions to confuse the defenders.
At the 1982 World Cup, he often used a flexible 4–3–3 formation. This formation could change during a match to a 4–4–2, 5–2–3, or 3–5–2. In his 4–3–3 system, he used two creative wingers and a centre-forward. He also had a playmaker and two hard-working box-to-box players in midfield.
In defense, he used a sweeper who could also help start attacks. His team's defense was a mix of zonal marking and man-marking. This system was called zona mista.
In the important match against Brazil in 1982, Bearzot showed his tactical skill. He changed Italy's formation to stop Brazil's strong midfield. In the final against Germany, he changed the formation again to a 5–2–3 because a key player was injured. This helped Italy cover Germany's dangerous players.
Bearzot's team was good at finding open spaces on the field. Their defense was strong because players covered for each other. They were also great at scoring goals from quick counterattacks after winning the ball. They could also keep the ball to save energy.
Besides his tactical skills, Bearzot was known for having a good relationship with his players. He knew how to motivate them and create a strong, united team. He helped them develop a winning mindset. Many people agree that Enzo Bearzot made the Italian national team much better and led them to their amazing World Cup victory in 1982.
Personal Life and Death
Enzo Bearzot was married to Luisa. They had a son named Glauco and a daughter named Cinzia.
Bearzot passed away on 21 December 2010 in Milan. He was 83 years old. He was buried in his family's tomb in the cemetery of Paderno d'Adda. His death was exactly 42 years after another famous Italian coach, Vittorio Pozzo, died.
Honours and Awards
As a Player
Catania
- Serie B: 1953–54
Torino
- Serie B: 1959–1960
As a Manager
Italy
Individual Awards
- Seminatore d'oro: 1982
- World Soccer Magazine World Manager of the Year: 1982
- European Coach of the Year—Sepp Herberger Award: 1982
- Panchina d'Oro alla carriera: 1992
- Inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame (after his death, 2011)
- World Soccer Magazine 24th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2013
Special Honors
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2nd Class / Grand Officer: Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 1982
See also
In Spanish: Enzo Bearzot para niños
