Fabio Capello facts for kids

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Fabio Capello
Personal information
Capello in 2024
Date of birth	(1946-06-18) 18 June 1946 (age 78)
Place of birth	San Canzian d'Isonzo, Italy
Height	1.77 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
1962–1964	SPAL
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps^†	(Gls)^†
1964–1967	SPAL	49	(3)
1967–1970	Roma	62	(11)
1970–1976	Juventus	165	(27)
1976–1980	AC Milan	65	(4)
Total		341	(45)
National team
1972–1976	Italy	32	(8)
Teams managed
1982–1986	AC Milan Primavera
1987	AC Milan (caretaker)
1991–1996	AC Milan
1996–1997	Real Madrid
1997–1998	AC Milan
1999–2004	Roma
2004–2006	Juventus
2006–2007	Real Madrid
2007–2012	England
2012–2015	Russia
2017–2018	Jiangsu Suning
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Fabio Capello (born 18 June 1946) is a famous Italian former professional football manager and player. He is known for being one of the best managers of all time.

As a player, Capello played as a midfielder for several top Italian clubs like SPAL, Roma, AC Milan and Juventus. He won many trophies during his playing career, which lasted over 15 years. He won the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup) with Roma in 1969. He was most successful with Juventus, winning three Serie A (Italian League) titles. With Milan, he won another Coppa Italia in 1977 and another Serie A title in 1979. Capello also played for the Italian national team, playing 32 games and scoring 8 goals.

After retiring as a player, Capello became a highly successful manager. In his first five seasons as a manager, he won four Serie A titles with Milan. He also led Milan to win the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, beating Barcelona 4–0 in a famous final. He then moved to Real Madrid and won the La Liga (Spanish League) title in his first year. In 2001, he led Roma to their first league title in 18 years. Capello also won two titles with Juventus, but these were later taken away because of a scandal called Calciopoli. In 2006, he returned to Real Madrid and won another La Liga title. He has won a major league championship in seven of his 16 seasons as a coach.

Capello was chosen to manage the England national team in December 2007. He helped England qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where they were knocked out in the second round. He also guided them to UEFA Euro 2012, but he resigned in February 2012 due to a disagreement with The Football Association. After that, he became the coach of the Russian national team in July 2012. He was later fired in 2015. In 2017, he coached the Chinese club Jiangsu Suning, but he was sacked the next year and then officially retired from coaching.

Playing Career Highlights

Early Days at SPAL

Capello with SPAL in 1966

Fabio Capello started his professional career at SPAL. He joined the club when he was young, and in his second year with the youth team, he helped them win the Italian Youth Championship. He made his first team debut in 1964.

Capello was a smart and talented holding midfielder. He was good at understanding the game and strong in tackles, even though he wasn't very tall. He was also a great passer of the ball and could score goals from midfield with powerful shots. After SPAL was relegated, he helped them get back to Serie A quickly. He became a key player in the 1965–66 season, even taking penalty kicks.

Time at Roma

In 1967, Capello moved to Roma, where he became a very important player. In his first season, he helped the team start strong, even scoring the winning goal against Juventus. However, an injury to his left knee kept him out for the rest of the season.

The next season, Capello scored six goals and won his first major trophy, the Coppa Italia (Italian Cup), with Roma. This allowed Roma to play in the Anglo-Italian League Cup. They also reached the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup.

Success with Juventus

Capello with Juventus in 1970

Capello was sold to Juventus in 1970. He became a very important player for the team, even though he was only 24. He was given the number 10 shirt, which is usually for a team's best attacking player.

Juventus won the league title in the 1971–72, 1972–73, and 1974–75 seasons with Capello. They also reached the 1973 European Cup final, but lost to Ajax. They almost won the Coppa Italia in 1973 but lost to Milan in a penalty shootout.

Final Years at Milan

In 1976, Juventus traded Capello to Milan. He played well in his first season there. However, injuries limited his playing time in later seasons. He played only a few games in the 1978–79 season, when Milan won the Serie A title. He played only three games in the 1979–80 season before deciding to retire from professional football.

International Career

Capello (number 8) at the 1974 World Cup

Capello played 32 games for the Italian national team between 1972 and 1978, scoring 8 goals. He made his first international appearance in May 1972.

He is especially remembered for scoring the goal that helped Italy beat England 1–0 at Wembley Stadium for the first time ever, in November 1973. Capello said this was the best moment of his playing career. He also scored a goal for Italy during the 1974 FIFA World Cup, but Italy lost that match and did not make it to the next round.

After Playing Football

After retiring as a player, Capello spent some time as a football expert on Italian TV. He also had a short period as a temporary manager for Milan in 1987. In 1991, he was officially appointed as the manager of Milan.

Managerial Career

Early Coaching Years

Capello holding the 1987 Mundialito de Clubs trophy alongside Pietro Paolo Virdis (left)

In the early 1980s, Capello started coaching the Milan youth teams. He helped develop talented young players like Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta. He led the under-19 team to win many youth tournaments.

In 1987, he became the first team coach and helped Milan qualify for the UEFA Cup. However, the club's owner, Silvio Berlusconi, then hired Arrigo Sacchi as the new manager, and Capello stepped aside but continued to work for the club.

First Time at Milan

Capello became Milan's manager in June 1991. He kept many of the same players and tactics that the previous manager, Sacchi, had used. Milan won the Serie A title in the 1991–92 season without losing a single game. This was a record in Italian football.

He signed new players like Gianluigi Lentini and Marcel Desailly. Capello was one of the first managers to use a "squad rotation" approach, which means he would change the players in the team regularly to keep them fresh. Milan continued to dominate the league, winning the Serie A title again in the 1992–93 season. They also reached the 1993 UEFA Champions League final, but lost.

Capello and Mauro Tassotti with the 1994 UEFA Champions League final trophy

In the 1993–94 season, Milan won the Serie A title for the third year in a row. They also won the 1994 UEFA Champions League final with a big 4–0 victory over Barcelona. Even though Milan didn't score many goals in the league that season, they had the best defense in Italy, letting in only 15 goals. Their defense, with players like Mauro Tassotti, Franco Baresi, Alessandro Costacurta, and Paolo Maldini, is considered one of the best ever.

In the 1994–95 season, Milan struggled in the league, finishing fourth. However, they won the 1994 European Super Cup and reached their third Champions League final in a row in 1995, where they lost to Ajax.

For the 1995–96 season, Milan signed new strikers like George Weah and Roberto Baggio. Capello successfully used his squad rotation policy again. Milan won the league title that season by a good margin.

First Time at Real Madrid

Capello became the new coach of Real Madrid in 1996. His main goal was to bring the Spanish league title back to the club. He managed to combine the talents of attacking players like Davor Šuker, Predrag Mijatović, and Raúl.

In his only season in charge, he led Real Madrid to win the Spanish league title in 1997, beating their rivals Barcelona by just two points. He was also praised for bringing in important players like Šuker, Mijatović, Roberto Carlos, and Clarence Seedorf, who helped the club win the Champions League in the following years.

Second Time at Milan

Capello returned to Milan in 1997 for a short time, but it was not as successful as his first spell. Many of the old players had left, and others were nearing the end of their careers. The team struggled and finished in tenth place in the league. They also lost in the Coppa Italia final.

Time at Roma

After leaving Milan, Capello took a short break. In May 1999, he became the manager of Roma, the club he had played for 30 years earlier. He was joined by Franco Baldini, who became the club's sporting director.

Capello's big success at Roma came when he won the 2000–01 Serie A title. He signed important players like Walter Samuel for defense and Gabriel Batistuta as a main goalscorer. With Roma, Capello changed his usual tactics to a more attacking formation, which allowed the team's star player and captain, Francesco Totti, to play in his best role as an attacking midfielder. Roma won the title on 17 June, which led to a huge celebration by the fans. This was Roma's first major trophy in ten years and only their third Italian championship ever.

In the 2001–02 season, Roma finished second in the league, just one point behind Juventus. The following season, Roma finished eighth. Capello's final year at Roma started well, with the team playing much better. They had a seven-game winning streak before Christmas, including big wins over Juventus and Inter Milan.

Time at Juventus

In 2004, Capello left Roma to join Juventus. This move surprised many people because he had kept it a secret. One of his first actions was to sign Emerson from Roma, which made many Roma fans angry.

Capello's Juventus team reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2005 and 2006. Juventus also won the Serie A titles in the 2004–05 and 2005–06 seasons under Capello. However, these trophies were later taken away from them because of the Calciopoli scandal, where the team was involved in match-fixing.

In July 2006, because of the scandal, Capello resigned as Juventus manager. He then returned to Real Madrid.

Second Time at Real Madrid

Capello during his second spell at Spanish side Real Madrid in 2007

In 2006, Capello took charge of Real Madrid again. The team had not won a trophy in a long time. Some fans didn't like his defensive style of play, but Capello believed that results were more important than playing beautifully. His main job was to bring the league title back to Madrid.

Capello had some disagreements with high-profile players like David Beckham and Ronaldo. However, he later brought Beckham back into the team, and Beckham's return was very important for the team's improvement. Real Madrid won their 30th league title on the final day of the season, beating Mallorca 3–1 at home. Even though he won La Liga, Capello was sacked in June 2007 because of his playing style, which was seen as too cautious for Real Madrid's attacking traditions.

Managing England

Capello as manager of the England national team in 2009

Fabio Capello was officially appointed as the manager of the England national team on 14 December 2007. He started his job in January 2008. Many English fans and the media were happy about his appointment, seeing him as a strict manager who could bring discipline to the team.

England's first match under Capello was a 2–1 win against Switzerland in February 2008. He rotated the captaincy among several senior players before making John Terry the permanent captain in August 2008.

World Cup Qualification

England started Capello's first competitive campaign well, winning their first four World Cup qualification games. This was England's best ever start to a World Cup qualifying campaign. They beat Andorra 2–0, Croatia 4–1, Kazakhstan 5–1, and Belarus 3–1.

On 9 September 2009, Capello successfully led England to qualify for the 2010 World Cup after a 5–1 win at home against Croatia. England finished as the top scorers in the European qualification zone with 34 goals.

2010 World Cup

Before the World Cup, Capello took away the captaincy from John Terry due to a scandal. The new captain, Rio Ferdinand, got injured before England's first match and had to withdraw from the squad.

England drew their first game 1–1 with the United States due to a mistake by the goalkeeper. This was followed by a 0–0 draw against Algeria, which led to a lot of criticism. On 23 June, Capello led England into the round of 16 of the World Cup after they beat Slovenia 1–0. However, they were beaten 4–1 by Germany in their first knockout match.

After England's exit, Capello was criticized for being too strict and for his tactics. Despite this, The Football Association announced that Capello would remain as England's manager.

Euro 2012 Qualification

England started their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign with two wins. Capello made some changes to the team and brought John Terry back as captain. England qualified for the European Championships with a 2–2 draw in Montenegro in October 2011.

Capello resigned on 8 February 2012 after the FA decided to remove the captaincy from John Terry again.

Managing Russia

Capello as manager of Russia in 2015

On 26 July 2012, Capello became the manager of the Russian national team. His first game in charge was a 1–1 draw. He led Russia to qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup finals, finishing first in their group. In January 2014, Capello agreed to stay with the Russian national team until the end of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

At the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Russia was knocked out in the group stage. During the qualification for UEFA Euro 2016, Russia had mixed results. On 14 July 2015, Capello was sacked as the Russian manager.

Jiangsu Suning and Retirement

On 11 June 2017, Capello signed a contract with the Chinese club Jiangsu Suning. The club finished 12th in the league that year. On 28 March 2018, Capello was sacked after only three games into the new season. In April of that year, he officially announced that he had retired from coaching.

Managerial Style

Fabio Capello is known as a "pragmatic" coach, meaning he focuses on getting results. He is also known for being able to change his tactics to fit his players. He was nicknamed Don Fabio by the Spanish media.

While he has been praised for his success and leadership, he has also been criticized for being very strict and sometimes too defensive. He had disagreements with some of his players. However, he liked to have players with strong leadership qualities in his teams. Capello has said his coaching philosophy is about learning from others and improving.

In his first successful time at Milan, Capello kept the team's 4–4–2 formation. He allowed his attackers more freedom. Later, he used a more defensive formation, relying on a strong defense. He also rotated many of his attacking players to get the best out of them.

At Real Madrid, Capello built a team that won the title based on strong defense and efficient play. He also used three strikers and helped develop young players.

At Roma, when they won the title, Capello used a 3–4–1–2 formation, which allowed Francesco Totti to play as an attacking midfielder behind two strikers.

At Juventus, Capello went back to his preferred 4–4–2 formation. He created a balanced team with a strong defense and dynamic midfielders. He often played David Trezeguet and Zlatan Ibrahimović together up front.

In his second time at Real Madrid, Capello used a 4–2–3–1 formation, which was seen as very defensive. Despite criticism, he made bold decisions, like bringing David Beckham back into the starting team. He helped the club win the league title, but he was still sacked at the end of the season.

Personal Life

Capello with his wife, Laura Ghisi, in 2024.

Fabio Capello was born in San Canzian d'Isonzo, Italy. His father was a schoolteacher and played football, and his uncle Mario Tortul was also a football player for the Italian national team.

Capello is a religious person and prays twice a day. He has been married to his wife, Laura, for over 40 years. He met her on a bus when they were teenagers. His son, Pier Filippo, works as his agent.

Capello is also a big fan of fine art. His art collection is believed to be worth a lot of money. His favorite artist is reportedly Wassily Kandinsky.