Giovanni Trapattoni facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Giovanni Trapattoni

Trapattoni as manager of the Republic of Ireland in 2013
Personal information
Date of birth	(1939-03-17) 17 March 1939 (age 86)
Place of birth	Cusano Milanino, Kingdom of Italy
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Position(s)	Centre back Defensive midfielder
Youth career
1953–1959	Milan
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1957–1971	Milan	274	(3)
1971–1972	Varese	10	(0)
Total		284	(3)
International career
1960–1964	Italy	17	(1)
Managerial career
1974	Milan
1975–1976	Milan
1976–1986	Juventus
1986–1991	Inter Milan
1991–1994	Juventus
1994–1995	Bayern Munich
1995–1996	Cagliari
1996–1998	Bayern Munich
1998–2000	Fiorentina
2000–2004	Italy
2004–2005	Benfica
2005–2006	VfB Stuttgart
2006–2008	Red Bull Salzburg
2008–2013	Republic of Ireland
2010	Vatican City
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Giovanni Trapattoni (born 17 March 1939) is a famous Italian former football manager and player. People often call him "Trap" or "Il Trap". He is known as one of the most successful club coaches in Italian football history.

As a player, Trapattoni was a defensive midfielder. He spent most of his career with AC Milan. With Milan, he won two Serie A league titles and two European Cups. He also played for the Italian national team 17 times. He was part of the team for the 1962 FIFA World Cup.

As a manager, Trapattoni is one of only five coaches to win league titles in four different European countries. He won 10 league titles in total across Italy, Germany, Portugal, and Austria. He is also one of only three coaches to win all three major European club competitions. He achieved this with the same club, Juventus. He is the only manager to win all official continental club competitions and the world title with Juventus. He also won the European Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, and Intercontinental Cup as both a player and a manager.

Trapattoni also coached the Italy national football team for the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2004. Later, he managed the Republic of Ireland national football team. He led them to their first European Championships in 24 years in UEFA Euro 2012.

Playing Career: Clubs and International Matches

Giovanni Trapattoni was born in Cusano Milanino, near Milan. He had a great career as a player for AC Milan. He played as a central defender or a defensive midfielder. His main job was to pass the ball to more creative players.

He won two Serie A titles with Milan in 1961–62 and 1967–68. He also won two European Cups in 1962–63 and 1968–69. In the 1963 European Cup Final, he successfully marked Eusébio. In the 1969 European Cup Final, he was praised for stopping Johan Cruyff.

After Milan, he played one season for Varese. He then retired from playing and started his successful coaching career.

Trapattoni also played for the Italy national football team from 1960 to 1964. He played 17 games and scored 1 goal. He was part of the team for the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile. However, he could not play any matches due to an injury. He was also in Italy's squad for the 1960 Summer Olympics.

He is remembered for his performance in a friendly match against Brazil in 1963. He was able to stop Pelé from having much impact on the game. Pelé later said he had stomach pains that day. Trapattoni himself often said Pelé was not at his best that day.

How Trapattoni Played

Trapattoni was a skilled defensive player. He could play both in defence as a centre-back and in midfield as a defensive midfielder. He was known for his hard work and ability to win the ball back. He could then pass the ball forward to his attacking teammates. He was especially good at marking opposing players closely.

Coaching Career: Leading Teams to Victory

Early Coaching Days at AC Milan and Juventus

Trapattoni started coaching at Milan with the youth team. He then became a temporary coach for the main team in 1974. His first match was a semi-final in the 1973–74 European Cup Winners' Cup. Milan won that match. They reached the final but lost to 1. FC Magdeburg. He became the full-time coach in 1975.

Trapattoni as Milan manager at Schiphol airport in Amsterdam before the 1974 European Cup Winners' Cup Final in Rotterdam

Trapattoni then became the head coach for Juventus for ten years, from 1976 to 1986. During this time, he won every major UEFA and international club competition. This was a European record.

With Juventus, he won the Serie A league title six times. He also won the Coppa Italia twice. He led them to victory in the European Cup in 1984–85 and the Intercontinental Cup in 1985. He also won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1983–84, the European Super Cup in 1984, and the UEFA Cup in 1976–77.

Trapattoni became known as one of the best managers in football history during his time at Juventus. He was respected for his ability to manage players and his excellent tactical knowledge.

Success with Inter Milan and Second Time at Juventus

Trapattoni coached Inter Milan from 1986 to 1991. With Inter, he won the Serie A in 1988–89. He also won the Supercoppa Italiana in 1989 and the UEFA Cup in 1990–91.

He then returned to manage Juventus for a second time from 1991 to 1994. During this period, he won the UEFA Cup again in 1992–93.

Managing Bayern Munich and Cagliari

Trapattoni became the coach of Bayern Munich in 1994. He left after one season. He reached the semi-finals of the Champions League but did not win any trophies.

He then coached Cagliari in the 1995–96 season. He was let go in February 1996 after some difficult results. This was the first time he had been fired in his career.

Return to Bayern Munich and Fiorentina

Trapattoni went back to manage Bayern Munich in 1996. As Bayern manager, he won the German Bundesliga in 1996–97. He also won the German Cup (DFB-Pokal) in 1997–98 and the German League Cup (DFB-Ligapokal) in 1997. He left Bayern in 1998.

Trapattoni coached Fiorentina from 1998 to 2000. Fiorentina had a strong season in 1998–99, finishing 3rd in Serie A. This earned them a spot in the Champions League. He also led them to some important wins in the Champions League. They beat Arsenal and Manchester United.

Leading the Italy National Team

In July 2000, Trapattoni took over the Italy national football team. He led the team to the 2002 FIFA World Cup without losing a single qualifying match.

In the World Cup, Italy won their first match against Ecuador. They then lost to Croatia and drew with Mexico. They finished second in their group and played against co-hosts South Korea. Italy lost 2–1 in extra time and were eliminated. Some decisions by the referee in that match were very controversial.

Italy then qualified easily for UEFA Euro 2004. However, they did not perform well in the tournament itself. They drew with Denmark and Sweden, and beat Bulgaria. Despite being undefeated, Italy was eliminated early. This happened because of a tie-breaking rule based on goals scored between the tied teams.

Marcello Lippi replaced Trapattoni as Italy's coach in July 2004.

Coaching Benfica, Stuttgart, and Red Bull Salzburg

On 5 July 2004, Trapattoni became the new coach of Benfica in Portugal. He led them to win the Portuguese league title in 2004–05. This was the club's first league title in 11 years. He left Benfica after that season to be closer to his family.

Trapattoni returned to Germany in June 2005 to coach VfB Stuttgart. However, the team had poor results. He was sacked after seven months for "not fulfilling the ambitions of the club."

In May 2006, Red Bull Salzburg in Austria announced Trapattoni as their new manager. He quickly brought success, winning the Austrian Bundesliga in 2006–07. This was Salzburg's first league title in 10 years.

Managing the Republic of Ireland National Team

Trapattoni with Marco Tardelli as Ireland take on Algeria in June 2010.

On 11 February 2008, Trapattoni agreed to become the manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team. He started the job on 1 May 2008. His first game was a 1–1 draw against Serbia. His first win came against Colombia.

Ireland had a strong qualifying campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They finished unbeaten and reached a playoff. In the playoff against France, Ireland lost 2–1 on aggregate. The deciding goal for France involved a controversial handball by Thierry Henry.

In 2011, Trapattoni led Ireland to win the Nations Cup. Later that year, he guided the team to qualify for UEFA Euro 2012. This was a big achievement for Ireland.

At Euro 2012, Ireland was eliminated in the group stage after losing to Spain and Italy. Trapattoni left the Republic of Ireland national team on 11 September 2013. This happened after a defeat to Austria ended their chances of qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Other Coaching Roles

Trapattoni has also managed the Vatican City national football team. This team is not a member of FIFA or UEFA. His first match with them was in October 2010. He once said he would like to coach the Vatican when he retired.

In 2015, he was symbolically appointed manager of S. Pietro e Paolo Desio.

Personal Life and Beliefs

Giovanni Trapattoni grew up in a working-class family in Cusano Milanino. His father worked in a silk factory and as a farmer. His mother was a homemaker. He has a brother and three sisters. One of his sisters became a Roman Catholic nun.

Trapattoni met his wife, Paola Miceli, in 1960. They married in 1964 and had a son, Alberto, and a daughter, Alessandra. They later became grandparents and great-grandparents.

He is a very religious Roman Catholic. He regularly attends church in his hometown. He has also gone on pilgrimages to famous religious sites like Lourdes and Fátima.

In August 2010, Trapattoni was admitted to a hospital in Dublin. He had surgery and missed a friendly game. In January 2011, there were rumors about his health, but he confirmed he had surgery and was recovering well.

Management Style: How Trapattoni Led His Teams

Trapattoni is considered one of the greatest and most successful football managers ever. He is highly respected for his ability to manage players and motivate them. He is also known for his smart tactical decisions. People sometimes called him "the King of Catenaccio" or the "Old Fox."

He was known for his direct management style and strict, clever tactics. His teams were usually mentally strong and well-organized. Trapattoni was a key figure in developing the zona mista style of play. This style combined elements of older man-marking tactics with newer zonal marking systems.

Even though Trapattoni was known for his defensive approach, his teams often used a skilled player called a sweeper or libero. This player helped both in defending and starting attacks from the back. His teams were strong defensively and good at scoring goals from quick counter-attacks.

Trapattoni believed that his success and tactical intelligence came from his time playing in midfield. This helped him understand both attacking and defending in a game. He used different team formations throughout his career.

He often had different ideas from more attack-minded managers. He believed that a coach should keep things simple and have clear rules for the team. He focused on quickly moving the ball forward and controlling the game's speed. He also stressed the importance of training the team for set pieces (like free kicks and corners).

Trapattoni believed that simply having the ball a lot (possession) was not always important. He said it was better "to have 0% of the possession and 100% of the goals." He also emphasized that strikers should be excellent at scoring goals. While discipline was important, he also encouraged the special talents of star players like Michel Platini and Roberto Baggio.

Career Statistics

Player

Club

International

International goal

Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first.

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	9 June 1963	Praterstadion, Wien, Austria	Austria	1–0	1–0	Friendly

Manager

Honours and Achievements

Player

Club

AC Milan

• Serie A: 1961–62, 1967–68
• Coppa Italia: 1966–67
• European Cup: 1962–63, 1968–69
• European Cup Winners' Cup: 1967–68
• Intercontinental Cup: 1969

Manager

Club

Juventus

• Serie A: 1976–77, 1977–78, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1983–84, 1985–86
• Coppa Italia: 1978–79, 1982–83
• European Cup: 1984–85
• UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: 1983–84
• UEFA Cup: 1976–77, 1992–93
• European Super Cup: 1984
• Intercontinental Cup: 1985

Inter Milan

• Serie A: 1988–89
• Supercoppa Italiana: 1989
• UEFA Cup: 1990–91

Bayern Munich

• Bundesliga: 1996–97
• DFB-Pokal: 1997–98
• DFB-Ligapokal: 1997

Benfica

• Primeira Liga: 2004–05

Red Bull Salzburg

• Austrian Bundesliga: 2006–07

International

Republic of Ireland

• Nations Cup: 2011

Individual

• AC Milan Hall of Fame
• Seminatore d'Oro: 1976–77, 1985
• Premio l'Allenatore dei Sogni: 1992
• Panchina d'Oro: 1997
• Champions of Europe plaque: 2006
• Philips Manager of the Year Award: 2012
• Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2012
• ESPN 12th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2013
• France Football 12th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2019
• World Soccer 19th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2013
• FourFourTwo 14th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2023

Images for kids

• 

  Trapattoni with AC Milan in 1963

• 

  Trapattoni (centre) at the 1968 European Cup Winners' Cup Final in Rotterdam

• 

  Trapattoni (left) with the Italy national football team in 1963, opposed to the Brazilian Pelé

• 

  1981 photograph of Trapattoni's childhood house in Cascina Guarnazzola, Cusano Milanino

See also

In Spanish: Giovanni Trapattoni para niños

• List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winning managers
• List of UEFA Cup and Europa League winning managers
• List of UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winning managers
• List of football managers with the most games
• List of Intercontinental Cup winning managers
• List of UEFA Super Cup winning managers
• Zona mista