Giuseppe Bergomi facts for kids
Bergomi in 2008
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 22 December 1963 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Milan, Italy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1977–1979 | Inter Milan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1979–1999 | Inter Milan | 517 | (24) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1984 | Italy U21 | 4 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1982–1998 | Italy | 81 | (6) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Giuseppe "Beppe" Bergomi is a famous Italian former footballer. He was born on December 22, 1963. He played his entire career for the Italian club Inter Milan. Many people think he is one of the best Italian defenders ever. In 2004, the legendary footballer Pelé even chose him as one of the top 125 greatest living footballers.
Bergomi was a "one-club man," meaning he only played for one team his whole career. For many years, he held the record for the most games played for Inter Milan. He was also the team's captain for a long time. His teammates called him "Lo zio" (which means "the uncle"). This was because of his thick eyebrows and the mustache he wore, even when he was young. It reminded a teammate of his own uncle.
Today, Bergomi works as a football expert for Sky Sports Italia. He often helps commentate on Serie A matches, which are games in Italy's top football league.
Contents
Playing for Inter Milan
Giuseppe Bergomi was born in Milan, Italy. He started training with Inter Milan's main team when he was just 15 years old. He played his first professional game at 16 years old. This was on January 30, 1980, in a cup match against Juventus. He became the youngest player to ever play for Inter Milan.
He spent his whole career with Inter Milan, becoming their team captain later on. He played for Inter for 20 seasons in Italy's top league, Serie A. Even though his team was often in the shadow of their rivals, A.C. Milan, he did win the Italian league title, called the Scudetto, once in the 1988–89 season.
Bergomi also won the UEFA Cup three times with Inter Milan. These wins were in 1991, 1994, and 1998. He also reached the final of this competition a fourth time in 1997. For a while, he held records for the most games played by an Italian in European competitions and the most Milan derbies (matches between Inter and A.C. Milan). Later, another great defender, Paolo Maldini, broke these records.
Bergomi stopped playing football in 1999 when he was almost 36. He held the record for the most appearances for Inter Milan (758 games) until 2011. That's when Javier Zanetti played even more games for the club. Bergomi scored 28 goals for Inter Milan. He still holds the record for the most appearances in the UEFA Cup, with 96 games.
Playing for Italy
Bergomi had a very successful international career playing for the Italian national team. He won the 1982 FIFA World Cup with Italy. He also played in the 1986 and 1990 World Cups. He was the captain for Italy in the 1990 tournament. Italy reached the semi-finals in both the 1990 World Cup and the UEFA Euro 1988 tournament. His last international tournament was the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
He made his debut for Italy on April 14, 1982, when he was only 18 years old. This made him the youngest Italian player to play for the national team after World War II. He was chosen for the World Cup team in Spain later that year, becoming the youngest Italian ever picked for a World Cup. In that winning tournament, he played in three games. This included Italy's exciting 3–2 win against Brazil.
At 18 years and 195 days old, Bergomi was the youngest Italian player to ever appear in a World Cup match. He played in the last two matches of the tournament, including the 3–1 final victory over West Germany. He helped Italy win the World Cup. At 18 years and 201 days old, he was the second youngest player ever to win the World Cup title. Only Brazil's Pelé was younger when he won in 1958.
Bergomi also played in the 1986 World Cup, where Italy was knocked out by France.
He scored his first two goals for Italy in a friendly game against Greece in 1986. He also wore the captain's armband for the first time in that game. In 1988, Bergomi officially became Italy's captain. He led the team for 33 games until 1991. As captain, he was part of the Italy squad that reached the semi-finals of Euro 88. He was even chosen for the "Team of the Tournament."
Bergomi captained Italy in the 1990 World Cup, which was held in Italy. The team finished in third place. They won five games in a row without letting in any goals. Italy had the best defensive record in the history of the competition, only letting in two goals in total. They were knocked out in the semi-finals by Argentina after a penalty shootout. Italy then won the bronze medal match against England.
After being sent off in a game in 1991, Bergomi was not called up to the national team for several years. However, he was surprisingly chosen for the 1998 World Cup when he was 34 years old. This was because another player, Ciro Ferrara, was injured. Bergomi played three games in the tournament, helping Italy reach the quarter-finals. They were eliminated by the host nation, France, after a penalty shootout. This was his 81st and final game for Italy.
Bergomi is one of only five Italian players to have played in four different FIFA World Cup tournaments.
How He Played
Giuseppe Bergomi was a very flexible defender. He could play in any position along the back of the field. He was mainly a right-back, but he could also play on the left, in the center, or even as a "sweeper" (a defender who plays behind the main defensive line). He was quick, strong, and worked very hard. He was also good at heading the ball.
Besides his strong defense, he was known for running up the field to help the attack. He could cross the ball well and had a powerful shot. Bergomi was especially good at "man-marking," which means closely guarding an opponent. He was also praised for his good timing when tackling and his ability to predict what would happen next.
Even though he was a tough player and was sent off 12 times in his career, Bergomi was also known for being fair and professional. He was respected by his teammates, opponents, and coaches. He was seen as a quiet leader. In 2007, The Times newspaper even listed him as one of the 50 toughest football players in history.
Bergomi started as a forward when he was young. He played for a very long time. His experience, smart thinking, and good positioning helped him play well as a sweeper later in his career. He kept playing at a high level even as he got older.
After Football
After retiring from playing, Bergomi became a licensed football coach. In 2008, he started coaching young players at Inter Milan. He then coached youth teams at other clubs like Monza and Atalanta.
He also works as a football expert and commentator for Italian TV, Sky Italia. He often comments on games with Fabio Caressa. He even commentated during Italy's win at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Personal Life
Giuseppe Bergomi is married to Daniela. They have two children named Andrea and Sara.
In May 2020, Bergomi shared that he had recovered from COVID-19. He caught the virus during its outbreak in Italy.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | Serie A | Domestic Cups | Europe | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Inter Milan | 1979–80 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| 1980–81 | 12 | 0 | – | 4 | 0 | 16 | 0 | ||
| 1981–82 | 24 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 38 | 4 | |
| 1982–83 | 27 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 42 | 2 | |
| 1983–84 | 25 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 35 | 0 | |
| 1984–85 | 29 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 48 | 2 | |
| 1985–86 | 30 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 46 | 5 | |
| 1986–87 | 28 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 45 | 2 | |
| 1987–88 | 28 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 42 | 1 | |
| 1988–89 | 32 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 46 | 1 | |
| 1989–90 | 32 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 | 2 | |
| 1990–91 | 30 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 46 | 4 | |
| 1991–92 | 29 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |
| 1992–93 | 31 | 2 | 6 | 0 | – | 37 | 2 | ||
| 1993–94 | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 47 | 0 | |
| 1994–95 | 32 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 3 | |
| 1995–96 | 27 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
| 1996–97 | 19 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 36 | 0 | |
| 1997–98 | 28 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| 1998–99 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| Career total | 517 | 24 | 120 | 5 | 117 | 0 | 754 | 29 | |
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 1982 | 6 | 0 |
| 1983 | 4 | 0 | |
| 1984 | 9 | 0 | |
| 1985 | 7 | 0 | |
| 1986 | 8 | 2 | |
| 1987 | 8 | 1 | |
| 1988 | 11 | 2 | |
| 1989 | 10 | 1 | |
| 1990 | 12 | 0 | |
| 1991 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1998 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 81 | 6 | |
- Scores and results list Italy's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bergomi goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 October 1986 | Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, Bologna, Italy |  Greece |
1–0 | 2–0 | Friendly | |
| 2 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 3 | 24 January 1987 | Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia, Bergamo, Italy |  Malta |
2–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 1988 qualification | |
| 4 | 20 February 1988 | Stadio della Vittoria, Bari, Italy |  Soviet Union |
4–1 | 4–1 | Friendly | |
| 5 | 27 April 1988 | Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg |  Luxembourg |
2–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 6 | 22 February 1989 | Arena Garibaldi, Pisa, Italy |  Denmark |
1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
Awards and Honors
Inter Milan
- Serie A (Italian League Title): 1988–89
- Coppa Italia (Italian Cup): 1981–82
- Supercoppa Italiana (Italian Supercup): 1989
- UEFA Cup (European Competition): 1990–91, 1993–94, 1997–98
Italy National Team
- FIFA World Cup: 1982 (Winner); 1990 (Third place)
Individual Awards
- UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1988
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1990
- Pirata d'Oro (Inter Milan Player of the Year): 1990
- Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 1997
- FIFA 100: 2004 (Chosen by Pelé as one of the greatest living footballers)
- Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2016
- Inter Milan Hall of Fame: 2020
- One Club Man Award: 2024
Orders
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4th Class / Officer: Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 1991
See also
In Spanish: Giuseppe Bergomi para niños
