Mauro Tassotti facts for kids
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Tassotti in 2012
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 19 January 1960 | ||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Rome, Italy | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.77 m | ||||||||||||
| Playing position | Defender | ||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | ||||||||||
| 1978–1980 | Lazio | 41 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1980–1997 | AC Milan | 429 | (8) | ||||||||||
| Total | 470 | (8) | |||||||||||
| National team | |||||||||||||
| 1978–1982 | Italy U21 | 10 | (1) | ||||||||||
| 1979 | Italy U23 | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||
| 1992–1994 | Italy | 7 | (0) | ||||||||||
| Teams managed | |||||||||||||
| 1997–2001 | AC Milan (youth) | ||||||||||||
| 2001 | AC Milan (caretaker) | ||||||||||||
| 2001–2015 | AC Milan (assistant) | ||||||||||||
| 2014 | AC Milan (caretaker) | ||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | AC Milan (scout) | ||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | Ukraine (assistant) | ||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Genoa (assistant) | ||||||||||||
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Honours
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Mauro Tassotti was born in Rome, Italy, on January 19, 1960. He is a former Italian footballer who mostly played as a right back (a defender on the right side of the field). After starting his career with Lazio, he became famous for playing 17 years with AC Milan.
With AC Milan, he won an amazing 17 major titles. These included five Serie A championships (Italy's top football league) and three UEFA Champions League tournaments (Europe's biggest club competition). He is best known for being part of one of the greatest defensive teams ever. He played alongside legends like Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, and Alessandro Costacurta.
Mauro Tassotti also played for the Italian national team in the early 1990s. He helped Italy reach the final of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, where they finished as runners-up. After he stopped playing, Tassotti continued to work with AC Milan in different coaching roles.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Mauro Tassotti began his professional football journey in his hometown of Rome. He joined the local club Lazio for the 1978–79 season. He quickly became a regular player for the team. His first game in Serie A was on November 5, 1978. He played 41 league games for Lazio over two seasons.
In 1980, both Lazio and AC Milan were moved down to Serie B (the second division). Mauro Tassotti then joined AC Milan. He became an important player for Milan, even during a tough time for the club. He played his first game for Milan on August 24, 1980, in a Serie B match.
Milan won the Serie B title that season and returned to Serie A. Tassotti was one of their best players. Although Milan went back down to Serie B again in 1982, they quickly won the Serie B title again to return to Serie A. During these years, Milan didn't win many trophies, but they often finished high enough to play in European competitions.
Tassotti became a key player for AC Milan in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He usually wore the number 2 shirt. He was a vital part of a very strong defense. This defense included Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi, and Alessandro Costacurta. They are considered one of the greatest defensive lines in football history.
Under coach Arrigo Sacchi, Tassotti became the team's vice-captain. He helped Milan win the 1987–88 Serie A title. They also won the Supercoppa Italiana and two European Cup titles in a row, in 1989 and 1990. Milan's defense was incredibly strong, only letting in 14 goals in Serie A during the 1987–88 season.
Later, under coach Fabio Capello, Tassotti continued to succeed. He reached three Champions League finals in a row with Milan. He even captained the team to victory in the 1994 final. He also won three Serie A titles in a row from 1991–92 to 1993–94. Milan won the 1991–92 title without losing a single game.
In his final seasons, Tassotti played less often as he got older. He retired from playing in 1997, at the end of the 1996–97 season. Overall, he played 429 Serie A games for Milan, scoring 8 goals. He played a total of 583 games for the club, scoring 10 goals.
Playing for Italy
Mauro Tassotti didn't play for the Italian national team until he was 32 years old. His first game was in a World Cup qualifier against Switzerland in 1992. Before this, other talented Italian defenders often took his spot.
Before joining the senior team, Tassotti played for Italy's under-21 team. He also represented Italy at the 1988 Summer Olympics with the under-23 team. Italy reached the semi-finals at the Olympics, finishing in fourth place.
Tassotti played in the 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States. Italy made it all the way to the final, but lost to Brazil in a penalty shootout. This was the only major tournament he played for Italy.
During the quarter-final match against Spain, Mauro Tassotti was involved in an incident with a Spanish player. This led to him being banned from playing for the rest of the tournament. He later said he regretted his actions and that it was a mistake. He never played for Italy again after this. In total, he played 7 games for Italy between 1992 and 1994.
Coaching Career
AC Milan Roles
After retiring as a player in 1997, Tassotti became a coach in AC Milan's youth system. He helped the youth team win the Torneo di Viareggio tournament in 1999 and 2001.
In 2001, he briefly served as a caretaker manager (a temporary coach) for the main AC Milan team. He helped the club qualify for the UEFA Cup. From 2001 to 2015, Tassotti worked as an assistant manager for Milan. He worked under several famous coaches, including Carlo Ancelotti and Massimiliano Allegri. In 2014, he again took charge for one game as a caretaker manager. In 2015, he started working as a talent scout for Milan, looking for new players.
Ukraine National Team
Mauro Tassotti left AC Milan in July 2016, after being with the club for 36 years as a player and coach. He then joined the Ukraine national team as an assistant coach. He worked alongside Andriy Shevchenko, a former AC Milan star, who became the head coach of Ukraine.
How He Played
Mauro Tassotti was mainly a right back, playing on the right side of the defense. But he could also play as a centre back (in the middle of the defense) or even as a midfielder. He is seen as one of Italy's best defenders and one of the top full backs of his time.
He was known for his strength, good awareness, and excellent marking skills. He was very good at understanding the game and helping his teammates in defense. This made him perfect for Milan's defensive system, which used a high defensive line and the offside trap. When he was younger at Lazio, he was known for being a tough and strong defender. At Milan, he became more calm and consistent, earning him the nickname "The Professor."
Even though he was a strong defender, Tassotti was also good at attacking. He was fast, athletic, and had good technique. He could run forward and deliver accurate crosses from the right side, helping to create goals. He also improved his ball control and elegance on the field. His teammates sometimes called him "The Badger" (Il Tasso) or even "the new Djalma Santos" because of his skill.
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Coppa Italia | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lazio | 1978–79 | Serie A | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 15 | 0 | ||
| 1979–80 | Serie A | 27 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 0 | |||
| Total | 41 | 0 | 6 | 0 | – | – | 47 | 0 | ||||
| AC Milan | 1980–81 | Serie B | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 36 | 0 | ||
| 1981–82 | Serie A | 24 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | 33 | 0 | ||
| 1982–83 | Serie B | 32 | 0 | 9 | 1 | – | – | 41 | 1 | |||
| 1983–84 | Serie A | 30 | 1 | 7 | 0 | – | – | 37 | 1 | |||
| 1984–85 | Serie A | 24 | 1 | 10 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 1 | |||
| 1985–86 | Serie A | 28 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| 1986–87 | Serie A | 25 | 1 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 29 | 1 | |||
| 1987–88 | Serie A | 28 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 39 | 0 | ||
| 1988–89 | Serie A | 32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 2 | |
| 1989–90 | Serie A | 29 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 3 | |
| 1990–91 | Serie A | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |
| 1991–92 | Serie A | 33 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 38 | 0 | |||
| 1992–93 | Serie A | 27 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 1 | |
| 1993–94 | Serie A | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 1994–95 | Serie A | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| 1995–96 | Serie A | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | – | 20 | 0 | ||
| 1996–97 | Serie A | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 12 | 0 | ||
| Total | 429 | 8 | 75 | 1 | 64 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 583 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 470 | 8 | 81 | 1 | 64 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 630 | 10 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 1992 | 1 | 0 |
| 1993 | 1 | 0 | |
| 1994 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 7 | 0 | |
Honours
Player
AC Milan
- Serie A: 1987–88, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96
- Serie B: 1980–81, 1982–83
- Supercoppa Italiana: 1988, 1992, 1993, 1994
- UEFA Champions League: 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94
- UEFA Super Cup: 1989, 1990, 1994
- Intercontinental Cup: 1989, 1990
Italy
- FIFA World Cup runners-up: 1994
Individual
- Serie A Team of The Year: 1987, 1988
- Onze Mondial: 1992, 1993
- Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 1996
- AC Milan Hall of Fame
Images for kids
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Tassotti in 2012
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Mauro Tassotti with AC Milan during the 1983–84 season
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Tassotti and Massimiliano Allegri during a game between AC Milan and Real Madrid in New York
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Tassotti assisting for AC Milan
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Tassotti (left) holds the UEFA Champions League trophy with manager Fabio Capello, after Milan won the 1993–94 tournament.
See also
In Spanish: Mauro Tassotti para niños
