Paolo Mazza facts for kids
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Paolo Mazza | ||
| Date of birth | 21 July 1901 | ||
| Place of birth | Vigarano Mainarda, Italy | ||
| Date of death | 31 December 1981 (aged 80) | ||
| Place of death | Ferrara, Italy | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| Portuense | |||
| Teams managed | |||
| 1933–1936 | Portuense | ||
| 1936–1937 | SPAL | ||
| 1937–1938 | Molinella | ||
| 1938–1939 | Portuense | ||
| 1939–1942 | Ferrara | ||
| 1962 | Italy | ||
|
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Paolo Mazza (born July 21, 1901 – died December 31, 1981) was a famous Italian football manager. He helped manage the Italy national football team during the 1962 FIFA World Cup. He worked alongside Giovanni Ferrari for this big event.
Mazza spent his entire playing career in the lower football divisions. Later, he became a manager and then a sporting director for SPAL. This was the main football club in the city of Ferrara, Italy.
Contents
Paolo Mazza's Vision for Youth Football
In 1946, Paolo Mazza became the President of SPAL. He had a great idea to create special training centers for young players. He opened the "Centro Giovanile di Addestramento," which means "Youth Training Center." This was a new and important step for youth football.
The "Diviner" of Talent
A journalist named Gianni Brera gave Paolo Mazza a special nickname: Il Rabdomante. This means "the Diviner." He got this name because he was incredibly good at finding new, talented football players. He could spot future stars even when they were very young.
Thanks to his amazing skill, he helped SPAL reach Serie A. This is the top professional football league in Italy. It was a huge achievement for a smaller club like SPAL to play against the biggest teams.
World Cup Experience and Big Discoveries
In 1962, even though he hadn't managed a team for almost 25 years, the Italian FA (Italy's football association) asked him for help. They wanted him to be an assistant manager for the national team at the 1962 World Cup in Chile.
Unfortunately, Italy was knocked out of the tournament in the first round. But just a few days after returning home, Mazza made one of his most important discoveries. He signed a young player named Fabio Capello from a team called Pieris. He paid two million Lira for him, which was about £500 at the time. Fabio Capello later became a very famous player and manager himself.
See also
In Spanish: Paolo Mazza para niños
