Top facts about Enzo Bearzot, old man

Enzo Bearzot Grande Ufficiale OMRI, who played as a defender or midfielder was an Italian professional football manager. He was born on September 26, 1927, and passed away on December 21, 2010. In the 1982 FIFA World Cup, he successfully coached

to victory.

Enzo Bearzot’s age

was 83 at the time of his death.

An important fact about Enzo Bearzot is that he is known as Vecio and has had the most experience coaching the Italian national football team (standard Italian vecchio, "old man"), 104 times, between 27 September 1975 to 18 June 1986. He was renowned for his pipe smoking and phlegmatic attitude.

The "Enzo Bearzot Award," given to the best Italian coach of the year, was established a year after his passing in memory of the 1982 World Cup-winning coach.

He imposed a far more flexible, adventurous style of play to the national side and led the team to victory at the World Cup in Spain in 1982.

Although Bearzot left the team, he returned as president of the Italian football federation's technical sector from 2002 to 2005.

Bearzot had been seriously ill for several years, according to the Italian media, and will always be remembered by his fans and family including his wife Luisa, son Glauco, and daughter Cinzia.

Top facts about Enzo Bearzot:

Bearzot, who was born in Aiello del Friuli, began his career in 1946 with Pro Gorizia of the Italian Serie B, where he spent two years. His qualities as a midfielder were highly regarded by

, who signed him in 1948 and gave him his debut in the First Division.

Enzo Bearzot early life

Regarding

Enzo Bearzot’s parents

, it should be mentioned that he was the son of a bank teller and attended high school in Udine.

Speaking about

Enzo Bearzot’s childhood

, it is worth mentioning that he was born in Aiello del Friuli, in the friulian Province of Udine in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

Enzo Bearzot personal life

Bearzot and Luisa had a daughter named Cinzia and a boy named Glauco. Bearzot passed away in Milan on December 21, 2010, at the age of 83, precisely 42 years after Vittorio Pozzo. He was interred in the family grave at the Paderno d'Adda cemetery.

Enzo Bearzot professional career

An important fact about Enzo Bearzot is that he stayed at this club until 1951, when he moved to Catania. He stayed at this club for three years before moving to Torino in 1954.

He worked at the Turin club during two distinct periods: The first was from 1954 to 1956, the year he crossed to the neighboring province of Milan to reclaim his Internazionale jersey. After his contract expired in 1957, he returned to Torino for a second stage that lasted until 1964, when he retired.

Unfortunately, he never won a championship as a player. His vengeance, however, would come several years later, this time while sitting on the technical director's bench.

Enzo Bearzot club playing career

As a center defender, he had a mediocre playing career. Pro Gorizia was where Enzo Bearzot made his professional football debut in 1946. He left them in 1948 to join Internazionale.

Inter

An important fact about Enzo Bearzot is that he played with the Nerazzurri for three seasons before relocating to Sicily to play for Catania for another three.

Torino

He relocated to

in 1954 when it was being reconstruction after the Superga catastrophe in 1949. He participated in 65 games over two seasons as a starter, scoring one goal.

Return to Inter and then Torino

He rejoined Internazionale in 1956 and played there for another 27 games, the last of which was a 3-2 loss at

on June 9, 1957.

An important

fact about Enzo Bearzot

is that he went back to Torino the next year. Before retiring in 1964 at the age of 37 to pursue coaching, he made 164 appearances and scored 7 goals for the Granata here.

Bearzot made a total of 251 games in Italy's Serie A throughout his playing career. He was called up once to play for Italy, and he made his debut on November 27, 1955, in a 0-2 loss to Hungary in a Central European International Cup match.

Enzo Bearzot managerial career

After retiring from playing, Bearzot joined Torino as an assistant coach, working with Italian managers Nereo Rocco and Giovan Battista Fabbri. He relocated often before accepting the position of head coach of Serie C team Prato in Tuscany.

Italy

An important fact about Enzo Bearzot is that he opted to work for the Italian Football Federation rather than pursue a club career, first as head coach of the under-23 team and then as Ferruccio Valcareggi's assistant at the 1974 FIFA World Cup.

Bearzot served as Fulvio Bernardini's assistant coach after the German World Cup before being elevated to head coach of Italy in 1975.

At the 1978 FIFA World Cup, Bearzot led the nation's squad to fourth place. This performance was duplicated in the Italian-hosted 1980 European Championship.

After struggling in the first three matches of the 1982 FIFA World Cup, Bearzot declared a "press quiet" in try to quell mounting criticism from the Italian press.

After that, the Italian squad began to play its finest football, beating Argentina and Brazil in the second round, Poland in the semifinal, and Germany in the championship match to win the World Cup for the first time since 1938.

Italy was disqualified from the 1984 Euro. Following Italy's round of 16 loss against France in the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Bearzot announced his resignation.

Since several of the 1982 squad members were out of shape by 1986, Bearzot came under fire during the later event for depending too much on them. With 104 appearances as Italy's manager, he now holds the record for most bench appearances.

An important fact about Enzo Bearzot is that he was chosen President of the FIGC Technical Sector (Settore Tecnico, the primary football coaching body in Italy) in 2002 after a protracted period of inactivity. In 2005, he departed this position.

Enzo Bearzot managerial style

For his mastery of strategy, meticulousness, and adaptability as a manager, Bearzot was well-regarded.

An important fact about Enzo Bearzot is that he was known for his ability to adopt various tactics, formations, and playing styles depending on the style of play of the opposition, and for being able to find a system that best suited his players.

He frequently studied his opponents in great detail before matches in order to plan out and prepare his team's strategy.

He also liked not to impose set moves and tactical ideas on his players since he thought that their freedom to exhibit their skills and unique talents should come first.

Due to the individual skill of his players, his Italian team frequently played an attractive, offensive-minded possession game at the 1978 World Cup.

The front three, which included

at center forward and Roberto Bettega and Franco Causio on the wings, frequently switched positions with one another to confuse the opposition's defenders.

At the 1982 World Cup, Bearzot typically used a flexible 4-3-3 formation that could change into a 4-4-2, 5-2-3, or 3-5-2 formation throughout a match; in his 4-3-3 system, Bearzot typically used two inventive wingers (typically Bruno Conti and Francesco Graziani, the latter of whom typically served as a second striker) and a centre-forward (typically Paolo Rossi) up-front.

Bearzot also shown his tactical acumen in Italy's second round encounter against Brazil by altering the team's shape to limit the Brazilian midfield and stop them from controlling the game with their possession style.

In the championship match against Germany, he also changed Italy's formation to a 5-2-3 by fielding Claudio Gentile as a third man-marking center back, who would assist left wing-back Antonio Cabrini in covering Germany's winger, Pierre Littbarski, while Cabrini would mark Germany's attacking right back, Manfred Kaltz.

Fulvio Collovati and Giuseppe Bergomi, Italy's other two man-marking center Bearzot's team was renowned for their ability to take advantage of openings in the opposition due to the versatility of their players and their propensity to switch positions throughout games; their defense was strong evidenced by their players' capacity to cover for one another and anticipate their opponents in order to win back the ball.

After regaining control, his team was also very skilled at mounting rapid, well-organized counterattacks that later provided possibilities for goals, as well as holding the ball and passing it about to preserve energy.

Along with his tactical prowess, Bearzot was renowned for his intimate relationships with each of his players and for his capacity to inspire them, forge a sense of unity within the squad, and to instill a winning attitude.

Following the manager's passing in 2010, Brian Glanville wrote an obituary for Bearzot in The Guardian "Enzo Bearzot gave the national team new life. In 1982, he oversaw the team's win at the World Cup in Spain by imposing a far more adaptable and risk-taking style of play."

Enzo Bearzot legacy

The events that occurred during Italy's 1982 World Cup campaign in Spain were genuinely extraordinary, and their effects may still be felt today.

The Azzurri had a coach in Enzo Bearzot who operated independently and never yielded to pressure from the media. He had made a name for himself as a tenacious holding midfielder while playing for clubs like Inter and Torino.

In his lone national team debut, which took place in Budapest in 1955 against Hungary, Bearzot excelled even though his team lost, man-marking the famous Ferenc Puskas.

At his old team Torino, a coaching career began nine years later. He joined the national team organization as a young coach three years later.

An important

fact about Enzo Bearzot

is that he went to the 1970 and 1974 World Cups, which were staged in West Germany and Mexico, respectively, as Ferruccio Valcareggi's assistant coach. Despite never having coached in Serie A, Bearzot was named head coach only one year before to the 1978 tournament.

But the skeptics remained unconvinced. Many believed he was in over his head; some fans and journalists even called him scemo, or "dumb."

Bearzot, though, remained unfazed by the criticism and selected a young team for the World Cup in Argentina, which included Paolo Rossi as a striker.

The Azzurri thrived despite the criticism, placing fourth, and two years later in the European Championship, the achievement was duplicated. Bearzot had developed a great team that could compete with the best.

Selection once again took center stage the day before the 1982 World Cup in Spain. Due to his involvement in the "Totonero" match-fixing scandal that shook Italian football, Rossi earned a three-year (later reduced to two-year) football suspension.

Rossi was Italy's top player and the talk of the nation before to the controversy. He was now tarnished by guilt. Bearzot persisted, however, and chose the Juventus striker for the competition in Spain.

As a result, Roma's Roberto Pruzzo, who had led Serie A in goals during the previous season, was completely left out of the team, which made Beatzot's choice of Rossi seem even more justified.

pressured situation The Azzurri and their coach needed a strong opening to the competition. However, they received the exact reverse. With three draws against Poland, Peru, and Cameroon, Italy barely made it out of their group.

Only more pressure was applied. "This squad is a shame," said Antonio Matarrese, head of the Italian league, after the second match against Peru, which ended in a 1-1 draw. To kick them in the behind, I want to go down to the dressing room.

Rossi in particular was targeted for disapproval. He was a shadow of the man he once was, and he had no effect. How has the two-year sabbatical harmed his career? was one of the constant inquiries from the media. Will he score throughout the competition? Is he even a member of the team?

Additionally, Rossi was being watched off the field as well. The Italian media erupted into a frenzy as images of Rossi and teammate Antonio Cabrini bare chested on a balcony at the team's hotel surfaced.

There were rumors that the two were having an affair. They were charged with lacking "genuine" masculinity. The two Juventus players allegedly slept together like husband and wife, according to Il Giornale.

"The most horrific rumor was that Rossi was with Cabrini, and that players were doing drugs and drinking late into the night," Bruno Conti, a crucial member of Bearzot's team, said.

It didn't end there. Each player got a 70 million lire appearance bonus, it was disclosed. The value of these incentives was questioned in light of the players' terrible performances.

The press said it was extravagant to pay players for draws against underdogs like Peru, even speculating that a catastrophe such to the catastrophic loss to North Korea 16 years ago was taking place.

Many people in Italy were concerned about the future of football at this time. Some people thought that players were being paid much too much and that the game's traditions were vanishing.

An important fact about Enzo Bearzot is that he himself was one of them in many respects. He was affectionately referred to as "il Vecio" by Italians. He cut ties with Calcio when he stopped coaching. Even at the end of his life, he didn't watch any television shows or go to any sporting events.

He lost interest in football as a result of the ex-players and coaches' mentality of being so critical of his contemporaries. He also had doubts about other elements of the contemporary game, such as the growing significance of money.

The Azzurri coach, though, stood solidly on the side of the players in 1982. Most importantly, he promised to shun the media and offered his approval when the team decided to unionize. Dino Zoff would speak on the team's behalf, and that would be it.

The famous goalie remembered, "It was a dismal scenario. Each news conference was converted into a courtroom. Every word we said was used against us. All of our attention had to be on the football.

Teams and players have previously, on rare instances, declined to talk to the media. A uniformed strike, however, had never been seen before.

The siege mindset had been established with the birth of "Silenzo stampa." For the majority of people, this marked a turning point in Italy's campaign since it allowed the team to focus on training without being subjected to constant media scrutiny.

Later, Zoff said, "I believe it saw us come together, it made us more unified and brought the best out of us. It enabled us to do the miracles that we need.”

Italy was placed in the original group of death after qualifying from the first group stage, along with pre-tournament favorites Brazil and

's Argentina.

Nobody thought the Azzurri would succeed. But in the face of difficulty, Bearzot had developed a powerful group. His players had internalized his "la forza del gruppo," or "collective power," mentality.

Italy expressed themselves in a more laid-back manner. The squad never looked back when the shackles were removed. Rossi had the most noticeable alteration.

The Juve star scored a stunning hat-trick to beat Brazil 3-2 and, more significantly, go to the semi-finals after going scoreless throughout the initial group round of the competition.

In the previous game, Claudio Gentile had neutralized Maradona's danger as the Azzurri edged to a 2-1 victory against Argentina, their first triumph of the competition. But after the game, the players were still furious with the media, and several team members even made an attempt to approach reporters.

Italy were a different prospect after coming out of the most difficult group with two victories. Rossi described the shift in his own words:

"We played with confidence and no fear when we faced up against Argentina and Brazil. We left our inhibitions in the changing room because we knew we had to give it our best. It seems like we just got going for myself and the squad."

Italy easily defeated Poland and West Germany to win its third World Cup after regaining its confidence. Rossi would conclude the year as the leading scorer and get the Ballon d'Or despite a terrible start to the season. Relations with the media remained strained after the final in Madrid.

An important

fact about Enzo Bearzot

is that he was requested to conduct a news conference, but he refused to offer his side's persecutors forgiveness, instead casting doubt on their morality.

The victory in Spain stands out among Italy's four World Cup victories in the eyes of the Italian people. It is said to have epitomized the Italian spirit and to have been a victory made possible by observing the fundamental rules of the game.

Many supporters feel that Bearzot's team has lost its togetherness and essential principles as a result of the abundance of foreign talents in Serie A, high salary, and a commercialization push.

However,'silenzio stampa' has not lost its attraction, and coaches in the Italian game still use il Vecio as an example. In fact, it is being utilized more than ever as a strategy to promote teamwork and instill a siege mentality in anybody who doubts the group.

When they were in charge of Inter and Juventus, respectively, Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte implemented a media boycott to great success. Due in large part to their sense of unity and "us against the world" mentality, both teams would go on to dominate Italian football.

Silenzio stampa, however, does not always provide the intended results. When their individual Inter teams were suffering, Roberto Mancini, Walter Mazzarri, and Claudio Ranieri all used this strategy.

also used it when at Roma. However, it reinforced divides and increased pressure rather than energizing the squad.

The fact that all three coaches were fired quickly after a silenzio stampa was called is not unexpected. In other words, the coach's last-ditch gamble or a planned play to get the most out of their team, depending on the technique.

Regarding his class of '82, Bearzot said, "I trust in the spirit I've instilled in my group of players.”

The famous coach not only led Italy to a historic and unexpected World Cup victory, but also to a mentality that is still in demand today. As a result, coaches all across the peninsula will continue to use silenzio stampa in their pursuit of the fabled "forza del gruppo."

Some more facts about Enzo Bearzot:

An important fact about Enzo Bearzot is that he decided that now was the time to pursue his technical career after retiring as a soccer player. His first step was at Torino, where he was goalkeeper coach before becoming assistant coach.

After a brief stint with Prato in Serie C, he was appointed technical director of the U-23 National Team, dubbed "The Promised Selection," in 1969.

He stayed with this team until 1974, alternating with the position of senior team assistant coach Ferrucio Valcareggi, with whom he assisted in the World Cups in Mexico in 1970 and Germany in 1974.

Following the humiliation of Germany 1974, Fulvio Bernardini took over as manager, but resigned after only a short time. Bearzot's moment had come after his resignation. It was his turn to command the Azzurra Squadra.

As a result, Bearzot was appointed as the new Technical Commissioner (name given to the technical director in Italy) of the National Team in 1975, a position he held until 1986.

During his tenure, the National Team harvested a good harvest with 104 games played, 51 victories, 28 draws, and 25 defeats, and the highest prize obtained in the 1982 World Cup in Spain, when the Italian National Team lifted the FIFA World Cup for the third time.

Following the 1974 World Cup, the Azzurri national team faced increased criticism. As a result, discontent and disapproval took center stage in the Italian sporting arena.

An important fact about Enzo Bearzot is that he decided to reset his team and prepare a new base for the next World Cup, which will be held in Argentina. As a result, in order to establish his base, he decided to bring in the majority of the players from Juventus, which was the undisputed leader in Serie A at the time.

So, by fielding a young squad, Italy offered a more dynamic approach, thanks to the game displayed by the young players, among whom two future icons of Italian football stood out: Paolo Rossi and Antonio Cabrini.

Although the team finished fourth in Argentina in 1978, fans expected more from the team, but the performance of the young Italians foreshadowed what was to come four years later.

Indeed, when the World Cup arrived in Spain, Bearzot returned to look for the team that could silence more than one and thus achieve the third World Cup, despite the criticism that rained down from various points of the football field, following the disaster of the Eurocopa 1980 in Italy itself.

To accomplish this, he diversified his squad by bringing in players from Inter Milan and Roma such as Altobelli and Conti. Furthermore, he called up striker Paolo Rossi, who had been suspended two years earlier for alleged football betting links, demonstrating that he did not listen to criticism.

After qualifying, the blue team had a very poor performance in the first phase of the tournament, where they saved three draws against Poland, Peru, and Cameroon, qualifying due to a better goal difference than the Africans.

Following these performances, Bearzot sought refuge with his people in the Vigo barracks, where he began to work with them psychologically. He was the foundation of the new world champion's construction.

The league phase would be followed by the dreaded second phase, in which only the winners of each group would be able to compete in the semifinal.

Italy was placed in a group with two feared rivals: Argentina, the previous champion, and Brazil, the tournament's most feared team and a heavy favorite to win.

Despite the questions and the cloud of doubt cast on the Italian performance, Bearzot managed to stop a team that would go on to win. The Azzurri won the first game 2-1 against the Argentines, who were confident and sinned a lot because of their young star, Diego Armando Maradona.

Following the victory, two ingredients were added in the run-up to the match in Brazil: Italy was coming off a crushing defeat at the hands of the Brazilians in the 1970 final, in which the Verdeamarelha snatched not only the third title, but also the chance to keep the Jules Rimet Cup forever.

Furthermore, and as a second situation, its star Paolo Rossi still arrived with "wet gunpowder." Despite this, Bearzot never failed to inspire confidence in his followers and was unafraid of history.

As a result, on July 5, 1982, in front of a packed Sarriá Stadium and a Brazil that included Sócrates, Zico, and Falco, among others, Italy ended up destroying Brazil's hopes.

In the face of adversity, the Italians began to believe in their team, and especially in their star Paolo Rossi, who could certainly break his losing streak in front of goal, scoring the three goals that allowed Italy to avenge all of his mistakes and send Brazil home with a 3-2 victory.

They went there, where the myth of "Santo Paolo" was born, and where the illusion of the Italian people began to emerge; in the semifinals, they defeated Poland 2-0, thanks to a double by Rossi.

Finally, on July 11, 1982, Germany faced off against the Italians to determine who would equal the Brazilian mark.

With goals from Rossi, Marco Tardelli, and Alessandro Altobelli, the Italians would crush the Germans, who were missing their best player, defender Franz Beckenbauer.

After the final whistle from Brazilian referee Arnaldo Coelho, the Italians threw a real party, with Enzo Bearzot serving as their mastermind and finally exchanging criticism for praise, settling definitively in the gallery of World Champion Technicians.

An important fact about Enzo Bearzot is that he played one international match for the Italian soccer team. On November 27, 1955, he made his debut in a Dr. Gerö Cup match against the Hungarian team, which ended 2-0 in favor of the Hungarians.

Enzo Bearzot social media

Regarding

Enzo Bearzot social media

, it should be mentioned that he did not have any pages on any social media platforms.

Enzo Bearzot body measurements

Speaking about

Enzo Bearzot body measurements

, it should be mentioned that the former coach is 178cm and 70kg.

Enzo Bearzot net worth and salary

Enzo Bearzot's net worth

is estimated to be around $15 million at the time of his death, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.

Read More:

Follow 

 for the