Giovanni Trapattoni

Lore & Background

A former defensive midfielder, as a player he spent almost his entire club career with AC Milan, where he won two Serie A league titles (1961–62 and 1967–68), and two European Cups, in 1962–63 and 1968–69. Internationally, he played for Italy, earning 17 caps and being part of the squad at the 1962 FIFA World Cup in Chile. One of the most celebrated managers in football history, Trapattoni is one of only six coaches to have won league titles in four different European countries; in total, he has won 10 league titles in Italy, Germany, Portugal and Austria.

Alongside Udo Lattek and José Mourinho, he is one of the three coaches to have won all three major European club competitions and the only one to do so with the same club (Juventus). He is also one of the few to have won the European Cup, the Cup Winners' Cup and Intercontinental Cup as both a player and manager. Regarded as the most famous and consistent disciple of Nereo Rocco, Trapattoni later managed his native Italy national team, leading them at the 2002 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2004.

Trapattoni led the Republic of Ireland national team to their first European Championships in 24 years, enjoying a successful UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying campaign. He is one of a select group of coaches to have managed nearly 900 club games and 100 or more national team games.

Reader's Guide

Trapattoni became coach of Bayern Munich in the summer of 1994, after the end of his second spell with Juventus. However, he left at the end of the 1994–95 season, after complaints that he struggled with German. He reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, but failed to win any silverware. He returned to manage Bayern again in July 1996. As Bayern manager he won the German Bundesliga in 1996–97, the German Cup (DFB-Pokal) in 1997–98 and the German League Cup (DFB-Ligapokal) in 1997. He left Bayern at the end of the 1997–98 season and was replaced by Ottmar Hitzfeld.