Marcello Lippi

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Lore & Background

Lippi is the first and to date the only coach to win both the UEFA Champions League and the AFC Champions League. He is also the first coach to have won the most prestigious international competitions both for clubs in different continents, and for national teams (the UEFA Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup in 1996 with Juventus; the AFC Champions League in 2013 with Guangzhou Evergrande; and the FIFA World Cup in 2006 with Italy).

In Their Own Story

The rain in Berlin had long ceased, leaving the stadium grass slick under the floodlights of the Olympic Stadium. Marcello Lippi stood near the technical area, his hands clasped behind his back, watching the chaos of the penalty shootout unfold. He did not shout; he did not pace. His eyes followed every step of his players as they approached the spot, a silent conductor guiding an orchestra through its most terrifying movement. When Gianluigi Buffon dived to his right and saved Wiltord's attempt, Lippi's expression remained stoic, but the tension in his shoulders finally broke. As the final whistle blew, confirming Italy as champions of the world, he walked slowly toward the center circle, not with a sprinter's joy, but with the quiet satisfaction of a man who had solved the ultimate puzzle.

Reader's Guide

Lippi won one World Cup, one UEFA Champions League, five Serie A titles, three Chinese Super League titles, one Coppa Italia, one Chinese FA Cup, four Italian Supercups, one AFC Champions League, one UEFA Super Cup, and one Intercontinental Cup.

Did You Know?

• Lippi was named the world's best football manager by the IFFHS in 1996 and 1998, and the world's best National coach in 2006.
• The Times included Lippi on its list of the top 50 managers of all time in 2007.
• Lippi began his professional career as a defender in 1969, playing mostly for Sampdoria.