Fabio Capello

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Lore & Background

Capello was signed by Paolo Mazza, the President of SPAL, for the fee of two million lire despite interest from Milan. In his second season in the youth team, he helped the club win the Italian Youth Championship and made his first-team debut in a 3–1 away defeat against Sampdoria in Serie A on 29 March 1964. A talented and tactically intelligent holding midfielder, with a good positional sense, he could read the play well and was strong both in the air and in the tackle, in spite of his lack of notable height and unorthodox physique. He usually operated as a deep-lying playmaker in midfield, however, due to his outstanding technique and vision, which enabled him to orchestrate his team's attacking moves or create chances for teammates, and furthermore was an excellent passer of the ball with both feet. Going forward he was also equally effective, and possessed an eye for goal from midfield, due to his powerful and accurate shot, as well as his ability at penalty kicks, but he lacked pace, and was notorious for not being particularly hard-working. With SPAL, he made four appearances for a struggling side that was relegated from Serie A. After returning to the top division at the first attempt, Capello became a key player in the 1965–66 season, taking penalties and helping them avoid a swift return to Serie B. He was also called up to the Italian under-23 side alongside teammate Edoardo Reja despite still being a teenager. However, injury to his left knee restricted him to just 16 appearances the following season. In 1967, Capello moved to Roma where he became a key player for the club. In his first season, he helped them to first place after eight matches, including scoring the winner in a 1–0 victory over Juventus. A recurrence of the injury to his left knee, however, kept him out for the rest of the season and Roma eventually finished in tenth place, just five points away from relegation. The following season, under new manager Helenio Herrera, a fit Capello scored six goals as Roma finished eighth and won his first major trophy, the Coppa Italia. This qualified Roma to play the Anglo-Italian League Cup, where they played Swindon Town. Capello played in both legs against Swindon, Roma winning 2–1 at home in the first leg but losing 4–0 in the second leg at the County Ground. They also reached the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup, but were knock

In Their Own Story

Capello's managerial career started with a brief spell as caretaker of Milan in 1987, replacing Nils Liedholm for the last six games of the 1986–87 season and securing UEFA Cup qualification via a play-off with Sampdoria. He was formally appointed Milan manager in 1991, replacing Arrigo Sacchi. In his first five seasons, he won four Serie A titles and the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, defeating Barcelona 4–0 in the final. He then won La Liga at his first attempt with Real Madrid, led Roma to their first league title in 18 years in 2001, and won two titles at Juventus (later stripped after the Calciopoli scandal). He returned to Real Madrid in 2006 and won another La Liga. Overall, he won a major league championship in seven (or nine, counting the two revoked Juventus titles) of his 16 seasons as a coach. He managed England from December 2007, guiding them to the 2010 FIFA World Cup (knocked out in the second round) and UEFA Euro 2012 (knocked out in the quarter-finals under Roy Hodgson). He resigned in February 2012 after a dispute with The Football Association, then coached Russia from July 2012 until being sacked on 14 July 2015. In 2017, he coached Chinese club Jiangsu Suning but was sacked the following year, after which he retired.

Reader's Guide

In his first five seasons as a manager, Capello won four Serie A titles with Milan, where he also won the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, defeating Barcelona 4–0 in a memorable final. He then spent a year at Real Madrid, where he won the La Liga title at his first attempt, and in 2001 led Roma to their first league title in 18 years. Capello also won two titles at Juventus (which were later stripped after the Calciopoli scandal), and in 2006 returned to Real Madrid, where he won another La Liga title. Overall, he has won a major league championship in seven (or nine, counting the two revoked titles with Juventus) of his 16 seasons as a coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time. Capello was appointed as manager of the England national team in December 2007. During his time as manager, he was successful in tournament qualification, guiding the team to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, where they were knocked out in the second round, and UEFA Euro 2012, where they were knocked out in the quarter-finals under new manager Roy Hodgson. In February 2012, he resigned as manager due to a dispute with The Football Association, before being appointed coach of the Russian national team in July 2012. On 14 July 2015, he was sacked by the Russian Football Union and replaced with Leonid Slutsky. In 2017, he was appointed as the coach of Chinese club Jiangsu Suning, but was sacked the following year, after which he retired from coaching.

Did You Know?

• Capello made his Serie A debut on 29 March 1964 in a 3–1 away defeat against Sampdoria.
• He scored the goal that gave Italy their first-ever win at Wembley Stadium on 14 November 1973, beating England 1–0.
• Capello scored in the 1971 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino, but Juventus lost the tie on away goals.
• He was traded from Juventus to Milan in exchange for Romeo Benetti and 100 million lire in 1976.