The 10 greatest club managers of our time - Giovanni Trapattoni

Who are the greatest contemporary club managers? Starting today, Sportskeeda is going to announce a list of the 10 greatest club managers of our time. The list is in no particular order, so don’t get ready to hurl those rotten tomatoes at us just yet!

Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni

Giovanni Trapattoni

Giovanni Trapattoni, the current Republic of Ireland manager, is a name that often falls through the cracks when we talk of great managers still plying their trade. Perhaps it’s because, with due respect to the Irish, he hasn’t managed a top-level side in the last few years. Or maybe it’s because of his aloofness and the fact that he doesn’t seek media attention. All we know is that his managerial career, which spans across 40 years, is in stark contrast to his playing career. A one-club man during his time as a professional footballer, his managerial days have seen him take charge of 11 different teams, including 2 national sides (Italy and Ireland). Trapattoni was a highly successful and sought-after manager during the 80′s and early 90′s, as his career chart will no doubt confirm.

Although international success has eluded him, Trapattoni’s exploits with Juventus and Inter Milan make him the most successful manager in Serie A history in terms of trophies won. He is also part of an elite club of managers who managed to win league titles in 4 different countries. Juventus was the club that benefited most from Trapattoni, with 6 Serie A titles. Trapattoni also tasted success with German giants Bayern Munich, Portugese powerhouse Benfica and Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg.

In his playing career, Trappatoni made his name as a defensive midfielder at AC Milan, for whom he played for 12 years (1959-71) and made 274 appearances. Personal honours include league and European titles, and he was also a member of the Italian squad at the 1962 World Cup.

Upon retiring from the game in 1972, a 33-year-old Trapattoni was rewarded for his loyalty to the Rossoneri with a chance to coach the Milan youth side. He then left to take up his first real managerial role at Juventus in 1976, and in the next 10 years with the Old Lady, would go on to win every European trophy available. Juventus’ 6 league titles in 10 years may have been a bit too much to handle for their domestic rivals, but then this all-conquering Juventus side often provided world-class players that formed the backbone of the Italian national team for the 1978 and the victorious 1982 FIFA World Cup campaigns.

Juventus’, and consequently Trapattoni’s, dominance in Italy in the 80’s can be judged from the fact that it is the only club to have players that won the Ballon d’Or (European Footballer of the year award) for 4 consecutive years from 1982 to 1985. Paolo Rossi won the 1982 edition, mainly for his contribution to the World Cup winning squad of that year, and Michel Platini swept the 1983, 1984 and 1985 awards. Platini would also be the man to score the only goal in the 1985 European Cup final against Liverpool at the Heysel stadium, a match marred by disaster. Interestingly, the current Italy national team manager Cesare Prandelli was a substitute for Juventus in that match. Under Trapattoni, Juventus also managed the unique distinction of winning all UEFA club competitions – the European Cup, the now defunct Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Cup. In all, Trapattoni led Juventus to 13 official trophies in 10 years, including 2 domestic cups.

STAT: Only manager to have won all UEFA club competitions and the Intercontinental Cup. He achieved this with Juventus over his two spells with the club.

Before his second spell in charge of Juventus from 1991 to 1994, Trapattoni was with Inter Milan for 5 years from 1986 to 1991, where he managed to win 3 trophies, including the 88-89 Serie A title, with a team comprising of Lothar Matthaus, Andreas Brehme and Ramon Diaz. Trapattoni’s first job outside of Italy was with Bayern Munich in 1994, although he tasted success with the Bavarian club in his second spell with the 96-97 league title and domestic cup.

After average spells with Cagliari (95-96) and Fiorentina (98-2000), Giovanni Trapattoni was chosen to be the new Italy national team manager in the year 2000. Trapattoni was entrusted to lead the national team in the next two international competitions, the FIFA World Cup 2002 and Euro 2004. With an enviable strike force of Francesco Totti, Christian Vieri and Alessandro Del Piero, it was assumed that Trapattoni would bring home at least one major international trophy. Fate had other ideas though, and both campaigns were marred by controversy and poor officiating.

Alessandro Del Piero of Italy is substituted by coach Giovanni Trapattoni during the FIFA World Cup Finals 2002 Second Round match between South Korea and Italy. South Korea won the match 2-1 with a Golden Goal in extra-time.

In the 2002 World Cup, Italy had 2 goals ruled out against Croatia and a further 2 goals ruled out for offside against Mexico. But the worst was yet to come – the Round of 16 match against co-hosts South Korea. A goal incorrectly disallowed for offside and Francesco Totti’s red card deep into extra-time for an alleged dive were only a couple of the many contentious refereeing decisions in that match. FIFA officials sitting in an enclosed glass dugout had to bear the brunt of a furious Trapattoni banging on the glass box, screaming his lungs out at the clear injustice his side had to contend with.

Euro 2004 saw the emergence of a 22-year-old Antonio Cassano, and a lot was expected out of this wonderkid. Cassano responded to his manager’s backing, but his 2 goals in the group stages would be in vain as Denmark and Sweden drew their last group match, effectively eliminating Italy. There were allegations that the two sides conspired to get the desired result, but Trapattoni’s words fell on deaf ears.

Trapattoni: “Sweden against Denmark, I remember the game. Do you know what Johansson (the then UEFA president Lennart Johannsson) said, ‘If this game finishes in a draw, we will open an investigation’. Do you know if he made the investigation? I’m still waiting for the investigation.”

What was supposed to be Trapattoni’s finest hour with the national team turned out to be his worst nightmare, and his stint with Italy is remembered for all the wrong reasons today. After spells at Benfica, VFB Stuttgart and Red Bull Salzburg, Trapattoni would once again jump back into the international arena, this time with Republic of Ireland in 2008. Having finished the qualifying campaign for the 2010 Word Cup unbeaten, Ireland went into a 2-legged playoff against France high on confidence and optimism. But once again, Trapattoni had to put up with controversy. Thierry Henry’s infamous handball robbed Ireland of a deserved World Cup place, where France was eliminated in the group stages.

Perhaps the injustices suffered during his time with Italy still haunt Trapattoni, and that is why he doesn’t seek a high-profile team to manage. He is often called a tactical dinosaur, refusing to think beyond his favoured 4-4-2. Some go as far as to say that Trapattoni is an obsolete manager, and that there is no place in football for someone who hasn’t kept up with the changing times. But the man has been in football all his life, with most of those years spent winning every trophy imaginable and managing world-class players and Ballon d’Or winners. Even if his methods might seem outdated, his track record is unquestionable and he is a proven winner.

Giovanni Trapattoni, a true great and a giant in his field. A man who insists on learning the language of the country he is managing in, as a form of respect. He is a walking encyclopedia on football, and an inspiration for upcoming managers.

Who else made it to the list? Find out here: Top 10 managers