Marcello Lippi

Marcello Lippi (born April 11, 1948) is an Italian football coach and former player. Since July 16, 2004, Lippi has been the coach of Italian national team and led Italy to win the FIFA World Cup 2006. He resigned from this position on 12th July 2006, after dismissing widespread calls for him to remain in the position by saying "I believe that I have achieved what I set out to achieve as the coach of the Italian team".http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/italy/5165406.stm.

Career

Lippi was born in Viareggio, in northern Tuscany.

In a playing career that started in 1969, Lippi played for Savona, Sampdoria, and Pistoiese. He became a coach in 1982 with the Sampdoria youth teams, and, after various stints in Italy's lower divisions, became a head coach in Serie A in 1989 with A.C. Cesena. Lippi then moved on to Lucchese, Atalanta, and SSC Napoli.

In 1994, Lippi took over Juventus F.C. and led them to three scudetti, one Coppa Italia, four Italian SuperCups, one Champions League, one European Super Cup, and one Intercontinental Cup.He coached Internazionale between 1999 and 2001. He was again appointed as coach of Juventus and managed to win 2 Scudetto and also lead them the finals of UEFA Champions League in 2003 held at Old Trafford. Juventus lost to A.C. Milan in a shoot-out after both the teams failed to score during the normal time and extra time

Italy coach Marcello Lippi was something of an exception at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. Unlike most of his counterparts, the Tuscan-born coach has only ever worked in his country of birth. His coaching career, from the youth levels up through international competition with Juventus, was more than enough experience for Lippi to bring home another World Cup Trophy to the Azzurri.

Despite never having played for Italy at senior level, Lippi gained a wealth of experience over the years playing in his country’s top flight as a central defender for Sampdoria. His rise to the top of the managerial tree also began at the Genoese club where he started as a youth-team coach.

The turning point for Lippi came in the 1993/94 season when he led Napoli to a place in the UEFA Cup. The achievement was all the more remarkable given the financial turmoil of a club still basking in the triumphs inspired by Diego Maradona.

Lippi was now a managerial target for the top clubs with Juventus winning the race to secure his services. He won the Serie A title in his first season with a team that included Gianluca Vialli and Ciro Ferrara, a player he had coached at Napoli and who now acts as his assistant with the Azzurri. The trophies began to flow thick and fast, including the UEFA Champions League in 1996.

A motivator rather than a strategist, Lippi is not bound by a rigid tactical approach. He earns the respect of his players thanks to this flexibility as well as his own personal charisma and sincerity.

Lippi and Juventus parted company during the early part of the 1998 season. The man they call Paul Newman, thanks to his striking resemblance to the actor, returned to top-flight management at Inter after only a few months’ absence. He endured a frustrating time with the Nerazzurri, however, before resigning after the first league match of the 2000/01 season.

Lippi returned to Juventus during the summer of 2001 and enjoyed considerable domestic success before his appointment as coach of the Italy national team in July 2004. The Azzurri secured their passage to the FIFA World Cup finals with relative ease and subsequent victories over the Netherlands and Germany in friendly matches raised expectations considerably.

Lippi was considered one of the main factors leading to Italy's victory in the FIFA World Cup 2006.

Rumours

Infamous English tabloid The Sun and other news sources including SkySports have claimed Lippi will step down as manager of the Azzurri after the FIFA World Cup 2006 to become Sir Alex Ferguson's successor at Manchester United. Manchester United have denied these rumorsOn July 7, 2006. [http://home.skysports.com/worldcup/article.aspx?hlid=401460&CPID=4&clid=11 When asked about the rumours by an English newspaper, Lippi answered, through a translator, that he does not know where he will be in a few months time but it would certainly not be Manchester.

FIFA World Cup 2006

In the FIFA World Cup 2006 Marcello Lippi led Italy all the way to the final, where they beat France 5-3 in a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw.

After winning the World Cup Lippi stated that this was his "most satisfying moment as a coach", even after winning the Intercontinental Cup and the UEFA Champions League with Juventus. My most satisfying moment - Lippi

Three days after the final, Lippi did not renew his expiring contract with the Italian Football Federation and left his office as the coach of the Italian national team. He was succedeed by Roberto Donadoni. Donadoni is the new coach

Coaching career

International

2004-2006: Italy

Clubs

1985-1986: Pontedera
1986-1987: Siena
1987-1988: Pistoiese
1988-1989: Carrarese
1989-1991: A.C. Cesena
1991-1992: Lucchese
1992-1993: Atalanta
1993-1994: Napoli
1994-1999: Juventus
1999-2000: Internazionale
2001-2004: Juventus

Palmares

With Juventus F.C.:

5 Italian League Championships
- 1994/95, 1996/97, 1997/98, 2001/02, 2002/03
1 Coppa Italia
- 1994/95
- Runners up: 2001/02, 2003/04
4 Italian Supercups
- 1995/96, 1997/98, 2002/03, 2003/04
- Runners up: 1998/99
1 European Cup
- 1995/96
- Runners up: 1996/97, 1997/98, 2002/03
UEFA Cup
- Runners up: 1994/95
1 European Supercup
- 1996/97
1 Intercontinental Cup
- 1996/97

With the Italian national team:

1 FIFA World Cup
- 2006

References

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