Giovanni Trapattoni was born on 17 March 1939 in Cusano Milanino. One of the greatest Italian coaches of all time, he joined the Italian Football Hall of Fame in 2012.

As a player, he was a key part of Nereo Rocco’s AC Milan team, where he played for 14 seasons and won two Scudetto titles, two European Cups, a Cup Winners’ Cup and an Intercontinental Cup, as well as the 1966/67 Coppa Italia.

He also played for the National Team at the 1960 Olympics in Rome and, in total, made 17 appearances for the Azzurri, scoring one goal and cementing himself as a legend after getting the better of Pelé during Italy vs. Brazil in 1963. 

In 1974, he began his coaching career after taking over from his former boss, Nereo Rocco. Following his stint at AC Milan, he moved to Juventus. While in charge of the Bianconeri, he won the Scudetto (x6), the Coppa Italia (x2), the European Cup (x1), the Cup Winners’ Cup (x1), the UEFA Cup (x1), the European Super Cup (x1), the Intercontinental Cup (x1) and the Super Clubs Cup (x1).

Trapattoni then joined Inter ahead of the 1986/87 campaign and went on to win the 1988/89 league title, a season which saw them set the points record for an 18-team Serie A campaign. He also led the Nerazzurri to victory in the 1989 Supercoppa Italiana and 1990/91 UEFA Cup.

In 1991, he returned to Juventus, where, over a three-year period, he added another UEFA Cup to his trophy cabinet. In 1994/95, he began his German adventure with Bayern Munich. Trapattoni’s experience in Germany comprised of two different periods, interspersed with a return to Italy following a spell on Cagliari’s bench. While at Bayern, he won the Bundesliga, the DFB Cup (national cup) and Ligapokal (league cup). He then joined Fiorentina in 1998 and became the Head Coach of the National Team in the summer of 2000.

He was unfortunate at both the 2002 World Cup in Japan and Korea and the European Championship in Portugal in 2004, and he ended his Azzurri coaching stint with 25 wins and twelve draws in 44 matches.

After four years away, he returned to club football, coaching Benfica, Stuttgart and Salzburg. He enjoyed further success, winning the Portuguese league title, the German Second Division title and the Austrian league title. In 2008, he became the Republic of Ireland’s Head Coach. He remained in this position for five years before leaving in September 2013.

Among his many experiences in the footballing world, he’s also been a television commentator.