Giovanni Trapattoni won seven Scudetti during an illustrious career as coach, adding two Coppa Italia crowns and most of all the European Cup in 1984-85. Today the Italian legend turns 81.
The memories of Trapattoni’s time in Italian football brings us great joy to revisit, but he also picked up titles on the continent with Bayern Munich in Germany and Benfica in Portugal, with his latest title coming with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria in 2006-07.
Giovanni Trapattoni won seven Scudetti during an illustrious career as coach, adding two Coppa Italia crowns and most of all the European Cup in 1984-85. Today the Italian legend turns 81.
The memories of Trapattoni’s time in Italian football brings us great joy to revisit, but he also picked up titles on the continent with Bayern Munich in Germany and Benfica in Portugal, with his latest title coming with Red Bull Salzburg in Austria in 2006-07.
The 81-year-old was at the helm during one of Juventus’ most successful spells from the end of the ‘70s until late ‘80s, picking up six Serie A trophies, before he retuned to be a thorn in their side in the 1988-89 season when he brought Inter to the top of the standings.
The trophy that stands out from the rest must be the season 1984-85, when a penalty goal by Michel Platini decided the 1-0 win against Liverpool in the Final and secured the Old Lady’s first ever European Cup.
Despite not leading Italy to any titles, his spell as CT of the Azzurri will be unforgettable, mostly because of the controversial situation involving referee Byron Moreno and a Round of 16 in the 2002 FIFA World Cup against South Korea.
He also blessed us with great memories from his time in Germany, where people are still laughing if you say “Strunz”, or you could remind the Irish to never “say the cat is in the sack if you don’t have it in the sack”.
You're welcome: Take a look at Trapattoni’s rant from his time in the German Bundesliga during his time at Bayern Munich in 2008.
The many stars that played under him, from mentioned Platini to Argentine hero Gabriel Batistuta, will probably have heard stories from his time as a player in the ‘60s.
The great Trap spent 14 years at Milan and won practically everything with the Rossoneri. As a player, he picked up two Scudetti and two European Cups. He also won the Cup winner’s Cup and the Coppa Italia during his great career at San Siro – earning him 17 caps for Italy.
He retired as a player after a stint at Varese in 1972 and retired as a coach after 62 games at the helm of Ireland in September 2013.