Fabio Capello is an Italian football coach and ex-footballer who played as a midfielder in various European clubs. Known by such nicknames as Don Flute, Don Fabio, General and Technician. He is currently coaching a Chinese football club called Jiangsu Suning.
Career Summary
Pupil of the Italian club "SPAL", with whom he made his debut in the top division of the Italian championship in the 1963/64 season. The further career of midfielder Fabio Capello was associated with such Italian clubs as Roma, Juventus and Milan. In the last two, he became the four-time Serie A champion and two-time winner of the Italian Cup. In 1973, Fabio scored a legendary goal for the national team at Wembley Stadium against England. Thanks to his goal, Italy managed for the first time to triumph over the British away.
Having finished his career as a football player, Fabio Capello began coaching, having established himself as one of the best coaches of his generation. As the head coach of Milan, he became the four-time champion of Serie A. The same trophy was won with Roma. The further coaching career was associated with such eminent clubs as Real Madrid and Juventus, with which they won two national championships. From 2008 to 2012 he coached the England team. Until 2016, he was the head coach of the Russian team.
Biography
Fabio Capello was born on June 18, 1946 in the city of Pieris (administrative region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy). He grew up and was brought up in an intelligent family, his father Gerrino Capelo worked as a school teacher. From childhood Fabio fell in love with football. Addiction to this sport was explained by the fact that his grandfather Mario Tortul was a professional footballer in the fifties and sixties - he spent one match for the national team of Italy.
The beginning of a football career
In the period from 1962 to 1964, Fabio Capello played for the youth composition of the club "SPAL". Previously trained in the native club “Pieris” from the city of the same name. In 1964, the football player Fabio Capello gained a professional character. He signed a contract with the club "SPAL", played here for three seasons (until 1967) and managed to score 3 goals in 49 matches.
In anticipation of the 1967/68 season, Capello was bought for 260 million lire at the Roma club. As part of the “yellow-red” he won the first trophy - the Italian Cup 1969. He scored his debut goal against the Turin Juventus on November 5, 1967, which was the only one in the match and brought victory to the “Romans”. In general, he played for the “wolves” until 1969, scoring 11 goals in 62 official meetings.
Transition to Juventus, career in the national team, performances for AC Milan
In 1970, Fabio was transferred to Juventus, in which he began to regularly win the national championship. The Italian midfielder managed to raise the Scudetto Cup over his head three times - in 1972, 1973 and 1975. In total, Fabio Capello played 165 matches (1969-1976) as part of the “old Signora” and recorded 27 goals in his statistics.
In 1972 he made his debut for the Italian national football team in a match against Belgium. After this game, Capello began to constantly appear in the national team until 1976. In total for the “blue team” the midfielder spent 32 matches and scored 8 goals. After the 1975/76 season, Fabio left Juventus and signed a contract with Milan.
As part of the Rossoneri, he spent his last three seasons, winning two trophies - the Italian Championship 1978/79 and the Italian Cup 1977.
Capello as a trainer
In 1987, Capello's coaching career began; the first club of the young specialist was the Italian Milan. Upon becoming a post, Fabio managed to guide the correct tactics of the game against Sampdoria and win. This game was extremely important for the Rossoneri, because if you did not take the cherished three points, then you could forget about the fight for European cups. After this, Fabio gradually began to gain coaching authority among the fans and the club management. The 1991/1992 season became legendary for Milan, because the club became the champion of the Scudetto and did not lose a single match. The next season was also remembered by fans and fans of the “devils” - the team won all the matches of the Champions League group stage, scoring a total of eleven goals and conceiving just one. In total, along with Milan, Don Fabio won nine trophies (until 1996).
At the helm of Real Madrid, return to Milan
In May 1996, Capello became the head coach of the cream. From the first days of work, Fabio did not go smoothly with the club president - Lorenzo Sas. Despite the fact that the royal club was achieving the desired result, the Italian coach was accused of having a pragmatic concept of the game, which was not at all in the spirit of Spanish football fans. As a result, Fabio Capello’s career reached a critical point, and the Italian was fired from his post, despite the triumph of Real Madrid in the Spanish championship. After such a “failure”, Capello returned to Milan, but even there his activities did not lead to a positive result.
Juventus coach
In 2004, he signed a contract with the "old Signora." In two seasons, the club managed to win two Scudettos, which were subsequently selected due to the world-famous scandal called Calcopoli. Experts note that Capello was able to reveal the talent of the Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
However, this success was offset by a conflict with football player Del Piero, who lost his permanent place at the base because of Capello.
Return to the royal club
In the summer of 2006, Don Fabio signed an agreement with Real Madrid immediately the day after the dismissal from Juventus. The contract was calculated until 2009. The club showed excellent results, the championship of Spain was won. But this time, the activities of Fabio were not without conflicts. Everything repeated as in 1996. Galacticos president Ramon Calderon accused the Italian of ugly football. It is strange that they pay attention to this, because the team did not know the rivals throughout the season. Perhaps the main reason for Capello's dismissal was the fact that the club lost players such as David Beckham and Antonio Cassano, who often did not follow Fabio Capello's coaching instructions. The Italian’s career did not end there, and less than a year later he led the England team.
England team
Fabio Capello led the national team of England in December 2007. The Italian specialist was invited for a lot of money after the team did not qualify for the European Championship 2008. Under the leadership of the Italian specialist, the team managed to reach the final stage of the 2010 World Cup, where it demonstrated a successful game in the group stage. In the 1/8 finals, the team was defeated by the German national team with a crushing score of 1: 4. After this match, rumors began to circulate that Capello would be fired. The Italian resigned in 2012. At the same time, Fabio Capello is considered the most successful England coach in its history. Statistics is a serious matter!
Work in Russia
July 26, 2012 Don Fabio was invited to the post of head coach of the Russian national team, to replace the Dutch specialist Dick Advocaat. The first match under his leadership was held against Côte d'Ivoire, ending in a draw. Thanks to Capello’s efforts, the Russian team managed to enter the 2014 World Cup. Experts predicted the successful performance of the Russian national team, however, at the World Cup Don Capello's team showed a bad game, failing to get out of the group round. In June 2015, Capello was dismissed from his post after a minimal defeat from the Austrian national team as part of the qualification stage of EURO 2016.
Jiangsu Suning
On June 11, 2017, coach Fabio Capello signed a contract with the Chinese club Jiangsu Suning, which plays in the top division (Super League of China). The first season was completed in 12th place out of 16 teams. In the 2017/18 season, little progress has also been made.
The prosecution of Fabio Capello
In January 2008, the Italian coach became the target of harassment by the tax authorities. It was reported that Capello hid his income and did not pay most of the taxes during the supervision of the Turin Juventus from 2004 to 2006. As it turned out later, the coach’s case was reviewed and all charges were dropped. The Italian media commented on this situation as part of a standard check of wealthy Italians.
Personal life: family, interests
Fabio Capello knows a lot from his personal life. He was born in northeast Italy. He was brought up in a pious Catholic family in which everyone prayed twice a day. Throughout his life, Capello has been involved with football, most as a coach.
He met his wife Laura as a teenager, when they accidentally crossed at one of the bus stops. The son of Pierre Filippo was born in the marriage, who is currently the personal lawyer of his father and is always present when signing contracts.
Fabio Capello is an ardent fan of fine art. Don Fabio has a rich collection of paintings, which experts estimated at $ 28 million. The favorite artist of the Italian trainer is the Russian painter Vasily Kandinsky. In addition to paintings, Capello loves opera, it can often be found in the walls of Italian theaters such as La Scala, San Carlo, La Fenice and Teatro Comunale.