Enzo Bearzot was an Italian professional football player and manager.
15 Facts About Enzo Bearzot
2.
Enzo Bearzot was noted for his phlegmatic personality and pipe smoking.
3.
Enzo Bearzot made his debut in professional football with Pro Gorizia in 1946, a team he left in 1948 to join Internazionale.
4.
Enzo Bearzot successively moved in Tuscany to take his first head coaching job in Tuscany at the helm of Serie C side Prato.
5.
However, Enzo Bearzot did not go on a club career, and chose instead to start working for the Italian Football Federation: first as under-23 head coach, then as assistant coach of Ferruccio Valcareggi in the 1974 FIFA World Cup.
6.
Enzo Bearzot drove the national team to fourth place in the 1978 FIFA World Cup.
7.
Enzo Bearzot resigned after the 1986 FIFA World Cup, which saw Italy being defeated in the round of 16 by France.
8.
Enzo Bearzot was criticised during the latter tournament for relying too heavily on players from the 1982 team, as some of them were past their best form by 1986.
9.
Enzo Bearzot holds the record for the most times on the bench as manager of Italy, with 104 appearances.
10.
Enzo Bearzot was highly regarded for his tactical prowess, meticulousness, and versatility as a manager.
11.
Enzo Bearzot often studied his opponents in great detail before matches, in order to plan out and prepare his team's strategy; he was known for his ability to adopt different tactics, formations, and playing styles, depending on the style of play of the opposition, and for having the capacity to find a system which best suited his players.
12.
Enzo Bearzot's side were highly adept at subsequently creating goalscoring opportunities from quick and highly organised counterattacks after winning back possession, as well as being capable of keeping the ball and circulating possession in order to conserve energy.
13.
Enzo Bearzot imposed a far more flexible, adventurous style of play and led the team to victory at the World Cup in Spain in 1982.
14.
Enzo Bearzot was married to Luisa; together they had a son Glauco, and a daughter, Cinzia.
15.
Enzo Bearzot died on 21 December 2010 in Milan at the age of 83, exactly 42 years after Vittorio Pozzo; he was buried in the family tomb in the cemetery of Paderno d'Adda.