Claudio Gentile
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| Claudio Gentile | ||
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 27 September 1953 | |
| Place of birth | Tripoli, Libya | |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | |
| Playing position | Football coach Retired defender |
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| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1971–1972 1972–1973 1973–1984 1984–1987 1987–1988 1971–1988 |
Arona Varese Juventus Fiorentina Piacenza Total |
34 (4) 34 (1) 283 (9) 70 (0) 20 (0) 441 (14) |
| National team | ||
| 1975–1984 | Italy | 71 (1) |
| Teams managed | ||
| 2000–2006 | Italy U-21 | |
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1 Senior club appearances and goals |
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Claudio Gentile (born 27 September 1953) is an Italian football coach and former player of the 1970s and 1980s. One of the toughest and roughest defenders in the history of the game, Gentile was a key part of both the World Cup winning Italy team of 1982, and the success of Juventus of the period.
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[edit] Career
Born in Tripoli, Libya, Gentile started his career as a full back but soon switched to the role of central defence after signing for Juventus FC in 1973. In over a decade in Turin, Gentile won two major European club competitions, six scudettos, and two Italian Cups. During this time he also earned 71 caps for Italy. In 1984 he moved to Fiorentina where he spent three further years in Serie A, before retiring from football in 1988 after one further season for Serie B side Piacenza.
[edit] Juventus and Scirea
Claudio Gentile is notably famous for being a part of the Juventus side of the 70's and early 80's and a key role in its integral defence. Along side Gaetano Scirea the pair lead the defence to five Serie A titles. Gentile generally played at Center Back but however switched to Right Back when needing to mark certain wide playing attackers. With Gentile and Scirea being rocks at centre half they where able to reek fear into the eyes of all attackers, with Gentiles hard and ruthless tackling and Scireas graceful play and precise reading of the game the pair fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle. The pair did not only achieve success with Juventus but also with the National team where they both lead Italy to World Cup glory beating West Germany in the final at the Bernabeu.
[edit] Rise to fame
Considered by many as footballs greatest ever man marker, Gentile's finest hour came on 11 July 1982 when he produced an immaculate defensive display alongside fellow defender Gaetano Scirea, as Italy defeated West Germany 3-1 to lift the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain. Gentile came to international acclaim in the 2nd phase match against holders Argentina, when he man-marked Diego Maradona out of the game by kicking and flooring him constantly throughout the game. In Italy's next match against favourites Brazil he first performed a violent tackle from behind on Zico and later ripped the Brazilian's shirt in half during a tussle. Gentile missed the consecutive match against Poland through suspension due to the yellow card he picked up earlier on in that match.
In his entire career Claudio Gentile never saw the red card, which is almost recognised as an achievement by many considering the type of player he was. Gentile further represented Italy in the 1991 edition of the World Cup of Masters, scoring in the third place play off against Uruguay.
Gentile coached the Italy Under-21 National Team from October 2000 to July 2006. He had a well-publicised falling out with Antonio Cassano whilst the Real Madrid player was eligible to play for his team. So far his stint as a coach has been a successful one. His team won the UEFA 2004 tournament finals but failed to advance to the second round in the UEFA 2006 tournament finals. In July 2006, Gentile was dismissed from his Under-21 coaching position and replaced by Pierluigi Casiraghi.
[edit] Playing honours
- Scudetto: 1974-75, 76-77, 77-78, 80-81, 81-82,
- Coppa Italia: 1978-79, 82-83
- UEFA Cup: 1976-77
- Cup Winners' Cup: 1983-84
- European Supercup: 1984
- Fifa World Cup: 1982
[edit] External links
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