Full name Antonio Cabrini Name Antonio Cabrini Spouse Carla Cabrini Weight 72 kg | Years Team Height 1.78 m Role Coach | |
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Date of birth (1957-10-08) 8 October 1957 (age 58) Current team Italy (women) (head coach) Children Martina Cabrini, Edoardo Cabrini Similar People | ||
Antonio Cabrini (born 8 October 1957) is an Italian professional football manager, who is currently in charge of Italy women's national, and a former player. He has played left-back, mainly with Juventus. He won the 1982 FIFA World Cup with the Italian national team. Cabrini was nicknamed Bell'Antonio ("beautiful Antonio"), because of his popularity as a fascinating and good-looking football player. On the field, his technical, defensive, athletic, and physical qualities made of him one of the best defenders in the history of Italian football, and he is regarded as one of greatest fullbacks of all time. Cabrini is remembered in particular for forming one of the most formidable defensive units of all time with Italy and Juventus, alongside goalkeeper Dino Zoff, as well as defenders Claudio Gentile, and Gaetano Scirea. Cabrini won the Best Young Player Award at the 1978 World Cup, after helping Italy managed a fourth-place finish, and also represented Italy at Euro 1980, once again finishing in fourth place. He is one of the few players to have won all UEFA Club competitions, an achievement he managed with Juventus.
Contents
- Club career
- International career
- Club coaching career
- Italy womens national team
- Personal life
- Club
- International
- Individual
- References
Club career
Cabrini was born in Cremona, Lombardy. He made his professional football debut with the local team U.S. Cremonese in the Serie C during the 1973–74 season, making 3 appearances and gaining a starting place the following 1974–75 season. In the 1975–76 season he played in the Serie B for Atalanta, and in the summer of 1976 he was acquired by Juventus, the team for which he was to spend most of his career.
With Juventus, he won the Italian Serie A 6 times, the Coppa Italia 2 times (Italian Cup), 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 UEFA Champions League, 1 UEFA Cup and 1 Intercontinental European/South American Cup. In his final season with Juventus, he also captained the side, after inheriting the armband from Scirea. In 1989, after 13 successful seasons with the Turin club, he moved to Bologna for two more years before retiring as a player. He played a total of 352 Serie A matches (297 of them with Juventus), scoring 35 goals (33 of them with Juventus).
International career
Cabrini was called up to Italy's being part of the list of 20 players to participate in the 1978 FIFA World Cup despite being uncapped (he however, had 23 caps for junior teams). He earned his first cap on 2 June 1978, in Italy's opening game against France, which ended in a 2–1 win to the "Azzurri"; Italy went on to finish the tournament in fourth place, and Cabrini was named the Best Young Player of the Tournament. He soon became an international regular for the next 9 years; he participated as a starter in all of Italy's games in 3 consecutive World Cups: in 1978, 1982 and 1986. Overall, Cabrini played 18 games during World Cup final stages, winning the 1982 edition despite missing a penalty in the final against West Germany. He also represented Italy at Euro 1980 as a starter on home soil, finishing the tournament in fourth place, after reaching the semi-finals.
Cabrini was part of the legendary 1982 World Cup-winning team that included goalkeeper Dino Zoff, Gaetano Scirea, Giuseppe Bergomi, Claudio Gentile in defense, Marco Tardelli and Bruno Conti in midfield, and Cabrini's Juventus team mate Paolo Rossi in attack. Cabrini gave a strong performance throughout the tournament, helping to lead his country to win the title, keeping two clean sheets throughout the tournament, but also scoring the crucial match-winning goal in Italy's 2–1 second round win over defending champions Argentina.
In total, he earned 73 caps for his country and scored 9 goals (an Italy international record for a defender), ending his career with the Azzurri in October 1987, earning his final appearance on 17 October 1987, in a 0–0 draw against Switzerland. He also captained the national side 10 times.
Club coaching career
Cabrini started a coaching career in 2000 with Serie C1 club Arezzo, replacing Serse Cosmi and losing promotion on playoffs. He then coached Serie B's Crotone with little fortune, and later served as head coach for Serie C1 clubs Pisa and Novara Calcio, although with dismal results.
He was announced to become the head coach of Syria national football team in September 2007, but soon after the announcement, problems started in the Syrian FA between the board of Directors and the Syrian National Teams Sponsors and thus the agreement with Cabrini was finally terminated in February 2008, before he actually managed the team. He was planned to take the Syrian team through the World Cup 2010 Qualifications and to make a preparation camp in Italy, but all that was canceled after the financial problems within the FA.
Italy women's national team
Since 14 May 2012 Cabrini is the new coach of Italy women's national.
Personal life
Later in 2008, he briefly contested the Italian TV reality show L'Isola dei Famosi (localized version of Celebrity Survivor). In June 2009 he entered into politics by joining Italy of Values, as party responsible for sports issues in the Lazio region.