Walter Zenga

Club career

Zenga joined Inter Milan in 1982, after starting his professional career in 1978 in the lower divisions of Italian football (his first team was Salernitana in Serie C1, and he also played for Savona and Sambenedettese). Initially (in the 1982–83 season) he was the substitute of Ivano Bordon, who was one of the top Italian goalkeepers of his era, as he had been Dino Zoff's reserve in the 1982 FIFA World Cup. However, Zenga played Inter's matches in the Coppa Italia, impressing enough that the club decided not to buy another goalkeeper after Bordon's decision to move to Sampdoria during the summer of 1983. Zenga became Inter's starting goalkeeper in the 1983–84 season, where he conceded only 23 goals, better than any other goalkeeper in that season.

The next season would prove to be bittersweet for Zenga: although he continued to play excellently, he didn't manage to win any trophies. In Italy, Inter was the main rival of Hellas Verona who won the first (and to these days only) Scudetto of its history in 1985, while in Europe he had to suffer two bitter and quite controversial defeats at the hands of Spanish giants Real Madrid, both times in the UEFA Cup semi-finals. However, personal success was growing: he became a fan favourite due to his qualities and his love for the team, his fame was now nationwide thanks to his larger than life personality and he quickly established himself as one of the premier goalkeepers of the country. He was included in Enzo Bearzot's 22-man Italy squad for the 1986 World Cup. Initially the third goalkeeper behind Fiorentina's Giovanni Galli and Roma's Franco Tancredi, his name was taken in consideration by Bearzot before the match against the Michel Platini-led France due to the poor performances of Galli (who, in the end, played also against France).

Apart from enjoying the selection for a World Cup, the summer of 1986 proved to be important for Zenga also at club level. In fact, Inter signed Giovanni Trapattoni, who left Juventus after a highly successful 10-year stint, to manage the team. Meanwhile, the trio formed by Zenga, Giuseppe Bergomi and Riccardo Ferri (goalkeeper-right full back-stopper) was becoming the cornerstone of the team and of the Italian team also. In the 1986–87 season. Inter closely fought Napoli for the Scudetto, finishing third despite a series of injuries which plagued the team in the final weeks of the season (among others, Marco Tardelli, Alessandro Altobelli and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had to watch the final matches from the bench). However, Zenga imposed himself as the best goalkeeper in Italy, finishing the 30 matches-long season conceding only 17 goals and by being picked by new Italy's manager Azeglio Vicini as the starter in the goalkeeping position.

The next season would prove to be disappointing for Inter and Zenga: the team struggled all the season, due to lack of compatibility between the two main forwards (team's captain Altobelli and the newly acquired Aldo Serena) and between the two offensive midfielders Gianfranco Matteoli and the Belgian Vincenzo Scifo. Plus Zenga, dissatisfied with the way the club was managed, decided to leave Inter and join the then dominant Napoli. However, the move didn't materialize and Zenga remained with Inter. The highlight of the season for Zenga was the participation in the 1988 UEFA European Championships, where he played all four of Italy's matches (a 1–1 draw against West Germany, a 1–0 victory over Spain, and a 2–0 win over Denmark in the group stage matches, and a 0–2 loss against the Soviet Union in the semi-final). Here again Zenga was at the centre of controversy: in the first match against West Germany he conceded a free kick inside the penalty area due to having made too many steps while carrying the ball in his hands (an infringement rarely penalised). Andreas Brehme, who would become Zenga's teammate at Inter only a few months later, scored from the resulting free kick to tie the game for West Germany.

However, the next season would prove to be one of the best for Inter and Zenga. The team, reinvigorated by the acquisitions of the young Italians Alessandro Bianchi and Nicola Berti, the Germans Andreas Brehme and Lothar Matthäus from Bayern Munich and the Argentine Ramón Díaz dominated the season, winning the league title with a record haul of 58 points and breaking several other records during the year. Such a performance is even more impressive if the whole quality of the tournament is taken in consideration: in second position there was the Diego Maradona-led Napoli and in third position the star-studded and future European champion Milan. Zenga ended the season conceding only 19 goals, the best goalkeeper again in that respect.

The 1989–90 and 1990–91 seasons proved to be bittersweet for Inter: although the team remained a title contender, it didn't manage to take another success on home soil, except for the victory in the Supercoppa Italiana played in November 1989 against Sampdoria. The 1991 season turned up to be a close fight between Inter and Sampdoria, with the title decided in a match played in Milan, which Inter would lose 0–2 allowing Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Mancini to win the league title. However, Inter won the UEFA Cup that year, defeating, among the others, Aston Villa, Atalanta and Sporting Clube de Portugal on the road to the final against A.S. Roma. Inter won the first match 2–0 and lost only 1–0 in Rome, achieving the first European success since the 1960s. After that match, manager Giovanni Trapattoni left the team, as he decided to return as coach of Juventus.

On a personal scale, Zenga experienced in these seasons the peak of his career. For three consecutive years (1989–1991) he was nominated by IFFHS the best goalkeeper in the world, ahead of goalkeepers like Michel Preud'homme, Rinat Dasaev and Andoni Zubizarreta. Zenga was at his best between the posts, as his great explosiveness and sharp reflexes enabled him to make great and spectacular saves. Not known for being a great penalty saver (frequently dropping down to the ground in the middle of the goal), in his career he did however save penalty kicks from Roberto Baggio, Michel Platini and Paul Merson.

Zenga continued to play for Inter until 1994, winning the UEFA Cup in 1991 and 1994, his last season with the club.

In 1994, Zenga transferred to Sampdoria, and then to Padova two years later. He then moved on to New England Revolution and Major League Soccer. Zenga played in goal for them in the league's second season in 1997, then left to pursue an acting career (he and his girlfriend starred in an Italian soap opera). During a game versus the Tampa Bay Mutiny in 1997, he celebrated a goal by running to the sidelines and making out with his girlfriend, as the Mutiny barely missed the open net straight from the kickoff. Zenga came back to the Revs in 1999, as a player-manager, but only lasted a year in both those positions.

International career

Zenga was capped 58 times for the Italy national football team. After featuring in the country's squads at the 1984 Olympics and the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Zenga became the starter during the 1988 UEFA European Championships. Zenga remained first choice goalkeeper when Italy hosted the World Cup in 1990, and led the team to a third-place finish during which he set a record of five consecutive clean sheets, and a total of 518 minutes without conceding a goal, a record still standing.

Style of play

An aggressive and athletic goalkeeper, Zenga was nicknamed Deltaplano ("Hang glider") due to his shot-stopping abilities, explosive reactions, bravery, and in particular for his speed and agility, which enabled him to produce spectacular saves. Despite his reputation, the media was often critical of Zenga's penalty-saving record throughout his career, although he stopped penalties against notable specialists, such as Roberto Baggio, Paul Merson, and Michel Platini; he was also criticised by pundits for his unsteady performances when coming out to claim crosses, and performed best between the posts. In addition to his goalkeeping ability, Zenga was also known for his temper and flamboyant celebrations as a footballer.

His other nickname, L'Uomo Ragno ("Spider-Man"), is not related to his goalkeeping skills, but rather to a curious circumstance: in 1992, while answering questions about his exclusion from the Italian national team, Zenga softly sang a song by the Italian band 883, called Hanno ucciso l'Uomo Ragno ("Someone killed Spider-Man"), which led pundits and supporters to call him like the Marvel Comics character.

Managerial career

His first managerial job was as Player-Manager of New England Revolution: after he left the club, Zenga retired from active football, choosing to pursue a coaching career.

After a short stint with Milan Serie D team Brera Calcio, Zenga moved to Romania in 2002, first managing Naţional Bucureşti and then Steaua Bucureşti where he won the domestic title and reached the Round of 16 of the 2004–05 UEFA Cup after eliminating UEFA Cup winners Valencia from the competition.

In the summer 2005, after being fired from Steaua before the end of the season, Zenga joined Crvena Zvezda (aka Red Star Belgrade), leading the Serbian team to a double (national league and national cup in Serbia and Montenegro).

In the summer 2006, Zenga was appointed as coach of Turkish side Gaziantepspor; however, after a poor start (five wins in 17 league matches), he resigned in January 2007 in order to accept an offer from United Arab Emirates club Al-Ain.

After just five months in charge, Al-Ain sacked Zenga, who was announced in September 2007 as new Dinamo Bucureşti coach, replacing Mircea Rednic, but he resigned only two months later following a 1–0 loss in a local derby lost to Steaua. He then accepted a job as a football commentator and pundit for Italian public broadcasting service RAI.

On 1 April 2008, he agreed to replace resigning boss Silvio Baldini as manager of Catania. He made his Serie A debut on 6 April with a 3–0 home win against Napoli, leading them to a dramatic relegation escape during the final minutes of the league, after a 1–1 home draw against Roma.

Confirmed at the helm of Catania for the 2008–09 season, Zenga proved to be fit for the Italian top flight, leading the rossoazzurri to impressive results in the early part of the season, and agreeing a one-year contract extension with the Sicilian club.

Catania's playing style under Walter Zenga was notable for the coach's focus on free kick planning; his assistant manager Gianni Vio is known to work exclusively on this particular side of football tactics during the weekly training sessions. He guided Catania to a mid-table finish and the Serie A points record for the eastern Sicilian side; at the final home game of the season he announced he was parting company with his club by mutual consent.

On 5 June, after being linked with the managerial job at Lazio it was revealed that Zenga had agreed a three-year contract with Palermo to replace outgoing manager Davide Ballardini; the move was hailed as a massive surprise due to the rosanero club being rumoured to be interested in several other managers and the bitter rivalry between Palermo and Zenga's former team Catania, which were also the only two Sicilian teams playing in the Italian top flight. He debuted with a 4–2 Coppa Italia win over SPAL 1907, and a 2–1 home win against Napoli in the first week of the Serie A season. However, a number of disappointing results followed, ending in an unimpressive 1–1 home tie to Catania that led Palermo chairman Maurizio Zamparini to remove Zenga from his managerial duties on 23 November, after only thirteen league games in charge of the rosanero. On 13 January 2010, the coach terminated his contract with Palermo.

Middle East

On 11 May 2010, he was announced new head coach of Saudi Arabian football club Al-Nassr. He was removed from his position on 24 December 2010 after a string of poor results led Al-Nasr to be overtaken at the top of the league table.

On 6 January 2011, Zenga was appointed as new head coach of Al Nasr SC in UAE Pro-League.

Return to Italy

On 4 June 2015, Zenga returned to Italy, and was appointed head coach at Serie A side Sampdoria for the 2015–16 season. However, after he was sacked by Sampdoria in November 2015, and replaced by Vincenzo Montella as Head Coach, he later returned to the Middle East to manage bottom placed club Al-Shaab, however he was unable to turn around the club's fortunes and left the club on 20 February 2016 by mutual consent.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

On 30 July 2016, Zenga was appointed head coach of Football League Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers for the 2016–17 season. Despite having never managed in England, Zenga claimed that he was still experienced enough to succeed. "Experience is very important in life. I have coached in three continents and eight different countries... When you are a citizen of the world and go around the world, you understand the culture. It's not difficult." On 2 August, three days after becoming head coach, Zenga made his first signings, buying Icelandic striker Jón Daði Böðvarsson from Kaiserslautern and bringing in Portuguese midfielder João Teixeira on a season-long loan from Benfica.

His first game came just a week after his appointment, in a 2-2 draw away to Rotherham United at the New York Stadium. Despite going 2-0 down and later being reduced to ten men after Dominic Iorfa was sent off, Zenga's Wolves fought back to earn a point thanks to a goal from George Saville before the new signings João Teixeira and Jón Daði Böðvarsson combined for the latter to equalise. Zenga described his first game as an "amazing experience". His first win was on 9 August in the League Cup, a 2-1 home win against Crawley Town in the first round, whilst his first league win came on 13 August in a 2-0 victory at home to Reading. Zenga went on to take Wolves on a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions, and eight points from his first four league games, including a 3-1 win at local rivals Birmingham City. Zenga praised the Wolves players' spirit and credited them with leading them to the unbeaten start.

Following the end of the summer transfer window, Zenga, having made ten new signings since his appointment, claimed that the Wolves squad was so strong that he could field two different teams if needed. However, Zenga's and Wolves fortunes soon took a turn for the worse, with the team suffering a 4-0 home defeat at the hands of newly-promoted Barnsley on 13 September, Wolves' greatest defeat in the second-tier in nine years. Zenga expressed disappointment in not only the result, but also the manner of it, accusing the players of having given up. "I'm shocked at the result, at how we played, I'm shocked at everything. It is a shame for the fans, for the club. It is not a result Wolves want at home." Zenga said. The players' expected day-off for the following day was cancelled as Zenga decided the team was in additional training. Wolves went on to win their next two games in a row, a shock win at promotion favourites Newcastle United, who had won their previous game 6-0, to end their five-winning run, and a 3-1 win at home to Brentford.

Zenga claimed his team's subsequent performances showed that the defeat to Barnsley was "an accident". The Brentford game was Zenga's last win, as afterwards Wolves would go on a five game winless run, losing four, that would lead to his dismissal.

Despite the insistence of Dave Edwards that Zenga retrained the support of the Wolves players, less than 3 months into his reign, on 25 October, he was dismissed as boss following only 4 wins out of the club's first 14 Championship fixtures and Wolves 18th in the table.

On 7 April, Wolves director Jeff Shi described Zenga's appointment as a 'big mistake'. "I liked Walter. He was passionate, a really lovely guy... Later we found out it was not a good match. We had to change very quickly... The only big mistake in my mind was the coach appointment at the beginning of the season."

Personal life

Zenga has three children from his first two marriages. He has a son, Jacopo (who later became a footballer himself, and is currently playing in Serie D after spending time with Inter and Genoa at youth level), from his marriage to Elvira Carfagna. From his second marriage, to TV personality Roberta Termali, he has two more sons, Nicolò and Andrea. In 2005, he married 23-year-old Romanian woman Raluca Rebedea. On 19 November 2009, she gave birth to their daughter Samira Valentina.

In April 2010, Zenga said that he wants to take Romanian citizenship.

Managerial statistics

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