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Claudio Gentile

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Claudio Gentile
Gentile in 2006
Personal information
Date of birth (1953-09-27) 27 September 1953 (age 71)
Place of birth Tripoli,[1] Kingdom of Libya
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1971–1972 Arona 34 (4)
1972–1973 Varese 34 (1)
1973–1984 Juventus 283 (9)
1984–1987 Fiorentina 70 (0)
1987–1988 Piacenza 20 (0)
Total 441 (14)
International career
1975–1984 Italy 71 (1)
Managerial career
2000–2006 Italy U21 / Italy Olympic
2014 Sion
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Italy (as player)
FIFA World Cup
Winner 1982 Spain
Representing  Italy (as manager)
UEFA European Under-21 Championship
Winner 2004 Germany
Olympic Games
Third place 2004 Athens Team
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Claudio Gentile (Italian pronunciation: [ˈklaudjo dʒenˈtiːle]; born 27 September 1953)[2] is an Italian football manager and former player who played as a defender in the 1970s and 1980s.

Gentile appeared for Italy in two World Cup tournaments, and played for the winning Italian team in the 1982 final. His club career was notably spent with Juventus for whom he made almost 300 league appearances, winning six national titles and two major European trophies.

Club career

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Gentile was born in Tripoli, Libya to parents from Noto, Sicily. He moved to Brunate, Lombardy with his family at the age of eight.[3] After beginning his career with Arona, Gentile played in Serie B with Varese during the 1972–73 season.[2]

Gentile playing for Juventus in 1975

He then moved to Juventus and first played for them in a Coppa Italia match against Ascoli on 29 August 1973, with his Serie A debut following on 2 December 1973 against Verona.[1] In all, he played 414 senior matches for Juventus, including 283 in Serie A.[1] In over a decade with Juventus, Gentile won two major European club competitions (1976–77 UEFA Cup and 1983–84 European Cup Winners' Cup), six Serie A championships, and two Coppa Italias.[2][4] He also reached the final of the 1982–83 European Cup with the Turin club, only to suffer a 1–0 defeat against Hamburg in Athens.[5] During the match, Gentile was involved in a controversial incident when he collided with opposing Danish forward Lars Bastrup in the opening minutes of the second half, with Juventus trailing; although Bastrup suffered a broken jaw as a result of the impact, the incident went unnoticed by the referee.[6]

In 1984, Gentile moved to rivals Fiorentina where he spent three further seasons in Serie A, making over 60 appearances for the club. He then played a final season with Piacenza, in Serie B, retiring at the end of the 1987–88 season.[2][4]

International career

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Gentile lining up for Italy in 1977

Gentile was capped on 71 occasions by Italy between 1975 and 1984, scoring a single goal during his international career.[7] He played in all of Italy's matches at the 1978 World Cup, where Italy finished in fourth place, after reaching second place in the final group stage of the tournament and then losing the 3rd place playoff to Brazil. Gentile also played in the 1980 European Championship, and he was named in the team of the tournament.[8]

In the 1982 World Cup, Gentile was once again a permanent member of the starting line-up as Italy went on to win the World Cup that year.[9] He gained notoriety for his aggressive man-marking of Diego Maradona in a second-round victory against Argentina at the 1982 World Cup, where he fouled the Argentine star 11 times in the first half,[10][11] and 23 in total,[12] after which Gentile famously quipped, "Football is not for ballerinas!"[11][13] Italy ended up defeating the defending champions Argentina 2–1. Italy then faced tournament favorites Brazil in the next second-round group match and won 3–2, in which Paolo Rossi scored a hat trick, while Gentile was tasked with marking Brazilian star playmaker Zico.[14] Italy defeated Poland 2–0 in the semi-final, a match in which Gentile did not feature due to suspension.[15][16] He returned to the starting line-up for the final against West Germany where Italy won 3–1.[17] Gentile was once again in the team of the tournament for his performances during the 1982 World Cup.[18]

Style of play

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A tough, strong, tenacious, ruthless, and uncompromising defender, Gentile was regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, one of the toughest ever players in his position, and as one of the greatest Italian defenders of all time.[19] A hard-tackling and versatile defender, he was capable of playing both as a man-marking centre-back or "stopper", and as a full-back on either flank, and was particularly known for his tight, heavy, physical marking of opponents, as well as his work-rate, and aggressive challenges.[20][21][22][23] He was also capable of playing as a sweeper, a role which he occupied towards the end of his career, as he lost some of his pace,[24] or in the centre of the pitch as a defensive midfielder.[22][25][26] He also stood out for his ability in the air.[27]

Although he was not initially known to be the most naturally talented footballer from a skilful standpoint, and was seen as more of a defensive-minded right-back, who mainly sought to break down opposing attacks, he was known for his discipline in training, and showed significant technical improvements throughout his career. Indeed, he was a mobile and hard-working player, who was also capable of contributing offensively as an attacking full-back in a zonal-marking system, by getting up the flank and providing deliveries into the box for his teammates.[21][22][23][25][28] Alongside Juventus and Italy teammates Dino Zoff, Brio, Cabrini, and Scirea, he formed one of the most formidable defensive lines in football history.[29]

In 2007, The Times placed Gentile at number 8 in their list of the 50 hardest footballers in history.[30] However, despite his infamous reputation, Gentile considered himself to be a hard yet fair player. He was only sent off once in his career, with Juventus, in a 2–0 away loss to Club Brugge in a European Cup semi-final match in April 1978, for a double booking following a handball.[24][31][32] Due to his aggressive playing style and country of birth, Gentile was given the nickname Gaddafi in the Italian media.[11]

Coaching career

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Gentile later coached the Italy national under-21 team which won the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championship,[33] and the Olympic team which won a bronze at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.[34]

On 5 June 2014, he signed two-year deal with Sion.[35]

Honours

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Player

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Juventus[36]
Italy[36]

Individual

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Coach

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Italy U21

Italy Olympic Team

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Claudio Gentile". Statistics by season. myjuve.it. Retrieved 24 April 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d "Claudio Gentile". soccer-europe.com. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
  3. ^ "Claudio Gentile - profile". Olympedia. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Legend of Calcio: Claudio Gentile". forzaitalianfootball.com. 19 July 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Coppa dei Campioni 1982/83: Amburgo" [1982/83 European Cup: Hamburg] (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  6. ^ "Tenner: Champions League final moments". ESPN.com. 5 June 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  7. ^ Claudio Gentile at National-Football-Teams.com
  8. ^ a b "1980 UEFA European Championship". UEFA. Retrieved 19 April 2015.
  9. ^ "Claudio Gentile: Spain 1982". Classic Football. FIFA. Archived from the original on 28 February 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  10. ^ "World Cup 1982". PlanetWorldCup.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  11. ^ a b c Hirshey, David; Bennett, Roger (29 April 2010). "Soccer isn't for ballerinas". ESPN FC. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Bearzot's Blues of '82 in numbers". FIFA. 18 July 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Claudio Gentile". Soccer Quotes: Italian. ExpertFootball. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
  14. ^ Smyth, Rob (21 April 2020). "Italy 3-2 Brazil: 1982 World Cup, second round Group C – as it happened". the Guardian. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  15. ^ Vecsey, George (12 July 1982). "The Man Who Marked Rummenigge". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  16. ^ "Beppe Bergomi tra i campioni dell'82: "Ero destinato alla panchina. E invece..."" [Beppe Bergomi among the champions of '82: "I was destined for the bench. And instead..."]. Oggi (in Italian). 9 July 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
  17. ^ Lopresti, Sam (9 May 2014). "Italy World Cup Rewind: The Third Star—1982 vs. West Germany". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  18. ^ a b "FIFA World Cup Awards: All-Star Team". Archived from the original on 30 June 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  19. ^ "Italy's greatest defenders". Sky Sports. 31 May 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  20. ^ "Lessons in Calcio – Claudio Gentile". footballitaliano.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  21. ^ a b Stefano Bedeschi (27 September 2017). "Gli eroi in bianconero: Claudio GENTILE" (in Italian). Tutto Juve. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  22. ^ a b c "Gentile, l'anti-personaggio" (in Italian). La Stampa Sera. 28 March 1981. p. 36. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  23. ^ a b "Gentile sembra sicuro: "Juve in progresso"" (in Italian). La Stampa Sera. 27 August 1980. p. 8. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  24. ^ a b LUCA ARGENTIERI (23 March 1988). "'L' ULTIMO SVINCOLO NON MI FA SOFFRIRE'" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  25. ^ a b GIUSEPPE SMORTO (18 September 1984). "RITROVATO SOCRATES LA FIORENTINA CERCA IL 'SI' ' PIU' LONTANO" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  26. ^ "Torna Cabrini, Gentile al centro" (in Italian). La Stampa. 29 October 1978. p. 21. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  27. ^ Angelo Carotenuto (2 March 2017). "Se ti viene la pelle d'oca hai scovato un campione" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  28. ^ MAURIZIO CROSETTI (29 January 2011). "Tardelli: Una ex grande Né qualità né carisma" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  29. ^ "GENTILE, Claudio" (in Italian). Treccani: Enciclopedia dello Sport (2002). Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  30. ^ "Top 50 Hardest Footballers". Empire. 13 August 2007. Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  31. ^ Fabio Licari (22 September 2013). "Calcio, Gentile: "Chiedete a Zico e a Maradona se ero cattivo "" (in Italian). La Gazzetta dello Sport. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  32. ^ Bruno Perucca (13 April 1978). "Juve beffata a Bruges dopo 115 minuti: 2-0" (in Italian). La Stampa. p. 15. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  33. ^ a b "2004: Italy save best for last". UEFA. 1 June 2004. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  34. ^ a b "Italy end Iraq medal hopes". BBC. 27 August 2004. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  35. ^ "Italy great Gentile to coach Swiss club Sion". Sports Illustrated. 5 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  36. ^ a b "Claudio Gentile". Eurosport. Archived from the original on 14 January 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  37. ^ "FIFA.com – Intercontinental Cup 1973". Archived from the original on 6 March 2008. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  38. ^ 1982–83 All matches – season at UEFA website
  39. ^ 1978 FIFA World Cup Argentina, FIFA.com
  40. ^ UEFA Euro 1980 at UEFA.com
  41. ^ "Sport 1978". Mundo Deportivo. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
  42. ^ "Guerin Sportivo Serie A Team of the Year". BigSoccer. Retrieved 30 September 2024.
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