Italy's World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi retires from football management
Marcelo Lippi, one of the most decorated football coaches in the last two decades, has drawn curtains on his managerial career. The World Cup winning coach made the announcement on Sunday after winning a third straight league title with Chinese side Guangzhou Evergrande.
He has stated that he is now to take over as technical director at the Chinese club, with his former ward and World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro succeeding him in the managerial chair.
“I don't want to coach anymore, I'm too old,” said Marcelo Lippi, who is an old war horse if there was any. The 66-year-old leaves with the distinction of being the only coach to have won the premier club competition of two continents – the UEFA Champions League with Juventus, and the AFC Champions League with Guangzhou.
Lippi’s son has told the Italian media,”It was really a very emotional day. He has thought for a while about his retirement from coaching but for a legend like him there will always be a place in this game for him.”
The man behind Juventus’s success years
Juventus fans have been going overboard since the announcement in expressing their fondness for the coach who ushered in an era of success for the The Old Lady during the mid-1990s. Lippi was brought to the Turin club following the 1993-94 season when he steered a penury-rocked and Maradona-less Napoli to Uefa Cup qualification.
There was no looking back for Juve for the next few years, a period during which they lorded over Europe, till the crippling 2006 Calciopi scandal brought them to their knees again ; by which time Lippi had long since departed and was busy winning the World Cup with the Italian national team.
Lippi’s coaching philosophy emphasized the importance of a team playing like a well-knit family, and that players must play for each other and not for themselves. He has argued that a group of the best players do not necessarily make for the best team, unless they have a mutual understanding of their roles and expectations.
In 2007, The Times included him on its list of the top 50 managers of all time. Along with Vicente del Bosque, Lippi is only the second coach in football history to have won both the Champions League and the World Cup, the two most prestigious competitions in club and national levels.
There are an uncountable number of individual and team recognitions that have been bestowed on the dour-faced Italian over the years, following is a list of the most prestigous winners’ medals in his trophy cabinet.
| TEAM | HONOURS WON |
|---|---|
| Juventus | Serie A – 1995,1997,1998,2002,2003 Uefa Champions League – 1996 Coppa Italia – 1995 |
| Guangzhou Evergrande | Chinese Super League – 2012,2013,2014 AFC Champions League – 2013 Chinese FA Cup – 2012 |
| Italy National Team | 2006 World Cup |