Profiles of the Legends: Dino Zoff
by Steve Amoia for Keeper Skool.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

Dino Zoff was born in 1942 in Mariano del Fruili, which was a region in the far northeastern corner of the Italian peninsula. He was 1.82 meters in height or approximately 5' 11 1/2 inches. Most of his club side football was played at Napoli and Juventus FC. He would later become a coach at the club and National levels. He was one of rare players to become President of a professional side: S.S. Lazio of Rome. He is affectionately known as "San Dino" for his memorable performances at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, and is considered by many the best keeper ever to don the Azzurri #1 shirt. No doubt in the years to come, Gianluigi Buffon will challenge that opinion.

Professional Clubs

• Udinese: From 1961 to 1963.
• Mantova: From 1963 to 1967.
• Napoli: From 1967 to 1972.
• Juventus FC: From 1972 to 1983.

Playing Honors

• Oldest player to win the World Cup (age 40).
• Best Goalkeeper Award at World Cup 1982.
• Only the second goalkeeper to captain his team to a World Cup. (The first was another Italian, Giampiero Combi, in 1934).
• Record holder for the most minutes in international play without conceding a goal: 1142 minutes. That period of Italian football was characterized by "catenaccio," or  "the door bolt" tactical system of very defensive schemes. If an Italian team scored the first goal, they would retreat into a defensive shell and only counter-attack.
• Competed at four World Cups: 1970, 1974, 1978, and 1982.
• European Nations Cup champion with Italy in 1968 (the only time they have won this competition).
• World Cup winner with Italy in 1982.
• 112 caps for the Italian National team. (64 times as the captain). He is ranked third behind Paolo Maldini and Fabio Cannavaro.
• Six Serie A Scudetti with Juventus.
• Two Italian Cups with Juventus.
• One UEFA Cup with Juventus in 1977 (Their first European trophy).
• Until Paolo Maldini surpassed him, Zoff held the Serie A game record at 570.
• Named Italy's Golden Player of the last 50 years in 2003 by the FIGC (The Italian FA).

Coaching Positions and Honors

• Juventus FC, S.S. Lazio, and Fiorentina. (He had two spells at Lazio. One was interrupted when he became the President of the club).
• 1990 UEFA Cup with S.S. Lazio.
• 1990 Italian Cup with S.S. Lazio.
• Manager of the Italian National team from 1998 to 2000.
• Silver medal at Euro 2000. (He resigned days after the final match against France).

1982 Second Round Group Game: Italy 3 x Brasil 2

This was one of the classic games in World Cup history. For many, this match was worthy of a World Cup final. Due to goal difference, Brasil only need a tie to advance to the semifinal round. This was deemed a "group of death," since the other opponent was the defending champion, Argentina. World Cup Spain 1982 marked the first tournament with 24 teams, which were divided into six groups. The best two from each group advanced to the next round.

Quotes from Dino Zoff

“I played until the age of 41 just because I believe that it’s always possible to make improvements”.

“Someone wants me to pass for a coach with a too defensive mentality, but I have never been that prudent in my career. They should remember how many goals my teams have always used to score. Like when I was a player my only objective is to win”.

“I played against (John, a Welsh and Juventus legend) Charles and it sounds like prehistory. Then I played against (Omar) Sivori, Pele’ and Maradona. However the 2 forwards that I have been mostly afraid of were: (Gerd) Muller and (Johan) Cruijff."
 
“I have never felt too confident and secure as a player, and now, when I look back at myself again I understand that I was right. I’m still not completely satisfied with what I have been able to do”.

“My father was a farmer and he used to toil in order to feed us. That’s why work is a sort of religion for me”.

“The national team means just Enzo Bearzot to me. It does my heart good to talk about him. He is a man of high moral stature, the best one that I have ever met in football”.

(Note: Enzo Bearzot was the manager of the Italian National Team that won the World Cup in 1982).

“I really miss a friend like (Gaetano) Scirea today. I feel poorer and it makes me angry to see that he received so many honours only after dying. Unfortunately in this world if you are a good, straightforward man you are just going to be considered banal”.

(Note: Gaetano Scirea, another legend of Italian calcio, tragically died in 1989 during a scouting trip to Poland for Juventus).

“As a coach I’ll try to teach more by setting good examples than by talking. It’s going to be like when I was a goalkeeper, I’ll have to take my decisions by myself”.

“A coach is not a manipulator of numbers and strategies. A coach is a leader. I start from the man. I believe in the man”.

Source: Solo Calcio.

Steve Amoia is the author and editor of World Football Commentaries, and writes for Soccerlens. He was the author of the World Cup History Test for Brainbench.