Francesco Coco
Encyclopedia
Francesco Coco is a retired Italian
football
defender
.
clubs; first with A.C. Milan
between 1993 and 2002 and later with F.C. Internazionale
between 2002 and 2007. He also had several loan spells with Vicenza Calcio
, Torino F.C.
and FC Barcelona
. He won two Scudetti with Milan.
In 2002, Milan traded Coco to Inter in part exchange
for Clarence Seedorf
; a deal worth €28 million.Coco's career after joining Inter was blighted by injuries and has since given interviews stating the Nerazzurri made a mistake by letting him undergo back surgery in November 2003, telling him he would be out for no more than a month. In the end he had to recover for 2 years. In 2005/06, he was loaned to Livorno
, after rejecting a move to Newcastle United
despite playing a friendly against Yeading F.C.
where he impressed in a 5-0 home victory. He played one season at Livorno, and after his loan deal he returned to Inter. During the summer of 2006 he tried to find himself a new club, but in the end all negotiations failed and Coco remained at Inter. In January 2007, he joined Manchester City
on a trial but after 3 days the club told him he was not in their plans. Later the English newspapers alleged that Manchester City was no longer interested in him because he had turned up at a training smoking a cigarette. After a loan to Torino
for the 2006-2007 season, he went back to Inter for the first part of the summer but mutually rescinded his contract with the Milan-based club on September 7, 2007, later declaring his intention to quit football in order to pursue an acting career despite the rumoured interest of MLS sides New England Revolution
and New York Red Bulls. He then accepted to appear to L'Isola dei Famosi, Italian celebrity adaptation of TV format Survivor
, which he abandoned voluntarily days after the beginning of the show.
at the 1996
and 1998
UEFA U-21 Championship
qualifying phases, playing also in the final round in the successful 2000 campaign
. Also, Coco played for the victorious Italy U23 team at the 1997 Mediterranean Games
.
Coco's full debut for the Italy
was against Romania
, on October 7, 2000, a 2002 World Cup qualifying
match. He also played for Italy in 2002 FIFA World Cup
, being last selected on September 2002. He achieved a total of 17 caps with the azzurri.
As of 8th June 2011, it has been reported on Twitter that Francesco Coco is currently working as a real estate agent in Italy.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
defender
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
.
Club
Coco spent the majority of his club career with the MilanMilan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
clubs; first with A.C. Milan
A.C. Milan
Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to as A.C. Milan or simply Milan , is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Lombardy, that plays in the Serie A. Milan was founded in 1899 by English lace-maker Herbert Kilpin and businessman Alfred Edwards among others...
between 1993 and 2002 and later with F.C. Internazionale
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
between 2002 and 2007. He also had several loan spells with Vicenza Calcio
Vicenza Calcio
Vicenza Calcio is an Italian football club based in Vicenza, Veneto. The club was formed in 1902 and currently plays in Italy's Serie B, having spent the entire 1960s and a large part of the 1990s in Serie A...
, Torino F.C.
Torino F.C.
Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
and FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
. He won two Scudetti with Milan.
In 2002, Milan traded Coco to Inter in part exchange
Part exchange
A part exchange or part exchange deal is a type of contract. In a part exchange, instead of one party to the contract paying money and the other party supplying goods/services, both parties supply goods/services, the first party supplying part money and part goods/services.Whether a part exchange...
for Clarence Seedorf
Clarence Seedorf
Clarence Clyde Seedorf OON is a Dutch footballer who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Serie A club Milan. Seedorf is the first player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs - Ajax in 1995, Real Madrid in 1998 and Milan in 2003 and 2007...
; a deal worth €28 million.Coco's career after joining Inter was blighted by injuries and has since given interviews stating the Nerazzurri made a mistake by letting him undergo back surgery in November 2003, telling him he would be out for no more than a month. In the end he had to recover for 2 years. In 2005/06, he was loaned to Livorno
A.S. Livorno Calcio
Associazione Sportiva Livorno Calcio is an Italian football club based in Livorno, Tuscany. The club was formed in 1915 and currently plays in Italian Serie B. The team's colors are dark red or maroon...
, after rejecting a move to Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
despite playing a friendly against Yeading F.C.
Yeading F.C.
Yeading F.C. were an English football club from Yeading in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London.-Club history:Their roots trace to a youth club formed in Yeading in 1960. However, there was a Victorian amateur team by the same name which folded in the 1920s, so the club's history can be...
where he impressed in a 5-0 home victory. He played one season at Livorno, and after his loan deal he returned to Inter. During the summer of 2006 he tried to find himself a new club, but in the end all negotiations failed and Coco remained at Inter. In January 2007, he joined Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
on a trial but after 3 days the club told him he was not in their plans. Later the English newspapers alleged that Manchester City was no longer interested in him because he had turned up at a training smoking a cigarette. After a loan to Torino
Torino F.C.
Torino Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Torino, is a professional Italian football club based in Turin, Piedmont, that was founded in 1906. The club has spent most of its history in the top tier in Italian football....
for the 2006-2007 season, he went back to Inter for the first part of the summer but mutually rescinded his contract with the Milan-based club on September 7, 2007, later declaring his intention to quit football in order to pursue an acting career despite the rumoured interest of MLS sides New England Revolution
New England Revolution
The New England Revolution is an American professional association football club based in Foxborough, Massachusetts which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada...
and New York Red Bulls. He then accepted to appear to L'Isola dei Famosi, Italian celebrity adaptation of TV format Survivor
Survivor (TV series)
Survivor is a reality television game show format produced in many countries throughout the world. In the show, contestants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes. The show uses a system of progressive elimination, allowing the contestants to vote off other tribe...
, which he abandoned voluntarily days after the beginning of the show.
National team
Coco played for the Italy U18 team in the intermediary round of 1995 European Under-18 Football Championship and the Italy U21 teamItaly national under-21 football team
The Italy national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Italy and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation.The team competes in the UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship, held every two years...
at the 1996
1996 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 1996, which spanned two years , had 44 entrants. After the quarter-finals stage, Spain were chosen as the hosts of the final stages, consisting of four matches in total....
and 1998
1998 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 1998, which spanned two years , had 46 entrants. Before the quarter-finals stage, Romania were chosen as the hosts of the final stages, consisting of four matches in total....
UEFA U-21 Championship
UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The European Under-21 Football Championship is a football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. It is held every two years. The competition has existed in its current form since 1978. It was preceded by the Under 23 Challenge Cup which ran from 1967 to 1970...
qualifying phases, playing also in the final round in the successful 2000 campaign
2000 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The UEFA U-21 Championship 2000, which spanned two years , had 47 entrants. Northern Ireland competed for the first time. For the first time a finals tournament with two groups of four teams was held, with one of those teams, Slovakia, having been chosen as the hosts.Italy U-21s won the...
. Also, Coco played for the victorious Italy U23 team at the 1997 Mediterranean Games
1997 Mediterranean Games
The 13th edition of the Mediterranean Games were held in Bari, Italy from the 13th to the 25th of June 1997. Twenty one nations competed in 27 different sporting events.- Medal table :- External link and reference :* -See also:***...
.
Coco's full debut for the Italy
Italy national football team
The Italy National Football Team , represents Italy in association football and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation , the governing body for football in Italy. Italy is the second most successful national team in the history of the World Cup having won four titles , just one fewer than...
was against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
, on October 7, 2000, a 2002 World Cup qualifying
2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (UEFA)
Listed below are the dates and results for the 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds for the European zone . For an overview of the qualification rounds, see the article 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification....
match. He also played for Italy in 2002 FIFA World Cup
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, being last selected on September 2002. He achieved a total of 17 caps with the azzurri.
Off the field
- Coco is not only a football player but also a businessman. Together with his father Antonio, they own shops and has his own clothing label called "Urban 77". Coco is a celebrity in Italy, and is well known in the party and society scene in Italy. He also wrote the foreword for the recently published book "Mio marito è un calciatore" ("My husband is a footballer").
As of 8th June 2011, it has been reported on Twitter that Francesco Coco is currently working as a real estate agent in Italy.