Mauro Tassotti
Encyclopedia
Mauro Tassotti is a retired Italian
footballer. He played for seventeen years with A.C. Milan
, mostly at right back but could also fill in at centre back if required, thanks to his versatility and commitment. He won 17 major titles for the club, namely five Serie A
championships and three UEFA Champions League
tournaments.
An Italian international
in the early 1990s - already in his 30's - Tassotti represented the nation at the 1994 World Cup
.
, Tassotti played his first professional seasons with local S.S. Lazio
. Subsequently, he was part of A.C. Milan
's legendary team of the late 80's and early 90's. During the team's peak, he was a key component of an almost insurmountable defence, playing alongside other club greats: Paolo Maldini
, Franco Baresi
and Alessandro Costacurta
. He won the European Cup
with the club in 1989, 1990 and 1994.
For Italy
, Tassotti did not win his first cap
until the age of 32, under Arrigo Sacchi
. This is partly because of an abundance of other world class Italian defenders at the time, as he was constantly overlooked by Sacchi's predecessor, Azeglio Vicini, despite the player's excellent club performances. He competed
for Italy at the 1988 Summer Olympics
.
Tassotti played in one FIFA World Cup
, the 1994 edition
in the United States
. In the 2–1 quarterfinal win against Spain
he viciously elbowed Luis Enrique
in the face in the second half's injury time. The referee did not award Spain a penalty and Italy won the match, but FIFA officials banned Tassotti for eight games, after reviewing the game. The elbowing was so bad that Enrique reportedly lost a pint of blood from his face as a result. Tassotti did not play for the national team after that.
In 2001–02, Tassotti joined Milan's coaching staff, under former teammate Carlo Ancelotti
, and retained his post after Ancelotti's departure.
European competitions include the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, and UEFA Super Cup
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...
footballer. He played for seventeen years 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...
, mostly at right back but could also fill in at centre back if required, thanks to his versatility and commitment. He won 17 major titles for the club, namely five Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
championships and three UEFA Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
tournaments.
An Italian international
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...
in the early 1990s - already in his 30's - Tassotti represented the nation at the 1994 World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
.
Football career
Born in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Tassotti played his first professional seasons with local S.S. Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
. Subsequently, he was part of 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...
's legendary team of the late 80's and early 90's. During the team's peak, he was a key component of an almost insurmountable defence, playing alongside other club greats: Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini
Paolo Cesare Maldini is an Italian former footballer who played as a left or central defender. He spent all 25 seasons of his career at Serie A club Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009, becoming a symbol and a legend of the club...
, Franco Baresi
Franco Baresi
Franco Baresi is an Italian football youth team coach and former player. He played as a sweeper and spent his entire career with Serie A club AC Milan, acknowledged as one of the greatest defenders ever to play the game. Baresi was nicknamed "Piscinin", Milanese for "Little one"...
and Alessandro Costacurta
Alessandro Costacurta
Alessandro "Billy" Costacurta is an Italian former professional football defender turned manager.Costacurta spent some twenty years at Milan, with a brief period spent in AC Monza on loan. He is best known for his role alongside Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini and Mauro Tassotti, forming one of the...
. He won the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
with the club in 1989, 1990 and 1994.
For 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...
, Tassotti did not win his first cap
Cap (sport)
In sports, a cap is a metaphorical term for a player's appearance on a select team, such as a national team. The term dates from the practice in the United Kingdom of awarding a cap to every player in an international match of association football...
until the age of 32, under Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi
Arrigo Sacchi is an Italian football coach. He is best known for his success coaching Italian teams, particularly with Milan where he won back to back European Cups as coach in the late eighties where he was head coach of the Italy national football team . He was twice manager of A.C...
. This is partly because of an abundance of other world class Italian defenders at the time, as he was constantly overlooked by Sacchi's predecessor, Azeglio Vicini, despite the player's excellent club performances. He competed
Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics
Final results for the football competition at the 1988 Summer Olympics. The tournament was held from September 17, 1988 to October 1, 1988.-Medal summary:...
for Italy at the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
.
Tassotti played in one FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
, the 1994 edition
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In the 2–1 quarterfinal win against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
he viciously elbowed Luis Enrique
Luís Enrique Martínez García
Luis Enrique Martínez García , known as Luis Enrique, is a retired Spanish footballer, and the current head coach of Serie A club A.S. Roma...
in the face in the second half's injury time. The referee did not award Spain a penalty and Italy won the match, but FIFA officials banned Tassotti for eight games, after reviewing the game. The elbowing was so bad that Enrique reportedly lost a pint of blood from his face as a result. Tassotti did not play for the national team after that.
In 2001–02, Tassotti joined Milan's coaching staff, under former teammate Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti
Carlo Ancelotti is an Italian football manager, Nicknamed Carletto, Ancelotti played as a midfielder and had a successful career with Roma – captaining the team – with whom he won one Scudetto and 4 Coppa Italia and was part of the legendary late 80's Milan team, with whom he won two Scudetti and...
, and retained his post after Ancelotti's departure.
Club statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Lazio S.S. Lazio Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football... |
1978/79 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 15 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1979/80 | 27 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 32 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 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... |
1980/81 | 33 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 36 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1981/82 | 24 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
| 1982/83 | 32 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 41 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 1983/84 | 30 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 37 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 1984/85 | 24 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 34 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 1985/86 | 28 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 0 | |
| 1986/87 | 25 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 29 | 1 | ||||||||||
| 1987/88 | 28 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |||||
| 39 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1988/89 | 32 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 43 | 2 | |
| 1989/90 | 29 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 3 | |
| 1990/91 | 28 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 0 | |
| 1991/92 | 33 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 38 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1992/93 | 27 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 1 | |
| 1993/94 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 1994/95 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 25 | 0 | |
| 1995/96 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | |||||
| 20 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1996/97 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| 12 | 0 | ||||||||||
| Total for Milan | 429 | 8 | 75 | 1 | 64 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 583 | 10 | |
| Career totals | 470 | 8 | 81 | 1 | 64 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 630 | 10 | |
European competitions include the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, and UEFA Super Cup
Honours
- MilanA.C. MilanAssociazione 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...
:- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 1988–89, 1989–90, 1993–94 - UEFA Super Cup: 19891989 UEFA Super CupThe 1989 European Super Cup was the 14th UEFA Super Cup, an annual football match contested by the winners of the previous season's European Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup competitions. The 1989 Super Cup was played on a home-and-away basis, and was contested by Milan, winners of the 1988–89...
, 19901990 UEFA Super CupThe 1990 UEFA Super Cup was played between A.C. Milan and U.C. Sampdoria, with A.C. Milan winning 3–1 on aggregate.-First leg:-Second leg:-External links:*...
, 19941994 UEFA Super CupThe 1994 UEFA Super Cup was contested between A.C. Milan of Italy and Arsenal of England . It was won by Milan, 2–0 on aggregate.... - Intercontinental CupIntercontinental Cup (football)The European/South American Cup, commonly referred to as the World Club Championship, Intercontinental Cup or Toyota Cup, was a football competition endorsed by UEFA and CONMEBOL, contested between the winners of the European Cup and the South American Copa Libertadores...
: 19891989 Intercontinental CupThe 1989 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 17 December 1989 between Milan of Italy, winners of the 1988–89 European Cup, and Atlético Nacional of Colombia, winners of the 1989 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the neutral venue of the National Stadium in Tokyo in front of...
, 19901990 Intercontinental CupThe 1990 Intercontinental Cup was a football match played on 9 December 1990 between Milan of Italy, winners of the 1989–90 European Cup, and Olimpia of Paraguay, winners of the 1990 Copa Libertadores. The match was played at the neutral venue of the National Stadium in Tokyo in front of 60,228... - Serie ASerie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
: 1987–88, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96 - Supercoppa ItalianaSupercoppa ItalianaThe Supercoppa Italiana is a pre-season football competition held the week before the season begins in Italy every year. It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain raiser to the new season. It is usually played at the home of the Serie A...
: 19881988 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 1988 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1987–88 Serie A winners Milan and 1987–88 Coppa Italia winners Sampdoria. It took place on 14 June 1989 at the San Siro in Milan, Italy, and was the first edition of the trophy...
, 19921992 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 1992 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1991–92 Serie A winners Milan and 1991–92 Coppa Italia winners Parma. It took place on 30 August 1992 at the San Siro in Milan, Italy. A.C...
, 19931993 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 1993 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1992–93 Serie A winners Milan and 1992–93 Coppa Italia winners Torino. It took place on 21 August 1993 at the RFK Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., USA...
,19941994 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 1994 Supercoppa Italiana was a match played by the 1993–94 Serie A winners Milan and 1993–94 Coppa Italia winners Sampdoria. It took place on 28 August 1994 at the San Siro in Milan, Italy. A.C...
- UEFA Champions League