Pietro Vierchowod
Encyclopedia
Pietro Vierchowod (ˈpjɛtro ˈvjɛrkovud; born April 6, 1959 in Calcinate
) is an Italian
former footballer turned coach.
Vierchowod was nicknamed the zar
because he was the son of a Ukrainian Red Army
soldier
. Vierchowod was a man-marker (stopper
).
Vierchowod started his professional football career for Como
, before moving to Fiorentina
. However, his first successes came when he moved to AS Roma, winning a Serie A
scudetto in 1983. Then he moved to Sampdoria
, with whom he won four Italian Cups, one Cup Winners' Cup and another scudetto, in 1991.
In 1995 he signed for Juventus
, where he acted as an experienced defender and won his only UEFA Champions League
in 1996 at the age of 37. He played the final in Rome
against Ajax Amsterdam which Juve won on penalties. He then moved on to AC Milan and Piacenza Calcio
, for whom he continued to play regularly despite being 41 years of age. He eventually retired in 2000.
Vierchowod played 562 Serie A matches, being fourth only to Paolo Maldini
, Gianluca Pagliuca and Dino Zoff
. He was also capped 45 times with the Italian national football team, and scored 2 goals. He was one of the players in the Italian squad, although he did not play, that won the 1982 FIFA World Cup
. He is also the oldest goalscorer in the history of the Italian national team: he scored in a qualification match against Malta
on March 24, 1993 which ended in a 6–1 win for the Azzurri.
Vierchowod competed for Italy at the 1984 Summer Olympics
.
After his playing career, Vierchowod coached Catania
of Serie C1
, Florentia Viola
(now Fiorentina
) of Serie C2
and Triestina of Serie B
. In all these cases, he was fired before the end of the season.
During an interview for football magazine FourFourTwo
, English player Gary Lineker
named Vierchowod as the hardest defender he ever faced: "He was absolutely brutal and lightning quick. He gave me one or two digs." Talking to Argentine magazine El Gráfico, Argentine footballer Diego Maradona
also dubbed Vierchowod his toughest opponent, stating that "[Vierchowod] Was an animal, he had muscles to the eyelashes. It was easy to pass by him, but then when I raised my head, he was in front of me again. I would have to pass him more two or three times and then I would pass the ball because I couldn't stand him anymore".
Calcinate
Calcinate is a town and comune in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy. Its economy is mostly based on industry.-History:...
) is an Italian
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...
former footballer turned coach.
Vierchowod was nicknamed the zar
Tsar
Tsar is a title used to designate certain European Slavic monarchs or supreme rulers. As a system of government in the Tsardom of Russia and Russian Empire, it is known as Tsarist autocracy, or Tsarism...
because he was the son of a Ukrainian Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
. Vierchowod was a man-marker (stopper
Defender (football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
).
Vierchowod started his professional football career for Como
Como Calcio 1907
Calcio Como S.r.l. are an Italian football club, based in Como. The club was founded in 1907. The team's color is blue.Como have last been in Serie A in 2002–03; this was followed by three consecutive relegations that brought the team down in Serie C2 at the end of the season 2004–05 after having...
, before moving to Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
. However, his first successes came when he moved to AS Roma, winning a 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...
scudetto in 1983. Then he moved to Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
, with whom he won four Italian Cups, one Cup Winners' Cup and another scudetto, in 1991.
In 1995 he signed for Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
, where he acted as an experienced defender and won his only 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...
in 1996 at the age of 37. He played the final in Rome
Rome
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...
against Ajax Amsterdam which Juve won on penalties. He then moved on to AC Milan and Piacenza Calcio
Piacenza Calcio
Piacenza Calcio is an Italian association football club based in Piacenza. The club was formed in 1919 and currently plays in Italian Lega Pro Prima Divisione B. The team's colors are red and white, prompting one of the team's nicknames, the Biancorossi. They are also known as the Papaveri , and...
, for whom he continued to play regularly despite being 41 years of age. He eventually retired in 2000.
Vierchowod played 562 Serie A matches, being fourth only to 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...
, Gianluca Pagliuca and Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff
Dino Zoff is an Italian former football goalkeeper and is the oldest winner ever of the World Cup, which he earned as captain of the Italian team in the 1982 tournament in Spain, at the age of 40 years, 4 months and 13 days.Zoff was a goalkeeper of outstanding ability and has a place in the...
. He was also capped 45 times with the Italian national football team, and scored 2 goals. He was one of the players in the Italian squad, although he did not play, that won the 1982 FIFA World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...
. He is also the oldest goalscorer in the history of the Italian national team: he scored in a qualification match against Malta
Malta national football team
The Malta national football team is the national football team of Malta and is controlled by the Malta Football Association. Malta played its first international game in February 1957, and began competing for qualification to major tournaments in 1962. The side's first competitive victory came in...
on March 24, 1993 which ended in a 6–1 win for the Azzurri.
Vierchowod competed for Italy at the 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
.
After his playing career, Vierchowod coached Catania
Calcio Catania
Calcio Catania is an Italian football club founded in 1908 and based in Catania, Sicily. The club has spent much of its history in Serie B, gaining promotion to Italy's top league Serie A five times...
of Serie C1
Serie C1
Lega Pro Prima Divisione is the name of the third highest football league in Italy. It consists of 36 teams, divided geographically into two divisions of 18 teams each. Until 2008 it was known as Serie C1....
, Florentia Viola
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
(now Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
) of Serie C2
Serie C2
Lega Pro Seconda Divisione is the name of the fourth highest football league in Italy, the lowest with a professional status. Usually it consists of 54 teams, but in the season 2010–11 the teams are only 49 divided geographically into three divisions of 17, 16 and 16 teams each...
and Triestina of Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
. In all these cases, he was fired before the end of the season.
During an interview for football magazine FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo
FourFourTwo is a football magazine published by Haymarket. Published monthly, costing £4.50, and at about 164 pages long, it published its 200th edition in February 2011...
, English player Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
named Vierchowod as the hardest defender he ever faced: "He was absolutely brutal and lightning quick. He gave me one or two digs." Talking to Argentine magazine El Gráfico, Argentine footballer Diego Maradona
Diego Maradona
Diego Armando Maradona is a retired Argentine football player and widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time. Over the course of his professional club career Maradona played for Argentinos Juniors, Boca Juniors, Barcelona, Napoli, Sevilla and Newell's Old Boys, setting...
also dubbed Vierchowod his toughest opponent, stating that "[Vierchowod] Was an animal, he had muscles to the eyelashes. It was easy to pass by him, but then when I raised my head, he was in front of me again. I would have to pass him more two or three times and then I would pass the ball because I couldn't stand him anymore".
Awards and honours
- 1 Football World Cup: Italy, 1982
- 1 Champions' League: Juventus, 1996
- 1 Cup Winners' Cup: Sampdoria, 1990
- 2 Serie A leagues (scudetti): AS Roma, 1983; Sampdoria, 1991
- 4 Italian Cups: Sampdoria, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1994
- 2 Italian Supercups: Sampdoria, 19911991 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 1991 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by Serie A 1990-91 winners Sampdoria and Coppa Italia 1990-91 winners Roma.The match took place on 24 August 1991 in Marassi, Genoa and resulted in a 1-0 victory for Sampdoria.-Match details:...
; Juventus, 19951995 Supercoppa ItalianaThe 1995 Supercoppa Italiana was a match contested by Juventus, the Serie A 1994-95 winner, Parma, the Coppa Italia 1994-95 runner-up, since Juventus had won both trophies in the 1994-95 season....