91-518: Dino Zoff OMRI ( pronounced [ˈdiːno dˈdzɔf] ; born 28 February 1942) is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper . Regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, he is the oldest ever winner of the World Cup , which he lifted as captain of the Italy national team in the 1982 tournament , at the age of 40 years, 4 months and 13 days. He also won
182-416: A 4–4–2 formation , at Euro 2000, he used a 5–2–1–2 system with Italy. His teams often used a sweeper , who, in addition to his defensive duties and organisational responsibilities, was also required to start plays from the back. He preferred not to base his team's play on set plays and formations, as he believed that cultivating a good relationship with his players and fostering a winning team mentality were
273-482: A UEFA Cup , also reaching two European Champions' Cup finals in the 1972–73 and 1982–83 seasons, as well as finishing second in the 1973 Intercontinental Cup final . Zoff was a goalkeeper of outstanding ability, and he has a place in the history of the sport among the very best in this role, being named the third greatest goalkeeper of the 20th century by the IFFHS behind Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks . He holds
364-543: A 2–0 win against Bulgaria in the quarter finals of the 1968 European Championships , in Naples. Zoff ended up being promoted to starting goalkeeper over his perceived career rival Enrico Albertosi during the tournament, and Italy proceeded to win the European Championship on home soil, with Zoff taking home a winners' medal after only his fourth international appearance, keeping two clean sheets, and winning
455-417: A European qualification spot, or a relegation spot. In some past years, the playoff was a single game at a neutral site while in others it was a two-legged tie decided by aggregate score. A playoff game has never been needed since the tiebreaking format changed. The only time a playoff was used to decide the champion occurred in the 1963–64 season when Bologna and Inter both finished on 54 points. Bologna won
546-549: A Serie A club than any league in the world other than Spain's La Liga. Juventus, Italy's most successful club of the 20th century and the most winning Italian team , is tied for sixth in Europe and twelfth in the world with the most official international titles with eleven. Prior the first Europa Conference League final in 2022, it was also the only one in the world to have won all the historical five official confederation competitions , an achievement reached after its triumph in
637-548: A World Cup-winning side (later Iker Casillas and Hugo Lloris repeated this feat for Spain and France in the 2010 and 2018 World Cups respectively). Due to his performances, he was voted as the Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament . Regarding Zoff's importance during Italy's victorious World Cup campaign, his manager Enzo Bearzot said of him: He was a level-headed goalkeeper, capable of staying calm during
728-595: A coaching role; the Italian Olympic side eventually managed a fourth-place finish in the final tournament. Zoff served as Juventus's head coach from 1988 to 1990. In 1990, he was sacked, however, despite winning the UEFA Cup and the Coppa Italia during the 1989–90 season , while also helping the club to a third-place finish in the league. He then joined Lazio , where he became the coach in 1994, and later
819-608: A dream. I told them: 'Not yet, not now.' And I am still here." Juventus Italy Juventus Italy Player Manager Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( Italian : Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana ) is the most senior Italian order of merit . It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic , Luigi Einaudi . The highest-ranking honour of
910-500: A goal at the European Championships including qualifying, having kept eight consecutive cleans sheets between 1975 and 1980, while going unbeaten for 784 minutes. Alongside Casillas, Buffon, and Thomas Myhre , he is the goalkeeper with the fewest goals conceded in a single edition of the European Championships, having conceded only one goal in the 1968 European Championships; of these players, only Zoff and Casillas won
1001-549: A new sponsor deal with Eni , otherwise known as Enilive, to take the main sponsor role of the Serie A. In the past, individual clubs competing in the league had the rights to sell their broadcast rights to specific channels throughout Italy, unlike in most other European countries. Currently, the two broadcasters in Italy are the satellite broadcaster Sky Italia and streaming platform DAZN for its own pay television networks; RAI
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#17327826153211092-558: A photo, suddenly gone highly popular, while playing card at scopone scientifico , an Italian social and team sport . In the previous years, the same aircraft had been used by Pertini and Pope John Paul II for private and institutional flights. In April 2017, it was put down back in the Museum of Volandia , near Varese. Zoff also holds the record for the longest stretch (1,142 minutes) without allowing any goals in international football, set between 1972 and 1974. That clean sheet stretch
1183-872: A player active outside Serie A. Unlike La Liga , for example, which has long imposed a quota on the number of players able to play for each club who hold passports from countries that are not in the European Union , Serie A has undergone many rule changes concerning the number of non-EU players clubs could sign. During the 1980s and 1990s, most Serie A clubs signed a large number of players from foreign nations (both EU and non-EU members). Notable foreign players to play in Serie A during this era included Irish international Liam Brady , England internationals Paul Gascoigne and David Platt , France's Michel Platini and Laurent Blanc , Lothar Matthäus and Jürgen Klinsmann from Germany, Dutchmen Ruud Gullit and Dennis Bergkamp , and Argentina's Diego Maradona . In
1274-412: A replacement for Sergio Buso . Despite saving the team from relegation on the last day of the season, Zoff was let go. This would be the final club he coached. As a manager, Zoff was known for his use of tactics based upon the zona mista system (or "Gioco all'Italiana"), which was a cross between the catenaccio man-marking and zonal marking systems. Although he was initially known for fielding
1365-559: A sense of calmness and confidence in his teammates. On occasion, however, Zoff was accused by certain pundits of occasionally struggling when facing long-range shots, and for not always being particularly adept at stopping penalties. Known for his work-rate in training, dedication, and discipline as a footballer, in addition to his goalkeeping skills, Zoff also stood out for his stamina, longevity, and determination, which enabled him to avoid injuries and have an extensive and highly successful career; due to his constant desire to improve himself, he
1456-407: A single-tier league from the 1929–30 season onwards. The championship titles won before 1929 are officially recognised by FIGC with the same weighting as titles that were subsequently awarded. Similarly, the 1945–46 season, when the round-robin was suspended and the league was played over two geographical groups due to the ravages of World War II , is not statistically considered, even if its title
1547-487: A streak which went unbroken from 21 May 1972 (in a 0–0 home draw with Napoli against Bologna ), until his final league appearance with Juventus in 1983. At 41 years and 86 days, Zoff is also the oldest player to have appeared in a European Cup or UEFA Champions League final. Prior to representing the senior Italian side, Zoff had won a gold medal with the Italy under-23 side at the 1963 Mediterranean Games . On 20 April 1968, Zoff made his senior debut for Italy , playing in
1638-455: A win, one point for a draw, and no points for a loss. Prior to this, teams were awarded two points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. The three lowest-placed teams at the end of the season are relegated to Serie B , and three Serie B teams are promoted to replace them for the next season. In 2023–24, Serie A was ranked as the best league by UEFA coefficient . This was due to a combination of all seven Serie A teams progressing into
1729-478: Is Juventus with 36 championships, followed by Inter Milan with 20 championships and AC Milan with 19 championships. From the 2004–05 season onwards, an actual trophy was awarded to club on the pitch after the last turn of the championship. The trophy, called the Coppa Campioni d'Italia , has officially been used since the 1960–61 season , but between 1961 and 2004 was consigned to the winning clubs at
1820-436: Is a list of Serie A clubs who have competed in the competition since it has been a league format (68 in total). The following 20 clubs are competing in the Serie A during the 2024–25 season. There are 68 teams that have taken part in 93 Serie A championships in a single round that was played from the 1929–30 season until the 2024–25 season . The teams in bold compete in Serie A currently. The year in parentheses represents
1911-453: Is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system . The winners are awarded the Coppa Campioni d'Italia trophy and the scudetto , a decoration that they wear on the jersey the season after the victory. It has been operating as a round-robin tournament for over ninety years since the 1929–30 season . It had been organized by
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#17327826153212002-410: Is allowed to broadcast only highlights (in exclusive from 13:30 to 22:30 CET ). This is a list of television rights in Italy (since 2021–22): Since the 2010–11 season, Serie A clubs have negotiated television rights collectively rather than on an individual club basis, having previously abandoned collective negotiation at the end of the 1998–99 season. In the 1990s, Serie A was at its most popular in
2093-542: Is currently Juventus's 6th record appearance holder in all competitions, their 7th all-time appearance holder in Serie A, their 3rd all-time appearance holder in the Coppa Italia, their 7th all-time appearance holder in UEFA club competitions , and their 9th all-time appearance holder in international club competitions. Zoff won his final Serie A championship with Juventus during the 1981–82 Serie A season, also winning
2184-540: Is fully official. The league hosts three of the world's most famous clubs as Juventus , AC Milan and Inter Milan , all founding members of the G-14 , a group which represented the largest and most prestigious European football clubs from 2000 to 2008, with the first two also being founding members of its successive organisation, European Club Association (ECA). More players have won the Ballon d'Or award while playing at
2275-527: The 1970 World Cup . He played in all 3 of Italy's matches in Euro 1968, saving two penalties in the penalty shoot-out in semi-final, and keeping a clean sheet in the replay of the final as Italy won the championship. He did not play in the 1970 world cup final when Italy lost 4-1 to Brazil, as Albertosi was preferred, keeping Zoff on the substitutes' bench. Following his achievements with the national side, and due to his performances during his time with Napoli, Zoff
2366-508: The 1977 UEFA Cup final against Athletic Bilbao , Zoff came out on top against his 'twin', the Basque goalkeeper José Ángel Iribar . Overall, Zoff made 479 appearances for Juventus in all competitions, making 330 Serie A appearances with the club (all of which came consecutively, a club record), 74 in the Coppa Italia , 71 in European competitions , and 4 in other club competitions. He
2457-474: The 1982 FIFA World Cup with Italy that year, as his team's captain. During the following 1982–83 season, the final season of his career, Dino Zoff won the Coppa Italia with defending Serie A champions Juventus, and he reached his second European Cup final with the club in 1983; Juventus were defeated 1–0 by Hamburg in Athens on 25 May, after Zoff was beaten by Felix Magath 's long-distance strike; this
2548-472: The 1985 Intercontinental Cup and revalidated after winning a sixth tournament, the UEFA Intertoto Cup , fourteen years later. Milan is joint third club overall for official international titles won with nineteen. Inter, following their achievements in the 2009–10 season , became the first Italian team to have achieved a seasonal treble . It is also the team to have competed uninterruptedly for
2639-636: The Direttorio Divisioni Superiori until 1943, the Lega Calcio until 2010, and the Lega Serie A ever since. Serie A is regarded as one of the best football leagues in the world and it is often depicted as the most tactical and defensively sound national league. Serie A was ranked the world's best national league in 2023 by IFFHS , and is ranked second among European leagues according to UEFA's league coefficient – behind
2730-706: The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) split the CCI (Italian Football Confederation) in 1921, which founded in Milan the Lega Nord (Northern Football League), ancestor of present-day Lega Serie A. When CCI teams rejoined the FIGC created two interregional divisions renaming Categories into Divisions and splitting FIGC sections into two north–south leagues. In 1926, due to internal crises and fascist pressures,
2821-727: The Premier League , and ahead of La Liga , Bundesliga and Ligue 1 – which is based on the performance of Italian clubs in the Champions League and the Europa League during the previous five years. Serie A led the UEFA ranking from 1986 to 1988 and from 1990 to 1999 . In its current format, the Italian Football Championship was revised from having regional and interregional rounds, to
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2912-681: The President of the Italian Republic , as head of the orders of knighthood, on the recommendation of the President of the Council of Ministers . Except in exceptional circumstances, no one can be awarded for the first time a rank higher than Knight. The minimum age requirement is normally 35. The Knight Grand Cross with Collar is awarded only to heads of state . Serie A The Serie A ( Italian pronunciation: [ˈsɛːrje ˈa] ), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons,
3003-527: The next season as the club's starting goalkeeper, helping the club to Serie A promotion , before moving to Mantova in 1963, where he spent four seasons, making 131 appearances. His performances for Mantova in the top flight caught the attention of larger clubs, while Italy's national coach at the time, Edmondo Fabbri , even considered bringing him as a back-up for the 1966 FIFA World Cup , although he ultimately chose to bring Enrico Albertosi, Roberto Anzolin , and Pierluigi Pizzaballa instead. In 1967, Zoff
3094-414: The 1993–94 season, Zoff has conceded the fewest goals in a single Serie A season ; behind only Gianluigi Buffon and Sebastiano Rossi, he has also gone the most time unbeaten in Serie A without conceding a goal, producing a 903-minute unbeaten streak during the 1972–73 season, a record that stood until Rossi overtook him in the 1993–94 season; Buffon broke the record during the 2015–16 season. He also held
3185-501: The 20 club format after sixteen clubs voted against reducing the division to 18 teams in February 2024. For most of Serie A's history, there were 16 or 18 clubs competing at the top level. Since 2004–05 , however, there have been 20 clubs in total. One season (1947–48) was played with 21 teams for political reasons, following post-war tensions with Yugoslavia. Below is a complete record of how many teams played in each season throughout
3276-879: The Crown of Italy (1868), the Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus (1572) and the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation (1362). Investiture takes place twice a year – on 2 June, the anniversary of the foundation of the Republic , and on 27 December, the anniversary of the promulgation of the Italian Constitution . However, those awards on Presidential motu proprio , related to termination of service or granted to foreigners, may be made at any time. The badge, modified in 2001, bears
3367-401: The FIGC changed internal settings, adding southern teams to the national division, ultimately leading to the 1929–30 final settlement. The Serie A Championship title is often referred to as the scudetto ("small shield") because since the 1923–24 season, the winning team will bear a small coat of arms with the Italian tricolour on their strip in the following season. The most successful club
3458-596: The Italians to earn a 3–2 victory and advance to the semi-finals of the competition. On 11 July, at the age of 40 years and 133 days, he became the oldest player ever to feature in a World Cup final ; following Italy's 3–1 victory over West Germany at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, he followed in the footsteps of compatriot Gianpiero Combi ( 1934 ) as only the second goalkeeper to captain
3549-470: The Italy national team, with which he reached the Euro 2000 final , losing to France, and several Italian club teams, including his former club Juventus , with which he won an UEFA Cup and a Coppa Italia double during the 1989–90 season , trophies he had also won as a player. In September 2014, Zoff published his Italian autobiography Dura solo un attimo, la gloria ("Glory only Lasts a Moment"). Dino Zoff
3640-468: The Republic, it is awarded for "merit acquired by the nation" in the fields of literature, the arts, economy, public service, and social, philanthropic and humanitarian activities and for long and conspicuous service in civilian and military careers. The post-nominal letters for the order are OMRI . The order effectively replaced national orders such as the Civil Order of Savoy (1831), the Order of
3731-416: The Serie A record for most consecutive clean sheets alongside Rossi (9), until Gianluigi Buffon overtook them both with his 10th consecutive clean sheet in 2016. With 570 Serie A appearances, Zoff is also the sixth highest appearance holder in Serie A of all time, and he is the fourth oldest player in Serie A to have ever played a match. He holds the record for most consecutive matches played in Serie A (332),
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3822-672: The United Kingdom when it was shown on Football Italia on Channel 4 , although it has actually appeared on more UK channels than any other league, rarely staying in one place for long since 2002. Serie A has appeared in the UK on BSB 's The Sports Channel (1990–91), Sky Sports (1991–1992), Channel 4 (1992–2002), Eurosport (2002–2004), Setanta Sports and Bravo (2004–2007), Channel 5 (2007–2008), ESPN (2009–2013), Eleven Sports Network (2018), Premier , FreeSports (2019–2021) and currently BT Sport (2013–2018; 2021–present). In
3913-569: The United States, Serie A is currently shown on CBS Sports and its streaming network Paramount+ . Prior to 2021–22 it was shown on the ESPN family of networks. For the 24-29 cycle, the Serie A sold its international rights to the Infront agency (except in United States and MENA), which is in charge of reaching an agreement with the interested companies. Fox Deportes Although Serie A
4004-503: The Year in 2000. Zoff returned to defending Serie A , Coppa Italia , and Supercoppa Italiana champions Lazio as a manager for the next season, replacing Sven-Göran Eriksson in 2001, and finishing third in Serie A . The following season, he resigned on 20 September, after only the third match, due to a poor start to the 2001–02 season . In 2005 , he was named the coach of Fiorentina as
4095-432: The above conditional quota was reduced back to one, though if a team did not have any non-EU players, that team could still sign up to three non-EU players. In 2011 the signing quota reverted to two. Large clubs with many foreigners usually borrow quotas from other clubs that have few foreigners or no foreigners in order to sign more non-EU players. For example, Adrian Mutu joined Juventus via Livorno in 2005, as at
4186-535: The age of fourteen he had trials with Inter Milan and Juventus , but was rejected due to a lack of height. Five years later, having grown by 33 centimetres (supposedly due to his grandmother Adelaide's recommended increased daily intake of eight eggs), he made his Serie A debut with Udinese on 24 September 1961, in a 5–2 defeat to Fiorentina , although Zoff was not criticised for any of the goals he conceded. Zoff made only four appearances in his first season for Udinese, as they were relegated to Serie B . He played
4277-498: The award for best goalkeeper of the tournament and was elected to the team of the tournament for his performances, keeping two clean-sheets , an honour he also received after winning the 1968 European Championship on home soil. Zoff is the only Italian player to have won both the World Cup and the European Championship. He also achieved great club success with Juventus , winning six Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia titles, and
4368-494: The award for the best goalkeeper of the tournament. Zoff was left out of the Italian starting eleven in the 1970 World Cup , however, and was Albertosi's deputy throughout the tournament, as Italy went on to reach the final of the World Cup, and were defeated 4–1 by Brazil . He returned to the starting line-up, however, ahead of Albertosi, in Italy's disappointing 1974 World Cup campaign, during which they would be eliminated in
4459-564: The bans were subsequently reduced. At the start of the 2003–04 season, a quota was imposed on each of the clubs limiting the number of non-EU, non-EFTA and non-Swiss players who may be signed from abroad each season, following provisional measures introduced in the 2002–03 season, which allowed Serie A and B clubs to sign only one non-EU player in the 2002 summer transfer window. The rule underwent minor changes in August 2004, June 2005, June 2006, and June 2007. The number of non-EU players
4550-524: The century, and the second best European keeper of the century – behind only Yashin. After his retirement as a player, Zoff went into coaching, joining the technical staff at Juventus, initially as a goalkeeping coach, although this experience proved to be unsatisfactory for him. He subsequently coached the Italian Olympic side, his first experience as a coach, helping the team to qualify for the 1988 Summer Olympic Games in Seoul, before returning to Juventus in
4641-437: The champions league in 2024. If after all 38 games, there are two teams tied on points for first place or for 17th, the last safety spot, the team that wins the scudetto or stays up at 17th is decided by a single-legged play-off game of 90 minutes and penalties (no extra time), to be held at a neutral venue, with the host team decided by the tiebreakers listed below. If at least three teams are tied for one of those spots, then
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#17327826153214732-482: The club's sporting director, winning the Coppa Italia in 1998 , and helping the club to an UEFA Cup final the same season, and was defeated by compatriots Inter . In 1998, Zoff was appointed as the head coach of the Italy national team. Although Italy were still cautious and organised defensively, Zoff used a more open, fluid, and attacking style of play than that used by his more defensive Italian coaching predecessors Cesare Maldini and Arrigo Sacchi . Zoff helped
4823-478: The first round. From 1972 onwards, Zoff became Italy's undisputed number 1, and he participated in the 1978 World Cup with Italy, during which he managed a fourth-place finish, keeping 3 clean-sheets. Italy were eliminated in the semi-final, in a 2–1 loss to the Netherlands . After the match, Zoff was criticised for making a fairly uncommon error, as he was beaten by a strike from distance by Arie Haan . Zoff
4914-428: The hands of reigning World Cup Champions France in the final , due to a golden goal by David Trezeguet . En route to the final, a ten-man Italy had eliminated co-hosts the Netherlands in the semi-finals in a penalty shoot-out, after a 0–0 draw, following extra-time, with a tightly contested defensive display against a more offensive-minded Dutch side. In the final of the tournament, Italy had been 1–0 up for most of
5005-487: The head office of the Lega Nazionale Professionisti . In April 2009, Serie A announced a split from Serie B. Nineteen of the twenty clubs voted in favour of the move in an argument over television rights; the relegation-threatened Lecce had voted against the decision. Maurizio Beretta, the former head of Italy's employers' association, became president of the new league. In April 2016, it
5096-484: The inscription Al Merito della Repubblica encircling the national coat of arms on the obverse and the Latin Patriæ Unitati (for the union of the country) and Civium Libertati (for the liberty of the citizens) encircling the head of Italia turrita on the reverse. The six degrees with corresponding ribbons are as follows (with numbers to 2 June 2020): The order is bestowed by decree of
5187-410: The keys to getting the best out of them, and that this would also allow their natural creativity to come through in matches. Zoff is married to Annamaria Passerini; they have a son, Marco, born in 1967. Zoff is Roman Catholic . On 28 November 2015, it was reported Zoff was hospitalised for three weeks with a viral neurological infection, which made it difficult for him to walk. On 23 December 2015, it
5278-635: The knockout stages in European competition, picking up extra coefficient points. Additionally, Atalanta won the Europa League Final and Fiorentina were losing finalists in the UEFA Europa Conference League . This continued a strong recent record where five of the six European club finals have featured at least one Serie A side over the past two seasons. As a result of this ranking the top 5 clubs in Serie A qualify for
5369-520: The latter record. Zoff was a traditional, effective, and experienced goalkeeper, who usually favoured efficiency and caution over flamboyance and making saves, although he was also capable of producing spectacular dives and decisive saves when necessary due to his strength and athleticism. He was particularly regarded for his outstanding positioning and handling of the ball, in particular when coming out to collect crosses, as well as his concentration, consistency, calm mindset, and composure under pressure; he
5460-403: The league's history: During the season, which runs from August to May, each club plays each of the other teams twice; once at home and once away, totalling 38 games for each team by the end of the season. Thus, in Italian football a true round-robin format is used. In the first half of the season, called the andata , each team plays once against each league opponent, for a total of 19 games. In
5551-700: The middle of the 2000–01 season, the old quota system, which limited each team to having no more than five non-EU players and using no more than three in each match, was abolished. Concurrent with the abolishment of the quota, the FIGC had investigated footballers that used fake passports. Alberto and Warley , Alejandro Da Silva and Jorginho Paulista of Udinese; Fábio Júnior and Gustavo Bartelt of Roma; Dida of Milan; Álvaro Recoba of Inter; Thomas Job , Francis Zé , Jean Ondoa of Sampdoria; and Jeda and Dede of Vicenza were all banned in July 2001 for lengths ranging from six months to one year. However, most of
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#17327826153215642-428: The most recent year of participation at this level. Inter Milan is the only team that has played Serie A football in every season. Serie A had logos that featured its sponsor Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM). The logo that was introduced in 2010 had a minor change in 2016 due to the change of the logo of TIM itself. In August 2018, a new logo was announced, and another one in August 2019. On 5 February, Serie A signed
5733-451: The most time in the top flight of Italian football, having seen its debut in 1909. All these clubs, along with Lazio , Fiorentina , Roma and Napoli , are known as the "seven sisters" ( sette sorelle ) of Italian football . Serie A is one of the most storied football leagues in the world. Of the 100 greatest footballers in history chosen by FourFourTwo in 2017, 42 players have played in Serie A, more than any other league in
5824-531: The playoff 2–0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to win the scudetto. Playoff games were used on multiple occasions to decide European competition qualifications (most recently in 1999–2000 ) and relegation (most recently in 2022–23 ). Before 1929, many clubs competed in the top level of Italian football as the earlier rounds were competed up to 1922 on a regional basis then interregional up to 1929. Below
5915-453: The record for the longest playing time without allowing goals in international tournaments (1,142 minutes) set between 1972 and 1974. Haiti 's Emmanuel Sanon ended the streak at the 1974 FIFA World Cup, in the Haiti–Italy group match. With 112 caps , he is the eighth most capped player for the Italy national team. In 2004, Pelé named Zoff as one of the 100 greatest living footballers . In
6006-645: The same year, Zoff placed fifth in the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll , and was elected as Italy's golden player of the past 50 years . He also placed second in the 1973 Ballon d'Or , as he narrowly missed out on a treble with Juventus. In 1999, Zoff placed 47th in World Soccer Magazine's 100 Greatest Players of the Twentieth Century . After retiring as a footballer, Zoff went on to pursue a managerial career, coaching
6097-494: The second half of the season, called the ritorno , the teams play another 19 games, once more against each opponent, in which home and away matches are reversed. The two halves of the season had exactly the same order of fixtures until the 2021–22 season , when an asymmetrical calendar was introduced, following the format of the English , Spanish and French leagues. Since the 1994–95 season , teams are awarded three points for
6188-549: The second half, and were less than sixty seconds away from winning the tournament, before France forward Sylvain Wiltord scored in the fourth and final minute of stoppage time to equalise, and send the match into extra time. Despite reaching the final, Zoff resigned a few days later, following strong criticism from AC Milan president and politician Silvio Berlusconi . Zoff was voted the World Soccer Manager of
6279-580: The semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup during the 1979–80 season. In 1973, he placed second in the Ballon d'Or , following his Serie A title victory, also narrowly missing out on an historical treble with Juventus, after reaching both the European Cup and the Coppa Italia finals that season, in which his club were defeated, however; Juventus also finished as runners-up in the 1973 Intercontinental Cup that year. In winning
6370-454: The size of the squad. However, a cap of 25 (under-21 players were excluded) was introduced to 2015–16 season (in 2015–16 season, squad simply require 8 homegrown players but not require 4 of them from their own youth team). In the 2016–17 season, the FIGC sanctioned Sassuolo for fielding ineligible player, Antonino Ragusa . Although the club did not exceed the capacity of 21 players that were not from their own youth team (only Domenico Berardi
6461-418: The team to qualify for Euro 2000 , and he introduced several younger players to the team, such as Francesco Totti , Gianluca Zambrotta , Stefano Fiore , Massimo Ambrosini , Christian Abbiati , Marco Delvecchio , and Vincenzo Montella . Although Italy were not top favourites because of a young squad, he coached a young Italy squad to a second-place finish in Euro 2000 , suffering a 2–1 extra-time defeat at
6552-480: The time Romania was not a member of the EU. Other examples include Júlio César , Victor Obinna and Maxwell , who joined Inter from Chievo (first two) and Empoli , respectively. Serie A also imposed Homegrown players rule, a modification of Homegrown Player Rule (UEFA) . Unlike UEFA, Serie A at first did not cap the number of players in first team squad at 25, meaning the club could employ more foreigners by increasing
6643-494: The title while achieving this feat. Zoff's greatest accomplishment, however, came in the 1982 World Cup in Spain, where he captained Italy to victory in the tournament at the age of 40, making him the oldest ever winner of the World Cup; throughout the tournament, he kept two clean sheets, and produced a crucial goal-line save in the final minutes of the last second-round group match against favourites Brazil on 5 July, which enabled
6734-589: The toughest and the most exhilarating moments. He always held back both out of modesty and respect for his opponents. At the end of the Brazil match, he came over to give me a kiss on the cheek, without saying a single word. For me, that fleeting moment was the most intense of the entire World Cup. During the flight of return from Spain on a DC-9 airplane, Zoff, Sandro Pertini (the Italian President of Republic ), Causio and Bearzot were immortalized in
6825-439: The tournament in 1968. Throughout these two tournaments, Zoff established a record for most consecutive minutes unbeaten in a European Championship , which was later beaten by Iker Casillas in 2012 . Zoff had also established the record for most minutes unbeaten European Championship qualifying, which was also beaten, by compatriot Buffon in 2011 . He still holds the record, however, for most consecutive minutes without conceding
6916-435: The two teams to play in the match is decided by a mini table between the teams involved using the tiebreakers below. The deciding tie-breakers for any ties on all other positions are as follows: Between 2006–07 and 2021–22, the tiebreakers currently used for all places to decide the scudetto winner if necessary, though this was never needed. Before 2005–06, a play-off would immediately be used if teams were tied for first place,
7007-399: The world. Juventus is the team that has produced the most World Cup champions (27), with Inter (20), Roma (16) and Milan (10), being respectively third, fourth and ninth in that ranking. Serie A, as it is structured today, began during the 1929–30 season . From 1898 to 1922, the competition was organised into regional groups. Because of ever growing teams attending regional championships,
7098-419: Was able to maintain a consistent level of performance throughout his entire career, even with his advancing age towards the end of his career, into his late 30s and early 40s. Considered one of the greatest goalkeepers of all time, in 1999 he was elected in a poll by the IFFHS as the third best goalkeeper of the 20th Century – after Lev Yashin (1st) and Gordon Banks (2nd) – as well as Italy's best keeper of
7189-475: Was also Italy's starting goalkeeper once again at the 1980 European Championships on home soil, however, helping his side to reach the semi-finals, finishing the tournament in fourth place once again. During the 1980 European Championship, Zoff kept three clean sheets, only conceding one goal in the bronze medal match, which Italy would lose on penalties; Zoff was elected as the goalkeeper of the tournament once again, an honour he had previously managed after winning
7280-600: Was also an elegant player, who possessed good reactions and excellent shot-stopping abilities. Zoff was also noted for his attention to detail during matches, as well as his ability to read the game, anticipate his opponents, communicate with his defenders, and organise his back-line, which also enabled him to start attacking plays quickly from the back after claiming the ball. Despite his serious and reserved character, Zoff also drew praise for his leadership skills, correct behaviour, and competitive spirit, which led him to serve as captain of his national side, and enabled him to inspire
7371-620: Was announced that Serie A was selected by the International Football Association Board to test video replays, which were initially private for the 2016–17 season , allowing them to become a live pilot phase, with replay assistance implemented in the 2017–18 season . On the decision, FIGC President Carlo Tavecchio said: "We were among the first supporters of using technology on the pitch and we believe we have everything required to offer our contribution to this important experiment." Serie A will continue
7462-448: Was awarded after: 1) Transferred 1 non-EU player abroad, or 2) Release 1 non-EU player as free agent, or 3) A non-EU player received EU nationality. Clubs with three or more non-EU players had two conditional quotas, but releasing two non-EU players as free agent only gave one quota instead of two. Serie B and Lega Pro clubs could not sign non-EU players from abroad, except those that followed a club promoted from Serie D . On 2 July 2010,
7553-511: Was born in Mariano del Friuli , Friuli-Venezia Giulia , Italy into a farming family. Upon his father's suggestion, Zoff initially also pursued studies to be a mechanic in case his football career proved to be unsuccessful. As a young aspiring footballer, Zoff was also interested in other sports, and his two main role models were the cyclist Fausto Coppi , and the race walker Abdon Pamich . Zoff's career got off to an inauspicious start, when at
7644-545: Was eligible as youth product of their own) as well as under 21 of age (born 1995 or after, of which four players were eligible) in their 24-men call-up, It was reported that on Lega Serie A side the squad list was not updated. In 2015–16 season, the following quota was announced. Main page: Serie A Player of the Month The Serie A Player of the Month recognises the best player each month in Serie A, which
7735-491: Was ended by Haitian player Manno Sanon 's beautiful goal during Italy's 3–1 win over Haiti in the first round of the 1974 World Cup. Zoff made his final appearance for Italy on 29 May 1983, in a 2–0 away loss to Sweden , in a Euro 1984 qualifying match . At the time of his retirement, Zoff's 112 caps were the most ever by a member of the Italy national team. He currently sits in sixth place in this category, as well as second among goalkeepers, with Gianluigi Buffon having surpassed
7826-429: Was not formed until 1929–30 , the league recognizes clubs who were named Italian champions before the league's foundation. No champions was awarded in 1926–27 and 2004-05 seasons, after Torino and Juventus were stripped from their titles due to their involvement in football scandals. Bold indicates clubs which play in the 2024–25 Serie A . Boldface indicates a player still active in Serie A. Italics indicates
7917-691: Was reduced from 265 in 2002–03 season to 166 in 2006–07 season. This reduction also included players who received EU status after their respective countries joined the EU (see 2004 and 2007 enlargement ), which made players such as Adrian Mutu , Valeri Bojinov , Marek Jankulovski and Marius Stankevičius EU players. The quota system changed again at the beginning of the 2008–09 season: three quotas were awarded to clubs that do not have non-EU players in their squad (previously only newly promoted clubs could have three quotas); clubs that had one non-EU player had two quotas. Those clubs that had two non-EU players were awarded one quota and one conditional quota, which
8008-543: Was reported Zoff had been recovering well, however stating, "For the first time in my life, I was actually afraid... When I say scared, I wasn't afraid for myself, but for those around me. My wife, my son, my grandchildren. My tribe, basically. I would've really hurt them by leaving." He also revealed, "One night I saw two figures at the end of my bed. They had the faces of Gaetano Scirea [one of his former, deceased teammates] and Enzo Bearzot [one of his former, deceased coaches]. They were both smiling. I wasn't asleep, it wasn't
8099-417: Was signed by Juventus in 1972, at the age of 30, where he resumed his success. In eleven years with Juventus, Zoff won the Serie A championship six times, the Coppa Italia twice and the UEFA Cup once, also reaching two European Cup finals , another semi-final in 1978 (during which Zoff played a decisive role in the club's shoot-out victory over Ajax in the quarter-finals by saving two penalties), and
8190-518: Was the final club match of his career. His final league appearance came in a 4–2 home win over Genoa on 15 May 1983. Upon retirement, Zoff held the records for the oldest Serie A player, at the age of 41, and the most Serie A appearances (570 matches) for more than 20 years, until the 2005–06 season , when the records were broken by Lazio goalkeeper Marco Ballotta , and AC Milan defender Paolo Maldini respectively. Behind only former AC Milan goalkeeper Sebastiano Rossi , who overtook him during
8281-400: Was transferred to Napoli , in exchange for fellow goalkeeper Claudio Bandoni, and a transfer fee of 130 million Lire; he spent five seasons in Naples, making 143 Serie A appearances with the club. During this time, he began to achieve increasing recognition in Italy, also making his International debut with the Italy national side in 1968, and earning a place in Italy's squads at Euro 68 and
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