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Vittorio Pozzo
© AFP
In a brilliant four year period, Vittorio Pozzo led the Italian
national team to two FIFA World Cups™ and an Olympic gold medal,
establishing himself as one of the greatest coaching figures in
football history.
César Luis Menotti
© AFP
Argentine football, recognised among the finest in the world,
owes its lofty standing in no small measure to César Luis
Menotti. The arrival of El Flaco (“The Thin One”), as he was
known from an early age, was a turning point in both the
organisation and planning of international football in
Argentina. Under his expert tutelage, the Albiceleste won both…
Rinus Michels
© Popperfoto
If the Netherlands teams of the 1970s were in fact the “Clockwork Oranje,”
then Rinus Michels was the genius watchmaker behind the
machinery. As the conductor of one of modern football’s most
brilliant symphonies, the Dutch innovator
Joseph 'Sepp' Herberger
© Popperfoto
Aptly labelled the 'Miracle of Berne,’ Germany's first FIFA
World Cup™ triumph in 1954 is inextricably linked with Joseph
Herberger, a man whose achievements transcended the conventional
boundaries of football coaching.
Aimé Jacquet
© AFP
After being criticised, lampooned and even insulted before being
acclaimed and eventually adored, Aimé Jacquet can truly say he
traversed the full spectrum of managerial experiences during his
four years in charge of the French national team. He took up the
reins at a time when the position was regarded as something of a
poison chalice, with Les Bleus having
Gusztav Sebes
© MLSZ
Archive Sometimes referred to as the “Match of the Century,”
Hungary’s 6-3 demolition of England at Wembley Stadium in 1953
can be seen as the birth of football’s modern age. And Gusztav
Sebes, the controversial manager of the ‘Magical Magyars,’ was
the man most responsible for the match’s shaping place in
football history
Enzo Bearzot
© AFP
The scene unfolds aboard the President of Italy’s private jet.
It is 12 July 1982, and we have just taken off from Madrid
heading for Rome. Around a table at the front of the cabin, four
men are playing cards. Just to one side, the FIFA World Cup
stands like a glorious elephant atop a small table.
Mario Zagallo
© AFP
The great history of Brazilian football is inextricably linked
with one Mario Zagallo. The ‘Professor,’ as he is known to his
players, is a legend not only in his homeland but in virtually
every outpost of Planet Football, having played a role in four
of the five FIFA World Cups™ won by the Seleçao. And yet,
despite once sharing a locker room with such creative geniuses
Hugo Meisl
© Popperfoto
In the 1930’s Austria laid claim to a team whose quality and
verve sent legitimate shockwaves throughout Europe. The
mastermind and father of this Wunderteam often mentioned in the
same breath as the great Hungarian side of the 1950s and Brazil
of 1970, was Hugo Meisl.
Alfred Ramsey
© AFP
Not even Queen Elizabeth II could contain her joy on 30 July
1966 when England, recognised as the birthplace of modern
football, finally captured the FIFA World Cup. As wild
celebrations erupted inside Wembley Stadium and scores poured
onto the streets up and down the country, it seemed there was
just one man able to remain calm. Alf Ramsey, who had |
