Claudio Cesare Prandelli is an
Italian former football player and current Coach of the Italian national
football team. He was born on 19 August 1957 in Orzinuovi, Italy.
Playing career of Cesare Prandelli:
Cesare Prandelli started his
professional career as a player at Cremonese in 1974. He then joined Atalanta.
In 1979 he signed for Juventus
where he with this team won several titles, three league titles, an Italian
Cup, one European Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, one UEFA Super Cup and one
Intercontinental Cup. Prandelli then moved back to Atalanta, where he retired
as a player in 1990.
Managerial career of Cesare Prandelli:
After his retirement Prandelli began training
in the ranks of Atalanta, From November 1993 until the end of the season, but
did not save them from relegation and the club finished down to Serie B.
In the 1997-98 season then he
moved to U.S. Lecce, but in the mid-season he was dismissed due to poor
results.
The next year Prandelli signed
for Hellas Verona, with whom he achieved promotion to Serie A and achieved to
the team to stay for the following season.
He coached many team like
Venezia, Parma and AS Roma, though in the latter club Prandelli only lasted a
few months due to family problems.
In 2005, Prandelli signed a
contract with Fiorentina replacing Zoff. So when he was with this team he led
them to the semifinals of the UEFA Cup in the 2007-08 seasons, where it was defeated
by the Glasgow Rangers. That year his club failed to qualify to compete in the
Champions League UEFA, so according to these achievements Prandelli won the
Coach of the Year in Serie A.
The May 30, 2010, the Italian
Football Federation announced that Prandelli would be the new coach of Italy
the next four years, replacing Marcello Lippi, after the conclusion of the
World Championship in the same year.3 With attacking football, managed to lead
Italy to the final of Euro 2012, but lost 4-0 in front of Spain.