Optimum Sports : Tardelli Back With Trapatonni

Saturday, 7 November 2009

Tardelli Back With Trapatonni

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In the World Cup Final of 1982 in Madrid German defender Uli Stielike missed a penalty early in the game and on the foot of their semi final win against France days earlier it seemed that maybe their luck was running out. Their opponents were an Italian side with flair players but playing the Italian style “catennaccio” - the name given to the defensive brand of football they practised.
The tournament’s top scorer was Italian though and Paulo Rossi came to life after 57 minutes and sent the momentum the other way. Then twelve minutes later Marco Tardelli drove a low ball into the back of the next leaving the German goal keeper stranded to make it 2-1. He then set off a celebration run that is still remembered today.

With momentum gone from their efforts Germany went forward in search of an equaliser and were punished for their troubles by a future team mate of Brady's at Inter Milan, Alessandro Altobelli. That third goal set the result despite a late reply from Paul Breitner three minutes from the full time whistle.

Italy were deserved victors, even if surprising ones, in what had proven to be anticlimactic final.
The abiding memory remains those images of Tardelli's and the celebration after scoring his goal at such a pivotal point in the match. That image is as vibrant today as it was in the Santiago Bernabeu stadium twenty six years ago.
For the record the names on the Italian side that Sunday afternoon in July ring out like a footballing hall of fame starting with Dino Zoff in goal; then Giuseppe Bergomi, Antonio Cabrini, Fulvio Collovati, Claudio Gentile in defence, with Gaetano Scirea, Gabriele Oriali , Marco Tardelli in the midfield, Bruno Conti and Paolo Rossi leading the attack. On that day Franco Baresi was just a young sub on the bench.
Having spent a ten years of a playing career with Juventus with Giovanni Trapattoni as his manager, Marco Tardelli departed to Inter Milan in 1986. When he retired from the game two years later in Switzerland he switched immediately to coaching joining the Italian Under 21 set up where his team won Youth European Championship.
A year later he left to become manager of Inter Milan but that did not last beyond the end of that season. He then had stints managing Bari, the Egyptian national football team and Arezzo, all without success.

It was as a player though that he really made his mark winning a World championship in 1982 and between 1975 - 985 winning 5 Serie A titles; two UEFA Cups in 1985 and 1977, and Cup Winners Cup in 1984 – all with Juventus.

It was all with one manager as well, Giovanni Trapattoni.

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