Franco Carraro (former President of the Italian Football Association, who called Enzo Bearzot in January 2002 to offer him the post of Technical Sector President): "Football needed to rediscover its credibility and Enzo Bearzot was the man to do it."


He was my coach

Marcello Lippi
"He picked me for the first time for the U-23 team. When I lost my first match as Italy coach, I quickly reassured myself by remembering he also lost his first. Then I recalled his theory that it's important to lose friendly matches. He told me defeat is one of the secrets of building a squad and understanding its limits. After that, obviously it's vital to win to lift confidence again, especially when you are putting a side together."

Dino Zoff
"In 1982, we were all totally convinced we could go all the way and that's what happened. But the real architect of that victory was Enzo Bearzot, who was an extraordinary man and a talented coach. I think of him as an older brother, a father. All the responsibility for that win was his. If a person chases a goal he believes to be right, it doesn't matter what pressures he experiences along the way. The essential thing is to have the desire to follow your own path.'

Claudio Gentile
"Bearzot was a great - Italy's best-ever coach after Vittorio Pozzo. I often drew inspiration from his methods. I share so many excellent memories with him, both of the marvellous squad he managed to build in 1982 and the football we played in 1978."