Stefano Tacconi

Stefano Tacconi
Personal information
Full nameStefano Tacconi
Date of birth13 May 1957
Place of birthPerugia, Italy
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Playing positionGoalkeeper
Club information
Current team
Arquata
Youth career
1972–1974Spoleto
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1974–1975Spoleto0(0)
1975–1976Inter0(0)
1976–1977Spoleto30(0)
1977–1978Pro Patria7(0)
1978–1979Livorno33(0)
1979–1980Sambenedettese38(0)
1980–1983Avellino90(0)
1983–1992Juventus254(0)
1992–1995Genoa43(0)
Total495(0)
National team
1987–1991Italy7(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 2008-08-15.
† Appearances (Goals).

Stefano Tacconi (born 13 May 1957 in Perugia) is an Italian association football player. He is the only goalkeeper to have won all international club competitions, and he is widely regarded by pundits as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation.[1]

Career

Club career

Tacconi got his first significant experience at Spoleto football club. Following this, having already attracted the interest of Inter Milan, he had his first brief stint as a professional with Pro Patria[2] and Livorno before joining Sambenedettese. He then reached Serie A with Avellino in the 1980/1981 season; he remained there for three years before joining the Italian club Juventus FC in 1983, ahead of Luciano Bodini, as a replacement for his legendary predecessor Dino Zoff, who had retired at the end of the previous season.

With Giovanni Trapattoni's Juventus club, Tacconi achieved great domestic and international success, as he won two scudetti in 1984 and 1986, the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1984, the 1984 European Super Cup, the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1985 and the 1985 Intercontinental Cup the same year against Argentinos Juniors on penalties. In 1990 Tacconi and Juventus went on to win a UEFA Cup and a Coppa Italia double, although they lost out on the 1990 Supercoppa Italiana to Serie A winners Napoli. During this period, Juventus were one of the best teams in the world, and Tacconi was also regarded as one of the top goalkeepers in the world.[3]

After a ten-year working relationship with Juventus FC (during the 1985/1986 season he was kept on the bench), Tacconi transferred to Genoa C.F.C. in 1992. Unfortunately, Genoa was relegated to Serie B at the end of season. He retired from professional football in 1994.

International career

Despite his performances and success with Juventus, Tacconi was not able to find much space in the Italian national side under Azeglio Vicini, due to the presence of several other excellent keepers, such as Giovanni Galli initially, and Walter Zenga in particular, and subsequently the emerging keeper Gianluca Pagliuca. As a result, Tacconi was frequently Walter Zenga's reserve for the Italian national team. Tacconi made his senior international debut in a 3-1 win over Argentina on the 10th June 1987, in Zürich.

In the late 1980s, he was chosen by manager and former goalkeeper Dino Zoff as the starting goalkeeper for the Under-23 Italian Olympic side which reached the semi-finals in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, eventually finishing in fourth place. Tacconi was Zenga's deputy during Euro 1988, where Italy managed a semi-final finish, and at the 1990 World Cup on home soil, where Italy finished in third place following a semi-final loss on penalties to defending champions Argentina. In total, Tacconi made seven appearances for Italy between 1987 and 1991, all in friendly matches, conceding two goals. He played his final match for Italy on the 13th February 1991, keeping a clean sheet in a 0-0 friendly home draw over Belgium, in Terni.

After retiring from football

After quitting professional football, Tacconi had several disappointing experiences in politics. In 1999 he was on Alleanza Nazionale's lists for the European parliamentary elections, but failed to earn a seat. In 2005 he controversially tried to stand for president of Lombardy as a candidate for Nuovo MSI, an extreme right-wing party, but could not garner enough votes to validate his candidacy. In 2006, he put in for a city councilman position in Milan again within Alleanza Nazionale, supporting winner Letizia Moratti for mayor, but gained only 57 personal preferences (votes) and was not elected to the office.

On August 2008, at the age of 51, he accepted an offer from FC Arquata, a Seconda Categoria amateur club based in Arquata del Tronto, Marche, to make a return into active football as a goalkeeper.[4]

Personal life

On 13 May 2011, Tacconi married long-time partner Laura Speranza, with whom he has four children.[5]

Honours

Club

Juventus

International

Italy

Individual

Orders

5th Class/Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 1991[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Gli eroi in bianconero: Stefano TACCONI". Retrieved 12 November 2014.
  2. ↑ Stefano Tacconi – Bustocco.it.
  3. ↑ "Where Are The Members of The Italia 90 Squad Today? Stefano Tacconi". Retrieved 23 December 2014.
  4. ↑ "Tacconi torna in porta" (in Italian). Sportal.it. 25 August 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
  5. ↑ "Stefano Tacconi sposo oggi pomeriggio a Orta on the 3rd of April 2015 a television interview on the Italian Program "Le Iene" Tacconi was accused of not paying debts to people that have provided him with goods and services". OK Novara (in Italian). 13 May 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  6. ↑ "Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare Gaetano Scirea". Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  7. ↑ "Onoreficenze". http://www.quirinale.it'' (in Italian). 30 September 1991. Retrieved 19 March 2015.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Sergio Brio		 Juventus F.C. captains
1990–1992 		Succeeded by
Roberto Baggio