Marco Tardelli

Marco Tardelli was not only one of Italy’s greatest midfielders, but was one of the best players of his generation. From 1972-74, he wore the vest of Pisa and in 1974-75 he played with Como. Tardelli then enjoyed a highly successful club career with Juventus, winning five league titles (1977-78, 1981-82, 1984), two Italian Cups (1979, 1983), a UEFA Cup (1977), one European Cup Winners’ Cup (1984), and a European Champions Cup (1985), becoming one of the first three players ever to win all three major UEFA club competitions (along with Italy and Juventus teammates Antonio Cabrini and Gaetano Scirea).

Tardelli represented Italy at three World Cups (1978, 1982, 1986), winning the 1982 edition, where his goal in the final is regarded as one of the most iconic moments in Italian World Cup history. After two seasons with Internazionale (1985-87), Tardelli retired as a member of the Swiss club St. Gallen. On the national team he earned 81 caps, scoring six goals.

In his coaching career, Tardelli won the 2000 European title managing the Under-21 national team, followed by an unlucky season at Internazionale. In 2004, he managed the Egyptian national team, and in 2006 joined the board of directors of Juventus only to resign a year later because of disagreements with management. In May 2008 Tardelli was called by his former Juventus and Internazionale coach, Giovanni Trapattoni, to be Ireland’s assistant coach, serving until they both resigned in 2013.

After his competitive playing and coaching career, Tardelli worked occasionally as a sports commentator. From 1988-1989 he was a regular guest of La Domenica Sportiva, a role later taken up in the years 2000 and 2010 when he was also a columnist for RAI (Italian public television) sport programs, (European and World Championships). In 2016 he wrote the autobiography Tutto o niente-La mia storia (“All or nothing – My Story”) together with his daughter Sara. Born into a family of modesty, Tardelli was the youngest of four brothers. During the years spent in Pisa, he made a living by working as a waiter in Piazza dei Miracoli.