Marcello Lippi

Here is a bref timeline of Mr. Lippi's career path:

• 1982 - Lippi retired from active football, at the age of 34, to pursue a coaching career.
• 1989 - Lippi became a head coach in Serie A with Cesena
• 1994 - He led Napoli to a place in the UEFA Cup
• 1995 - He won the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia in his first season at the club, also reaching the 1995 UEFA Cup Final.
• 1999 - After five highly successful seasons at Juventus, Lippi moved to Internazionale.
• 2001 - Following the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti, Lippi was subsequently re-appointed as Juventus' head coach.
• 2004 - Lippi was appointed head of the Italy national team

"His coaching education is broader than most. He worked before, during and after the revolution brought by Arrigo Sacchi. So think of him as a bridge between the old gioco all’italiana and the new, a blend of the traditional and the modern. His teams knew how to man-mark and to play zone. They invited opponents onto them and counterattacked but could also take the game to whoever they were playing and press them in their half of the pitch. Balance was everything. Lippi's starting XIs were never fixed. They were always in discussion and would be adapted according to the opposition."

If you have time, you should read more about this great soccer coach being on his Wikipedia entry.