Giuseppe Bergomi

Giuseppe "Beppe" Bergomi (; born 22 December 1963) is an Italian former professional footballer who spent his entire career at Inter Milan. He is regarded as one of the greatest Italian defenders of all time, and as one of the best of his generation,

A one-club man, Bergomi held the record of most appearances for the club for several years, while also being the side's longtime captain. He was affectionately referred to as "Lo zio" ("the uncle") because of his bushy eyebrows and the impressive moustache he wore even as a youngster, which reminded teammate Gianpiero Marini of his own uncle's appearance.

Bergomi works as a pundit at Sky Sports Italia and frequently co-commentates on Serie A matches alongside Fabio Caressa.

Club career Born in Milan, Bergomi began training with Inter Milan's first team at the age of only 15, and made his professional debut at the age of 16, 1 month and 8 days in the 1979–80 Coppa Italia against rivals Juventus in Turin, on 30 January 1980, becoming the youngest to make it in the history of the club. During the 1980–81 season, at the age of 17, he made his first Serie A appearance in a 2–1 home win over Como on 22 February 1981. After winning the Coppa Italia the following year, also reaching the semifinals of the European Cup whilst putting on consistent performances, he soon was part of Italy's senior squad choices.

Bergomi would go on to spend his entire career with Inter, later becoming team captain. The twenty Serie A campaigns in which he competed were often in the shadow of A.C. Milan, as he only won the Scudetto once, during a record-breaking campaign in 1988–89; he did, however, conquer the UEFA Cup on three occasions (1990–91, 1993–94, and 1997–98, ).

Bergomi retired in 1999 at the age of almost 36, holding the record of most appearances for Inter (758) He also scored 28 goals for the club. With 96 appearances, he currently holds the record for most appearances in the UEFA Cup. In total, he made 117 appearances in UEFA club competitions, without scoring a goal. making his debut on 14 April 1982 in a 0–1 friendly loss in East Germany, aged only 18 years and 3 months, making him the youngest player to feature in a match for Italy post-World War II. He was included in the Italy team for the World Cup in Spain later that year, becoming the youngest Italian player ever to be called up for a World Cup. In the victorious tournament, he appeared in three games, including Italy's 3–2 second round victory against Brazil in their final group match, where he put in a strong performance after coming on for the injured defender Fulvio Collovati, marking opposing striker Serginho Chulapa, despite later deflecting Paulo Roberto Falcão's shot into his own net; the result allowed Italy to advance to the semi-final ahead of Brazil and Argentina in the so-called "Group of Death." At the age of 18 years and 195 days, Bergomi was the youngest Italian player ever to have appeared at a World Cup. An injury to playmaker Giancarlo Antognoni also allowed Bergomi to start in the 3–1 final victory over West Germany, where he effectively marked German forward Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, despite picking up a minor injury in the first half, and even participated in the lead-up to the second goal of the match, scored by Marco Tardelli. Aged 18 years and 201 days, at the time, he was the second youngest player ever to win the title, after Brazil's Pelé, who won the tournament at the age of 17 years and 249 days in 1958.

Bergomi also appeared in the 1986 edition of the tournament, where Italy were eliminated in the round-of-16 by eventual semi-finalists France following a 2–0 loss.

During the first match under Bearzot's successor, Azeglio Vicini, Bergomi scored his first two goals for Italy in a 2–0 friendly win against Greece in Bologna on 8 October 1986, becoming the first Italian defender to score a brace at international level; he also wore the captain's armband for the first time, following striker Alessandro Altobelli's substitution. On 20 February 1988, Bergomi was named Italy captain ahead of Italy's 4–1 friendly win over the USSR in Bari, a role he held for 33 games, until 1991. As captain, Bergomi was part of Italy's Euro 88 squad under Vicini, where the nation reached the semi-finals, before suffering a 2–0 defeat to the Soviet Union; playing in all seven matches, which included five consecutive wins and as many clean sheets, for a total of 518 minutes without conceding a goal, and the best defensive record overall in the history of the competition, conceding only two goals in total. Italy were eliminated in the semi-finals by defending champions Argentina on penalties, following a 1–1 draw, the only match that Italy did not win throughout the competition. Italy went on to win the bronze medal match 2–1 over England. Bergomi was named to the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team for his performances. resulting in a six-match ban, Bergomi spent years without being called up to the Azzurri; this was in part due to subsequent Italy manager Arrigo Sacchi's preference for a zonal rather than man-marking defensive system, following Italy's failure to qualify for UEFA Euro 1992.

However, Bergomi was surprisingly selected by Cesare Maldini for the 1998 World Cup at age 34, due to an injury to Ciro Ferrara, after playing 28 times in the league and leading the Nerazzurri to the UEFA Cup – his third and last edition of the tournament. After appearing in a pre-tournament friendly against Sweden, which ended in a 1–0 defeat, in France, Bergomi started off as a reserve, but was substituted in during the last group stage match against Austria, when Alessandro Nesta suffered a tournament-ending injury, with Italy winning the match 2–1. He partnered for the rest of the tournament with Fabio Cannavaro, Alessandro Costacurta and Maldini, playing three games in total, starting in the 1–0 win over Norway in the round of 16, and leading Italy to a quarter-final finish, where they would be eliminated by hosts and eventual champions France 4–3 on penalties on 3 July, following a goalless draw; this would be his 81st and final international appearance, to which he added six goals in total. At the time, he was Italy's fourth–most capped player of all time, alongside Franco Baresi and Tardelli.

Along with Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Paolo Maldini, and Gianni Rivera, Bergomi is one of only five Italian players to have appeared in four editions of the FIFA World Cup. However, despite playing in four editions of the tournament, Bergomi failed to make one single appearance in the qualifying stages.

Player profile Style of play Bergomi was a versatile defender who played across the backline and adapted to multiple formations. Primarily a right-back, he also operated on the left as a central defender, and as a sweeper, at both the club and international levels.

As a full-back, he utilized his pace, stamina, and aerial ability to advance up the flank and support offensive plays, contributing crosses and distance shots with his right foot. before transitioning to a zonal marking system.

Despite having a strong temper and being a hard tackler − he was sent off 12 times in his career he was also regarded for his 'silent leadership' throughout his career. Because of his physical and tenacious playing style, in 2007, The Times placed him at number nine in their list of the 50 hardest football players in history.

Bergomi began his career as a forward before establishing himself as a defender. He was noted for his longevity and adaptability over the course of his playing career.

Legacy Bergomi is regarded as one of the greatest Italian defenders of all time, In July 2009 he was appointed youth coach of Allievi Nazionali (under-17) at Monza, being promoted as head of the Berretti under-19 team, in co-operation with Giuseppe Chieppa, one year later.

In July 2011, Bergomi left Monza to accept the same position at Atalanta. Additionally, he also worked as a football pundit and commentator for Italian satellite television Sky Italia, often commentating with Fabio Caressa, including in Italy's victorious run at the 2006 World Cup.

Personal life Bergomi is married to Daniela; they have two children: Andrea and Sara.

In May 2020, Bergomi revealed that he had recovered from COVID-19, after contracting it following its outbreak in Italy.

Career statistics Club

International

Honours Inter Milan FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1990 Pirata d'Oro (Inter Milan Player of the Year): 1990 Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 1997 FIFA 100: 2004 Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2016 Inter Milan Hall of Fame: 2020 One Club Man Award: 2024

Orders