Alberto "Zac" Zaccheroni (born 1 April 1953, in
Meldola,
Emilia-Romagna) is an
Italian football manager, currently in charge of the
Japan national team, which he led to the final victory in the most recent
Asian Cup.
He is best known for having managed a number of top clubs in
Serie A, and won a
scudetto with
A.C. Milan on 1999. He is renowned also for his unconventional and trademark
3–4–3 tactical system
Career
Zaccheroni's playing career was cut short by injury, and he became a manager at the relatively young age of 30 with amateurs
Cesenatico. His managerial career took off during the
1997–98 season with
Udinese, guiding them to third place in the league and qualification for the
UEFA Cup.
Milan
Zaccheroni's impressive results at Udinese attracted the attention of Italian giants
A.C. Milan, who appointed him as manager after the San Siro club had endured two miserable seasons. Fellow Udinese key players
Oliver Bierhoff and
Thomas Helveg also joined him in Milan. Zaccheroni delivered instantly, as Milan won the league in the
1998–99 season, pipping
Lazio and
Fiorentina to the title. The following season was less successful for Zaccheroni as Milan exited the
UEFA Champions League early, and although finishing 3rd in Serie A, they were never really in the running for the title. The
2000–01 season was even worse for Zaccheroni as Milan, again, struggled in the Champions League and failed to beat
Paris Saint-Germain. This led AC Milan chairman
Silvio......
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