Nereo Rocco

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Nereo Rocco

| image = 1967–68 Milan AC - Nereo Rocco (cropped).jpg

| caption = Rocco in 1967

| full_name =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1912|05|20|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Trieste, Austro-Hungarian Empire

| death_date = {{death date and age|1979|2|20|1912|12|20|df=yes}}

| death_place = Trieste, Italy

| height =

| position = Midfielder, Forward

| currentclub =

| youthyears1 = 1927–1930

| youthclubs1 = Triestina

| years1 = 1930–1937

| clubs1 = Triestina

| caps1 = 232

| goals1 = 66

| years2 = 1937–1940

| clubs2 = Napoli

| caps2 = 52

| goals2 = 7

| years3 = 1940–1942

| clubs3 = Padova

| caps3 = 47

| goals3 = 14

| years4 = 1942–1943

| clubs4 = 94° Reparto Distretto Trieste

| caps4 =

| goals4 =

| years5 = 1943–1944

| clubs5 = Libertas Trieste

| caps5 = 14

| goals5 = 1

| years6 = 1944–1945

| clubs6 = Padova

| caps6 =

| goals6 =

| nationalyears1 = 1934

| nationalteam1 = Italy

| nationalcaps1 = 1

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| manageryears1 = 1947–1950

| managerclubs1 = Triestina

| manageryears2 = 1950–1953

| managerclubs2 = Treviso

| manageryears3 = 1953–1954

| managerclubs3 = Triestina

| manageryears4 = 1954–1961

| managerclubs4 = Padova

| manageryears5 = 1960

| managerclubs5 = Italy Olympic

| manageryears6 = 1961–1963

| managerclubs6 = AC Milan

| manageryears7 = 1963–1967

| managerclubs7 = Torino

| manageryears8 = 1967–1972

| managerclubs8 = AC Milan

| manageryears9 = 1973

| managerclubs9 = AC Milan

| manageryears10 = 1974–1975

| managerclubs10 = Fiorentina

| manageryears11 = 1977

| managerclubs11 = AC Milan

}}

Nereo Rocco ({{IPA|it|neˈrɛːo ˈrɔkko}}; 20 May 1912 – 20 February 1979) was an Italian football player and manager. Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time,{{cite web|url=http://www.worldsoccer.com/features/the-greatest-manager-of-all-time-341473|title=The Greatest manager of all time|publisher=World Soccer|author1=Jamie Rainbow|date=4 July 2013|access-date=5 November 2015}} he is famous for having been one of the most successful head coaches in Italy, winning several domestic and international titles during his tenure with AC Milan. At Padova, he was one of the first proponents of catenaccio in the country.{{cite web|url=http://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/02-11-2014/nereo-rocco-inventore-catenaccio-che-divento-paron-d-europa-milan-90920157724.shtml|title=Nereo Rocco, l'inventore del catenaccio che diventò Paròn d'Europa|publisher=La Gazzetta dello Sport|language=it|author1=Andrea Schianchi|date=2 November 2014|access-date=5 November 2015}}

Playing career

=Club=

File:US Triestina - 1930s - Nereo Rocco.jpg

Rocco played as a winger in midfield; he had a modest playing career, spent mainly with clubs like Triestina, Napoli and Padova. He played 287 Serie A matches within 11 seasons, scoring 69 goals. Rocco was also capped one time for the Italy national team.{{cite web|url=http://www.enciclopediadelcalcio.it/Rocco.html|title=Rocco, Nereo|publisher=enciclopediadelcalcio.it|language=it|access-date=21 May 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.storiedicalcio.altervista.org/rocco.html|title=Nereo Rocco|publisher=Storie di Calcio|language=it|access-date=5 November 2015}}

=International=

Rocco made an appearance for the Italy national team on one occasion: in Vittorio Pozzo's selection in the 1934 FIFA World Cup qualification match, on 25 March 1934 against Greece, a 4–0 home victory.[http://dlib.coninet.it/bookreader.php?&f=1961&p=1&c=1#page/2/mode/2up Le vicende della partita "Italia-Grecia" nei quattro goals del trionfo "azzurro"], Il Littoriale, 26 marzo 1934, pag.3[http://www.italia1910.com/partita.asp?idpartita=110 Italia-Grecia 4-0] Italia1910.com

Coaching career

=Triestina=

Rocco made his coaching debut for Triestina in 1947. He obtained a surprising second place in Serie A, which is still the highest result ever reached by the team. He left Triestina a few years later because of disagreements with the club chairmanship. In 1951 he briefly coached Treviso, then returning to Triestina.

=Padova=

In 1953 Rocco signed as coach of Serie B team Padova, being able to avoid a relegation and obtaining promotion into Serie A the following season. The Serie A period of Rocco's Padova is still remembered as the team's most successful in their history, despite having a small team, they were able to take third place during the 1957–58 season. During his time with Padova, he also coached the Italian team at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, alongside Giuseppe Viani, where they finished in fourth place.

=A.C. Milan=

File:1967–68 Milan AC - Pierino Prati and Nereo Rocco in training.jpg and Rocco in training with A.C. Milan in the 1967–68 season]]

In 1961, Rocco was appointed as new A.C. Milan coach, starting one of the most successful periods for the rossoneri: he built a hard-working and defensively sound side around the team's young star playmaker, Gianni Rivera, which complemented the midfielders' creative playing style; Rocco formed an important relationship with Rivera throughout his career, and together, they played a key role in the club's successes,{{cite web|url=http://storiedicalcio.altervista.org/blog/gianni_rivera_golden_boy_1.html/2|title=RIVERA Gianni: Golden Boy per sempre - 2|publisher=Storie di Calcio|language=it|access-date=8 December 2016|archive-date=20 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220182150/http://storiedicalcio.altervista.org/blog/gianni_rivera_golden_boy_1.html/2|url-status=dead}} winning the Italian league in 1962 and the European Cup in 1963. After a good stint at Torino, where he obtained the best results since the disappearance of the Grande Torino, in 1967 Rocco returned to Milan, where he immediately won another scudetto and the Cup Winners' Cup.

He left Milan in 1973, after having won also another European Cup in 1969, an Intercontinental Cup, two Italian Cups and another Cup Winners' Cup. After one year in Fiorentina, Rocco decided to end his coaching career in 1975. In 1977, he was appointed by Milan as Technical Director and Assistant of coach Nils Liedholm. Rocco is Milan's longest-serving manager, managing the club for 459 matches (323 as head coach and 136 as technical director).

Style of management

{{blockquote|"Let's really hope not!"|A famous response that Rocco was known for using during his spell at Padova whenever an opponent said to him: "May the best team win."{{cite news |url=https://www.repubblica.it/online/sport/fine/zucconi/zucconi.html |title=No, speriamo non vinca il migliore... |work=La Repubblica |language=it |date=22 May 1999 |access-date=19 May 2020 }}}}

Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, Rocco was one of first proponents of catenaccio in Italy, and used the tactic to great success; drawing from Karl Rappan's tactics, his teams made use of a sweeper, who would sit behind the defensive line and clear the ball away, often using a 1–3–3–3 formation. His teams were known for their work-rate and physicality, as well as their simple but effective and pragmatic tactical strategies, namely their defensive strength, ability to counter–attack quickly with long balls, and score goals after winning back possession, rather than for being aesthetically pleasing to watch. During his time with Milan, he made use of Rivera as the team's playmaker in midfield, who took on the creative responsibilities of the team. He was known to be an excellent motivator, and developed strong personal relationships with his players in order to create a good team environment and foster a winning mentality, often discussing the team's tactics and the players man–marking roles over dinner rather than at a white–board during training sessions. In addition to his tactical intelligence, Rocco was also known for his charismatic personality, leadership, and sense of humour, despite his shy personality, and was known for being a very animated figure on the bench during matches. He also became popular for his quips, which he would often say to his players and journalists.{{cite web |url=https://www.calciomercato.com/en/news/what-nereo-rocco-would-say-about-ac-milan-and-the-azzurri-88731 |title=What Nereo Rocco would say about AC Milan and the Azzurri |publisher=Calciomercato |date=21 November 2017 |access-date=24 February 2020 }}{{cite web |url=https://www.pianetamilan.it/focus/news-milan-el-paron-nereo-rocco-lallenatore-della-prima-coppa-campioni/ |title=El Paròn Nereo Rocco, l'allenatore della prima Coppa Campioni |publisher=Pianeta Milan |language=it |date=20 May 2019 |access-date=24 February 2020 |archive-date=24 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224175816/https://www.pianetamilan.it/focus/news-milan-el-paron-nereo-rocco-lallenatore-della-prima-coppa-campioni/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=https://www.eurosport.it/calcio/la-storia-della-tattica-dal-catenaccio-al-calcio-totale_sto4735856/story.shtml |title=La storia della tattica: dal Catenaccio al calcio totale |publisher=Eurosport |language=it |last1=Fontana |first1=Mattia |date=12 August 2014 |access-date=19 May 2020 }}{{cite web |url=https://storiedicalcio.altervista.org/blog/padova_rocco.html |title=Il Padova di Nereo Rocco: La Leggenda del Santo Catenaccio |date=26 November 2015 |publisher=Storie di Calcio |language=it |access-date=25 May 2020 }} Rocco, popularly known as El Paròn (Triestin for The Master), was also popular for his strong use of his native Triestine dialect. Former Parma manager Nevio Scala, who played under Rocco, was inspired by Rocco's charisma as a manager, and for giving his players more freedom by placing less importance on tactics and set plays during training.{{cite news |title=Nevio Scala, il non-maestro: "I giovani? Bisogna lasciarli liberi di esprimersi, senza indottrinarli con troppi discorsi tattici" |url=https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2022/03/20/nevio-scala-il-non-maestro-i-giovani-bisogna-lasciarli-liberi-di-esprimersi-senza-indottrinarli-con-troppi-discorsi-tattici/6530332/ |access-date=23 May 2024 |work=Il Fatto Quotidiano |date=20 March 2022 |language=it-IT}}

Death and legacy

Rocco died on 20 February 1979, aged 66, in his hometown Trieste.{{cite web|url=http://www.gazzetta.it/primi_piani/calcio/2004/pp_1.0.302815574.shtml|title=Quanto ci manca Rocco|publisher=La Gazzetta dello Sport|language=it|date=20 February 2004|access-date=5 November 2015}}

On 18 October 1992, a new stadium in Trieste, named after Rocco, was inaugurated.{{cite web|url=http://sport.comune.trieste.it/stadio-nereo-rocco/|title=Stadio Nereo Rocco|publisher=Sport, Comune di Trieste|language=it|date=31 January 2014|access-date=5 November 2015|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030536/http://sport.comune.trieste.it/stadio-nereo-rocco/|url-status=dead}}

Rocco's tactics heavily influenced manager Giovanni Trapattoni, who became one of the main proponents of the zona mista ("mixed zone," in Italian), or gioco all'italiana, which drew elements from both man-to-man marking systems such as Italian catenaccio, and zonal-marking systems such as Dutch total football.{{cite news |url=https://www.repubblica.it/online/mondiali2002/sannucci/sannucci/sannucci.html |title=Trap, il santone intoccabile che si ispira a Rocco |work=La Repubblica |language=it |last1=Sannucci |first1=Corrado |date=25 May 2002 |access-date=19 May 2020 }}

Honours

=Manager=

AC Milan

Individual

Seminatore d'Oro: 1962–63
Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2012{{cite web|url=http://www.acmilan.com/en/news/breaking_news_show/49563|title=BARESI, CAPELLO AND RIVERA ACCEPTED IN HALL OF FAME|website=acmilan.com|date=26 November 2013|access-date=20 April 2015}}
France Football 17th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2019{{cite web|url=https://www.foxsports.com.mx/news/400382-los--mejores-entrenadores-de-la-historia|title=Los 50 mejores entrenadores de la historia|work=FOX Sports|date=19 March 2019|access-date=29 December 2019|archive-date=29 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229113735/https://www.foxsports.com.mx/news/400382-los--mejores-entrenadores-de-la-historia|url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=https://www.abc.es/deportes/futbol/abci-50-mejores-entrenadores-historia-futbol-201903191710_noticia.html|title=Los 50 mejores entrenadores de la historia del fútbol|publisher=ABC |date=19 March 2019 |access-date=29 December 2019}}
World Soccer 36th Greatest Manager of All Time: 2013{{cite web|title=The Greatest Manager of all time|url=http://www.worldsoccer.com/features/the-greatest-manager-of-all-time-341473|publisher=World Soccer|author=Jamie Rainbow|date=4 July 2013}}{{cite web|title=The Greatest XI: how the panel voted|url=http://www.worldsoccer.com/features/the-greatest-xi-how-the-panel-voted|publisher=World Soccer|author=Jamie Rainbow|date=2 July 2013|access-date=5 December 2017|archive-date=1 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101233404/http://www.worldsoccer.com/features/the-greatest-xi-how-the-panel-voted|url-status=dead}}