Dino Zoff

Lore & Background

Dino Zoff was born in Mariano del Friuli, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy into a farming family. At age 14 he was rejected by Inter Milan and Juventus due to lack of height, but grew 33 centimetres after his grandmother recommended increased daily intake of eight eggs. He made his Serie A debut with Udinese on 24 September 1961 in a 5–2 defeat to Fiorentina. After Udinese were relegated, he helped them gain promotion, then moved to Mantova in 1963, making 131 appearances. In 1967 he transferred to Napoli for 130 million Lire plus goalkeeper Claudio Bandoni, making 143 Serie A appearances. He made his senior Italy debut on 20 April 1968 in a 2–0 win against Bulgaria, and played all three matches in Italy's victorious Euro 1968 campaign, saving two penalties in the semi-final shoot-out and keeping a clean sheet in the final replay. He was an unused substitute in the 1970 World Cup final loss to Brazil.

In 1972, at age 30, Zoff joined Juventus, where he won six Serie A titles, two Coppa Italia titles, and a UEFA Cup. He reached two European Cup finals (1972–73 and 1982–83) and finished second in the 1973 Intercontinental Cup. He placed second in the 1973 Ballon d'Or. He made 479 appearances for Juventus in all competitions, including 330 consecutive Serie A appearances (a club record). His final league appearance was a 4–2 home win over Genoa on 15 May 1983; his final club match was the 1983 European Cup final, lost 1–0 to Hamburg. He holds the record for most consecutive matches in Serie A (332) and is the oldest player to appear in a European Cup final (41 years, 86 days). After retiring, he managed the Italy national team to the Euro 2000 final and coached Juventus to a UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia double in 1989–90.

Reader's Guide

Dino Zoff's significance lies in his longevity and consistency as a goalkeeper. He is the oldest World Cup winner, captaining Italy at age 40 in 1982, and the only Italian to win both the World Cup and European Championship. His record of 1,142 minutes without conceding in international tournaments (1972–1974) stood as a benchmark. With 112 caps, he is the eighth most capped Italian player. At club level, he won six Serie A titles with Juventus and held the Serie A record for most appearances (570) for over 20 years. He also set a 903-minute unbeaten streak in Serie A and shared the record for most consecutive clean sheets (9). The IFFHS named him the third greatest goalkeeper of the 20th century, behind Lev Yashin and Gordon Banks. Pelé included him among the 100 greatest living footballers in 2004, and UEFA elected him Italy's golden player of the past 50 years. His managerial career included leading Italy to the Euro 2000 final and winning a UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia double with Juventus. His autobiography, 'Dura solo un attimo, la gloria', was published in September 2014.

Did You Know?

• Zoff was rejected by Inter Milan and Juventus at age 14 due to lack of height, but grew 33 cm after his grandmother recommended eating eight eggs daily.
• He holds the record for the longest playing time without allowing goals in international tournaments: 1,142 minutes, set between 1972 and 1974.
• He is the oldest player to have appeared in a European Cup or UEFA Champions League final, at 41 years and 86 days.
• Zoff placed second in the 1973 Ballon d'Or, narrowly missing out on a treble with Juventus.