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Picture Courtesy of Clément Bucco-Lechat.

10 Things you need to know about Coach Antonio Conte

The Italian Professional Football Manager is one of the coaches who has done exceptionally well in coaching. He is one of the coaches who has earned a good reputation by winning in various football leagues. Antonio Conte was named head coach of Tottenham Hotspur in November 2021, succeeding Nuno Espirito Santo on an 18-month contract.
After being appointed in April 2016, the 52-year-old returned to the Premier League, where he had two successful years in charge of Chelsea. Conte had a distinguished playing career, the majority of which he spent with Juventus. He rose to prominence at his hometown club Lecce before being signed by Giovanni Trapattoni and transferred to Turin in 1991. This article will look at things you need to know about him.

1. Conte began playing for Lecce club

Conte began his career with his hometown club Lecce’s youth team before making his Serie A debut with the first team on 6 April 1986, aged 16, in a 1-1 draw against Pisa.

He developed into a key member of the squad under manager Carlo Mazzone. In 1987, he fractured his tibia, potentially ending his career.

During the 1988-89 season, he returned to the field and scored his first Serie A goal on November 11, 1989, in a 3-2 loss to Napoli. Conte in Lecce made 99 appearances and scored one goal.

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2. He played for Italy’s National Team

Italy National Team. By Biser Todorov.

Conte also played for the Italy national team, debuting at the age of 24 in a 2-0 friendly win over Finland on May 27, 1994, under Arrigo Sacchi.

He was a member of the Italian squads that finished runners-up in both the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the UEFA Euro 2000, both under Sacchi.

He did not make the Euro 1996 squad, however, due to an injury sustained in the 1996 Champions League final.

Conte scored a bicycle kick in Italy’s opening Euro 2000 match, a 2-1 win over Turkey, but he later suffered an injury in a 2-0 win over Romania in the competition’s quarter-finals. Between 1994 and 2000, he made 20 international appearances for Italy, scoring twice.

3. Conte was a good Midfielder

Picture By Dan Brezec.

He was regarded throughout his career as a quick, combative, energetic, and tactically versatile footballer who could play anywhere in midfield but was mostly used as a central, box-to-box, or defensive midfielder, and on occasion on the right flank due to his crossing ability.

Conte was a hardworking, consistent, and intelligent player known for his leadership, strong mentality, accurate tackling, stamina, and vision. He also scored some spectacular and decisive goals, often from volleys and strikes from outside the area.

Thanks to his ball-striking from a distance and ability to get forward. Despite his short stature, he was thought to be physically strong, good in the air, and accurate with his head. Despite his ability as a footballer, injuries plagued his career.

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4. Conte was reinstated as Arezzo’s head coach

Conte worked as an assistant manager for Siena alongside Luigi De Canio in the 2005-06 season after retiring from playing. He was named coach of Serie B club Arezzo in July 2006. However, after a string of poor results, he was fired on October 31, 2006.

Conte was reinstated as Arezzo’s head coach on March 13, 2007, after his predecessor, Maurizio Sarri, failed to make any significant progress with the club mired in relegation. He then led the team to five consecutive victories, earning 19 points from seven matches.

Allowing the Tuscans to close the points gap between themselves and safety. Despite their improved form, Arezzo was relegated to Serie C1 on the final day of the season.

5. Antonio was accused of match-fixing

Conte was accused of failing to report attempted match-fixing during his time as manager of Siena by ex-Siena player Filippo Carobbio, who was involved in the 2011-12 betting scandal.

Carobbio, who was charged with extensive involvement in the scandal, stated that during a technical meeting prior to a match between Siena and Novara.

Siena owner Massimo Mezzaroma indirectly sent a message to the players asking them to ensure the match ended in a draw so that Mezzaroma could turn a large profit on a bet he had made.

The game ended 2-2, and Carobbio testified that Conte was present when the message was relayed to the players ahead of time.

6. He is a family man and a catholic

Conte and Elisabetta have a daughter named Vittoria.  Before marrying in June 2013, the couple had been together for 15 years.

Conte has thanked his family for their assistance during the Scommessopoli match-fixing scandal investigations in 2011-12. “I have a wonderful woman by my side who is always trying to understand me.

My daughter, on the other hand, is the other woman in my life. She is starting to realize that her father becomes anxious when he does not win [a match].”

Conte is fluent in English as well as his native Italian. Conte is a devout Catholic.

7. Professor Conte

By Chelsea Debs.

Conte completed his degree in Sports Sciences after ten years of study while managing at Bari.

As part of his degree, he wrote a thesis on the psychology of coaches and graduated with honors.

The thesis was centered on the coaches from whom he learned the most – Arrigo Sacchi, Giovanni Trapatonni, Marcello Lippi, and Carlo Ancelotti, the true masters of the game.

8. The Hair Transplant

During their public spat at Manchester United, Jose Mourinho made a trademark remark about Conte, saying he “did not want to lose his hair over Conte,” referring to his hair transplants.

The Italian has had multiple hair transplants, including a failed one in 2001 and a more successful one in 2007 that was later supplemented.

He has a light sense of humor about his hair. Claiming that the stress of the aforementioned fixing scandal caused his hair to fall out.

9. Success journey in Juventus

Picture By Bendoni communication.

On May 22, 2011, Juventus sporting director Giuseppe Marotta announced the appointment of Conte as the club’s new head coach, succeeding Luigi Delneri.

Conte arrived with high hopes that he, a former fan favorite as a club midfielder, would lead them back to the top of the Italian and European games. He became the first coach to lead Juventus to the Coppa Italia final since Marcello Lippi in 2004.

Conte received the Trofeo Maestrelli in November 2012. An award is given to the three best Italian coaches working in the professional league, the country’s youth coaching system, and outside Italy.

During the 2013-14 season, Juventus won their third consecutive Serie A title under Conte, finishing with a Serie A record of 102 points. This was also the club’s 30th league championship. He is a Juventus legend.

10. Italy National Team

Following the resignation of Italy national team manager Cesare Prandelli on 14 August 2014, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced that Conte had agreed to a two-year contract as the national team’s new head coach until Euro 2016.

Conte used the same formations for the national team that he used during his successful tenure at Juventus. Conte suffered his first defeat as Italy’s manager on June 16, 2015, in a 1-0 international friendly loss to Portugal.  

On 10 October 2015, he helped Italy qualify for Euro 2016 by defeating Azerbaijan 3-1 in Baku. The victory extended Italy’s unbeaten streak in European qualifiers to 50 games.

On March 15, 2016, the FIGC announced that Conte would step down as manager following Euro 2016. Managing a national team is yet another accomplishment for him.

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After looking at the most influential parts of him, we can’t help but notice his success in the English Premier League. After thriving in the Italian league, Conte brought his success and winning mentality to English clubs. He went on to coach  Chelsea and then Inter Milan, where he won trophies at the end of the season. Following his resignation, he joined Tottenham Hotspurs in the English Premier League. Much is expected of him to end Tottenham’s trophy drought.