Fabio Capello

	Fabio Capello Born 18th June 1946

Fabio Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has managed throughout his career, with Milan, Real Madrid, Roma and Juventus. Capello is one of the few coaches to claim championship victories in four major European cities (Milan, Madrid, Rome and Turin). He has won a major league championship in seven of his 16 seasons as a coach and oversaw one of the most dominant UEFA Champions League victories of all-time.

During Capello's second spell at Real Madrid, he was criticized for not playing world-class players including David Beckham and Ronaldo on a regular basis. After some initial criticism of his tactics and having spent much of the season in second place, he captured the La Liga title on the last day by pipping Barcelona on head to head results. In spite of his success after years of Madrid underachievement, Real Madrid's president, Ramón Calderón, fired him in the summer of 2007.

After being appointed England manager on 14 December 2007, Capello announced the role would be the last of his managerial career. Capello's contract with the Football Association came into effect on 7 January 2008, and will run for two-and-a-half years, with a possible two-year extension. On 24 January 2008, Capello was named president of the League Managers Association, a customary role given to the a customary role given to the English national coach.

After the dismissal of Steve McClaren following the failure of England to qualify for Euro 2008, Capello was linked, together with several other top-class managers such as José Mourinho and Marcello Lippi, to the England national team position; he then admitted that he was interested in the job.

After José Mourinho ruled himself out as a potential candidate for the position, the media immediately labelled Capello as the new favourite. Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger and Rafa Benitez then voiced their support for Capello and the news that Capello had backed out of long-held TV commitments with Italian state broadcaster RAI further confirmed Capello as the favourite to be England boss. It was initially mentioned that Capello's poor English skills might rule him out of the position, but the Football Association stated that this was not so. He was formally appointed as England manager on 14 December 2007, and commenced his day-to-day role on 7 January 2008, on a four and a half year deal. It is estimated that that his annual pay is £6million. After being confirmed in the job he announced it would be his last in football. Capello announced on the day of his unveiling that it was a dream come true to manage the England national team and that he hopes to learn the English language in the next month prior to his first official meeting with the players.

Reaction from the media to Capello's appointment was largely positive. He was welcomed by many English fans and the press who hailed his appointment as a triumph, citing in particular his impressive trophy haul and his reputation as a disciplinarian in contrast to the excessive leniency perceived to have existed under his two predecessors. In Italy, news of his appointment was greeted with a sense of pride that one of his countrymen had been selected to coach the founders of the game. Equally his arrival has generated some criticism, notably from FIFA President Sepp Blatter "I would say it is a little surprising that the motherland of football has ignored a sacrosanct law or belief that the national team manager should be from the same country as the players,"

England's first match with Capello as manager was at Wembley against Switzerland on February 6, 2008. Much of the speculation approaching the game had centred on whether Capello would award David Beckham his 100th international cap. Another aspect that generated a lot of interest wass Capello's choice of captain. Several regular starters under Steve McClaren admitted they were uncertain of their future selection. On 31 January 2008, it was confirmed that Sol Campbell, Phil Neville and David Beckham had not been selected for Capello's debut squad, with the Italian citing 'fitness reasons' for dropping former captain Beckham, who had not played a professional game since England's last match on 21 November 2007. After recent erratic form, Paul Robinson also missed out on the squad. Debut call-ups were handed to two players, Curtis Davies and Gabriel Agbonlahor, both of Aston Villa. Agbonlahor later withdrew from the squad, having suffered an injury playing for Aston Villa, with Jermain Defoe selected as a replacement. Steven Gerrard was named as Capello's first captain.

Jermaine Jenas scored Capello's first goal as England Manager, in the 40th minute against Switzerland at Wembley after the England fans had started to become impatient. Shaun Wright-Phillips restored the lead after the 61st minute, shortly after coming on as a substitute. After a slow start, England won the game 2-1, handing Capello his first victory in his first game as England manager. The England fans eagerly welcomed Fabio Capello.

Overall England Performance

Preceded by Steve McClaren
Succeeded by Present Manager