Antonio Conte

At 55 years old, Antonio Conte has this physical status:

Antonio Conte (born 31 July 1969) is an Italian professional football coach and former player.

He is Inter Milan's head coach. Conte, a midfielder, began his playing career at Lecce's local team and later became one of Juventus's most decorated and influential players.

Among other accolades, he captained the team and lifted the UEFA Champions League as well as five Serie A titles.

He served for Italy's national team and was a member of the 1994 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000, where Italy finished runners-up on both directions. His managerial career began in 2006, leading Bari to the 2008–09 Serie B championship and Siena to promotion from the same division two years ago.

He took over Juventus in 2011 and won three straight Serie A titles before taking over the Italian national team in 2014.

He took Chelsea's Premier League title in his first season as coach in April 2016 and then won the FA Cup in his second season with the club.

In July 2018, he was fired as Chelsea boss.

On May 31, 2019, he was announced as Inter Milan's new manager.

Personal life

Vittoria is Conte and his partner Elisabetta's daughter. The couple had been together for 15 years before marrying in June 2013. Conte has expressed appreciation to his family and friends during the Scommessopoli match-fixing scandal in 2011–12: "I have a wonderful woman by my side, one who always wants to know me." She is the other woman in my household, as for my daughter. She's beginning to understand that if her father does not win [a match], she gets anxious."

Conte is a native Italian who speaks also in English. Conte is Catholic.

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Playing career

Conte started his Lecce youth team and made his Serie A debut against Pisa on April 6, 1986, aged 16. He made the squad's core player under new manager Carlo Mazzone. In 1987, he fractured his tibia, putting him at risk of a career-ending injury. However, he was back on the field in the 1988-89 season, scoring his first Serie A goal against Napoli on November 11, 1989. For Lecce, he has played 99 appearances and 1 goal.

Conte was signed by Juventus boss Giovanni Trapattoni in 1991 (Conte refers to Trapattoni as his "second father"), debuted against Torino cross-city rivals on November 17, 1991. Following Gianluca Vialli's departure and promotion of Alessandro Del Piero to the position, he became a popular figure among the club's followers, as a result of his consistent results, work-rate, leadership, and tenacious playing style. Conte returned to the captaincy after a serious knee injury in 1998-1999, a role he held until the 2001–02 season. Conte won five Serie A titles, the 1994–95 Coppa Italia, the 1992–96 UEFA Champions League, four Supercoppa Italiana titles, the 1996 UEFA Intercontinental Cup (which he missed due to illness) and the 1999 UEFA Champions' Cup, as well as four other potential top-tier club titles outside of the UEFA Champions' Cup.

Conte and his crew also finished runner-up in the Champions League on three other occasions, when Juventus lost the Champions League finals in 1997, 1998, and 2003. He came on as a replacement in the second half and provided Juventus's best chance of the match, hitting the crossbar with a header, but Juventus eventually lost the match on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra time. Conte also finished runners-up in the 1995 UEFA Cup Final with the club. He was with the Turin-based club until his retirement in 2004. He made a total of 295 appearances and 29 goals in Serie A, as well as 418 appearances and 43 goals in all competitions during his 13 years with Juventus, with a total of 295 appearances and 29 goals.

Conte made his Italy national team debut on May 27, 1994, beating Finland 2–0 in a 2–0 friendly victory over age 24 under Arrigo Sacchi. He was a member of the Italian squads for both the 1994 FIFA World Cup under Sacchi and the UEFA Euro 2000 under Dino Zoff, winning runners-up medals in both tournaments. However, he missed out on the Euro 1996 Champions League final due to an injury. Conte scored a bicycle kick in Italy's first match of Euro 2000, which culminated in a 2–1 victory over Turkey, but he later suffered an injury in a 2–0 victory over Romania in the quarter-finals of the competition, which barred him from the remainder of the competition. He made 20 international appearances for Italy between 1994 and 2000, scoring twice.

Conte, who was regarded as one of the best Italian midfielders of his time, was regarded as a quick, combative, tenacious, and tactically versatile footballer throughout his career, but he was mainly deployed as a central, box-to-box, or defensive midfielder, as a right flanker due to his crossing ability. Though Conte was not the best-equipped or skilled footballer in the area (although he was unable to improve), the team's effective defensively and offensively, as well as the ability to turn defense into an assault. In addition to his ball-striking from distance and his ability to get forward, he also scored some spectacular and decisive goals, many from volleys and strikes from outside the region. Despite not being tall, he was also thought to be physically fit, alert in the air, and precise with his head. Despite his potential as a footballer, his career was often interrupted by injuries.

Coaching career

Conte was an assistant manager for Siena in 2005-06 season after retiring from playing. He was appointed coach of Serie B side Arezzo in July 2006. However, he was fired on October 31, 2006, following a string of poor results.

Conte was reinstated as Arezzo's head coach on March 13th, 2007 after his predecessor, Maurizio Sarri, failed to make any significant change with the team mired in a relegation fight. He coached the team to five straight victories in a row, winning 19 points from seven matches, closing the gap between them and safety. Despite the team's return to form, Arezzo was relegated to Serie C1 on the final day of the league season, finishing one point behind Spezia.

Conte was recalled by Bari on December 27 to replace Giuseppe Materazzi in the second half of the 2007–08 Serie B campaign. He oversaw a dramatic decline in form, leading the team out of the relegation war and placing them comfortably mid-table. Bari was crowned Serie B champions in 2008-09, Conte's first major award as a manager.

Conte was linked to the vacant managerial role at Juventus for weeks, and he agreed in principle for a contract extension to keep him at Bari for the new season. Bari had rescinded the deal with Conte by mutual agreement on June 23.

Conte was announced as a potential replacement after Juventus fired Claudio Ranieri. Conte had expressed his desire to be a Juventus coach at some point in the years leading up to Ranieri's resignation, and was certain he was set for the challenge. Juventus turned down the opportunity to hire Ciro Ferrara rather than recruit their former midfielder.

Conte appointed Angelo Gregucci as Atalanta's boss on September 21, 2009. Despite getting off to a promising start at the helm of the Orobici, the club found itself struggling by November, sparking local activists' outrage and division between Conte and the club's ultra supporters.

During a home game against Napoli that resulted in a 0–2 loss for the Nerazzurri, Conte was repeatedly confronted by Atalanta fans on January 6, 2010. Conte was banned by the police to prevent an altercation with the Atalanta ultras, which was sadly concluded. Conte resigned from the club on the next day, leaving them in 19th place.

Conte was appointed as the Tuscan head coach of Siena on May 9, 2010, with the intention of returning the Tuscan side to the top flight following relegation to the 2010–11 Serie A series.

Juventus sporting director Giuseppe Marotta announced Conte as the club's next head coach on May 22, 2011, replacing Luigi Delneri. Conte landed in Italy with a strong hope that he, a former fan favorite as a midfielder for the club, would lead them back to the top of the Italian and European games.

Following a 5–0 win over Fiorentina, the club reached a string of 28 unbeaten matches between November 2005 and May 2006. Conte, the first coach to lead Juventus to a Coppa Italia final since Marcello Lippi in the 2004 Coppa Italia Final, March 20th. Following a 2–0 victory at the Juventus Stadium, he became the first coach to complete the Derby d'Italia against rivals Inter Milan in 2005–06. Conte was given the Trofeo Maestrelli Award in November 2012, an award given to the three best Italian coaches working in the professional league, the country's youth coaching system, and elsewhere in Italy. Despite being forced to watch a large number of games throughout the season, Juventus defeated Cagliari 2–0 on May 6, 2012, their 28th league title and one match remaining. Juventus finished the league undefeated after beating Atalanta 3-1, the first team to do so since Serie A increased to 20 teams and 38 rounds.

Conte's dynamic 3–5–2 team, which featured wingbacks and two box-to-box midfielders in a three-man midfield, gave the club's newly acquired deep-lying playmaker Andrea Pirlo more creative freedom. The club's tenacious and well-organized three-man back-line, which was largely composed of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, and Andrea Barzagli, was expected to have played a major role in the title victory but only conceded 20 goals, finishing the league with the best defense in Italy. Juventus lost the 2012 Coppa Italia final to Napoli 2–0, their first defeat in domestic competitions this season.

Juventus triumphed the 2012-13 Serie A championship with 87 points, three more than the previous season, nine more than second-placed Napoli, and 15 more than third-placed Milan. Juventus' top goalcorers in the league were midfielder Arturo Vidal and forward Mirko Vuini, both with just ten goals, making them joint 23rd in the goal scoring chart, despite their domination. Juventus was disqualified in his first Champions League campaign by eventual winners Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals, losing 4–0 on aggregate. Juventus gained their third straight Serie A title under Conte in 2013–14 season, defeating the league by 102 points in their second straight Supercoppa Italiana crown. This was also the club's 30th league title. Juventus were however barred from the Champions League's group stage this season, but the UEFA Europa League went on to reach the semi-finals. Conte resigned as manager on July 15, 2014. He received the Panchina d'Oro for each one of his three seasons as Juventus's head coach.

Following Cesare Prandelli's departure from Italy's national team, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) reported on August 14 that Conte as the national team's new head coach until Euro 2016. Conte continued to field formations during his lengthy stay with Juventus, ranging from 4–3–3, 4–2–4, 3–3–4, and the 3–5–2 in particular, with Prandelli's 4–3–1–2 formation replacing Prandelli's 4–3–1–2 midfield diamond formation being the tactical pick that ultimately replaced Prandelli's 4–3–1–2 midfield diamond formation. Italy's first match as Italy's boss was a 2–0 victory over Netherlands, during which Ciro Immobile and Daniele De Rossi scored the goals for Gli Azzurri. Conte won his first competitive match on September 9th, beating Norway 2–0 in Oslo’s first Euro 2016 qualifying match, with goals from Simone Zaza and Leonardo Bonucci. This was the first time Italy had been able to defeat the Norwegians in Norway since 1937.

Conte's first loss was against Portugal on June 16, 2015, during his first appearance as Italy's boss. Italy defeated Azerbaijan 3–1 in Baku on October 10, 2015, sealing Euro 2016 qualifying for Italy. In European qualifiers, Italy had to win 50 games.

Conte will step down as manager after Euro 2016. Despite the fact that many followers and members of the media were initially critical of Conte's tactics and the quality of the Italian squad selected for the tournament, Italy opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over the number-one ranked European team Belgium on June 13. Conte drew praise from the media for the team's unity, defensive strength, and tactical approach to the match, which prevented Belgium from creating many goalscoring opportunities. Conte led Italy out of the group to the Round of 16 with one game to spare on Friday after a 1–0 victory over Sweden. In which Conte had coincidentally appeared as a participant, Italy had not win the second group match in a major international tournament since Euro 2000. Conte was also the head of Italy's first appearance in a major tournament since the 2006 World Cup. Conte's Italy defeated defending champions Spain 2–0 in the quarter-finals, beating Germany 6–5 in favour of Germany after the resulting penalty shoot-out, putting an end to his tenure as Italy's boss. Conte said after the match, "[T]he decision to leave the national team early was taken early," and that the reason for his departure was because he "wanted to return to the cut and thrust of club football."

Conte will officially become England's first-team head coach from the 2016–17 season, which will keep him at the club until 2019.

Chelsea opened the season with a 2–1 victory over West Ham United on August 15th. Following a 1–0 victory over Crystal Palace, Conte set a new club record of 11 straight victories in a single season. Chelsea won their 13th straight league victory over Stoke City on December 31. That was equal to Arsenal's 2002 record for most consecutive league victories in a single season. In the following match, the team's league winning streak came to an end, with a 2–0 home loss to Tottenham Hotspur.

Conte became the first manager to win three consecutive Premier League Manager of the Month awards (October, November, and December).

Conte's Chelsea side defeated West Bromwich Albion 1–0 away on May 12, 2017, with a late penalty from replacement Michy Batshuayi, who won the 2016–17 Premier League championship with two games to spare. Chelsea won by 5–1 home victory over Sunderland on May 21, 2017, setting a new Premier League record for the most victories in a single season, with 30 league victories out of 38 league matches. Conte signed a new Chelsea two-year contract on July 18, 2017.

Conte was sent to the stands for the first time in his Chelsea career during the first half of a home match against Swansea City on November 29, 2017. He argued with fourth official Lee Mason over referee Neil Swarbrick's decision to award a goal kick rather than a corner for Chelsea, after which the referee dismissed him. Conte apologised after the FA charged him with misconduct.

Chelsea defeated Manchester United 11-0 in the 2018 FA Cup Final on May 19, 2018, Conte led Chelsea to a 1–0 win over Manchester United.

Chelsea finished fifth in the league at the end of the season, but they were unable to qualify for Champions League qualification. Conte was fired as Chelsea's manager on July 13, 2018 and was replaced by Maurizio Sarri. According to Chelsea's accounts, the club has lost £26.6 million in paying off compensation to Conte and his staff during this time.

Conte was appointed head coach of Inter Milan's Serie A team on May 31, 2019. Inter defeated Lecce 4–0 in Inter's first league match of the season on August 26, 2019. In the Serie A championship competition, Inter came in second, behind Juventus. Inter also reached the final of the Europa League, but they lost by 3–2 to Sevilla in Cologne on August 21, 2020.

Inter were crowned champions for the first time in ten years after Atalanta's draw against Sassuolo on May 2nd, 2021, snapping Juventus's run of nine consecutive titles.

However, Inter revealed that Conte had left the club by mutual consent after achieving Serie A glory on May 26th 2021. Conte's departure was reportedly due to differences with the club's board over transfers for the coming season.

Conte was appointed as the head coach of Tottenham Hotspur on 2 November 2021, following Nuno Esprito Santo's dismissal the day before. He began working for 18 months with the possibility of a further year. Tottenham's first match in charge of the club was a 3–2 victory over Ethio's Vitesse. On November 7th, 2021, his first Premier League game was a 0–0 draw against Everton. Conte became the first Tottenham manager to win in the first eight league games on January 1, 2022, after a late victory over Watford.

Conte helped Tottenham qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2019-20, after winning 5–0 against Norwich City and finishing fourth in the 2021-2022 Premier League season.

Conte had a 2-0 win over Everton, giving Tottenham their best-ever Premier League debut to the season.

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