Capello, Fabio life and biography

Fabio Capello (born 18 June 1946) is an Italian football manager and former professional player. He is the current manager of the English national team, having started the role in January 2008 after the dismissal of Steve McClaren, who was sacked after England failed to qualify for Euro 2008. He is the second foreigner to have managed the England side, the other being McClaren's predecessor, the Swede Sven-Göran Eriksson.

Capello has the distinction of winning the domestic league title with every club he has coached throughout his career. In his first five seasons as a manager he won four Serie A titles with Milan, where he also won the 1993–94 UEFA Champions League, defeating Barcelona 4-0 in a memorable final. He then spent a year at Real Madrid, where he won the La Liga title at his first attempt, and in 2001 led Roma to their first league title in 18 years. Capello also won two titles at Juventus (which were later stripped after the Calciopoli scandal), and in 2006 returned to Real Madrid, where he won another La Liga title. Overall he has won a major league championship in seven of his 16 seasons as a coach, and is one of the few managers to claim championship victories in four major European cities: Milan, Madrid, Rome, and Turin.

After being appointed England manager in December 2007, Capello announced that the role would be the last of his 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 English national coach.

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

After 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 Rafael Benítez 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 £6 million. After being confirmed for 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 hoped to learn the English language in the following month prior to his first official meeting with the players.

Capello 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.

England's first match with Capello as manager was at Wembley against Switzerland on 6 February 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 was 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 a number of senior players including Sol Campbell and 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 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. Capello decided to give the captain's armband to Steven Gerrard for his first game in charge, beginning his rotation policy.

On 31 May 2008, Capello named David Beckham as captain for the match on 1 June 2008 against Trinidad and Tobago. It was Beckham's first game as captain of England since the 2006 FIFA World Cup. England comfortably won the game 3-0. On 19 August 2008, Capello announced that John Terry would be named permanent captain for the second time in his career. On 20 August 2008, England drew 2-2 at Wembley with the Czech Republic.

England rounded off 2008 by beating Germany 2-1 on 19 November. A John Terry header secured the win for England, in the 83rd minute, inflicting the first defeat Germany had suffered in Berlin in 35 years.

In the spring of 2009, England played two more friendlies, losing 2–0 to European champions Spain and beating Slovakia 4–0. In the summer of 2009 England played another friendly against Holland, coming back from 2-0 down to secure a 2-2 draw away from home. Slovenia were beaten 2-1 In Wembley in the same year.

In March 2010, England played a friendly against Egypt and beat the Africa Cup of Nations holders 3 - 1.

Personal life
Capello was born in 1946 in San Canzian d'Isonzo, Northern Italy to Guerrino and Evelina Capello. Both his father, a schoolteacher, and uncle played football, and Capello has spent his entire adult life involved with the sport. He has been married to his wife Laura, who he first met on a bus as a teenager, for over 40 years. He is represented by his son Pierfilippo, who acts as his agent. It is thought that The Football Association welcomed the stable family life that Capello brings to the job, in contrast to the more colourful antics of his predecessors which served as fodder for the media. However, it has been highlighted that Capello has made a number of controversial comments over the years, such as praising Francisco Franco, and that the FA will be hoping he learns to keep his opinions to himself.

In January 2008, Italian police announced that they were launching an investigation into tax irregularities by Capello. However, the probe has been dismissed as routine by Capello's spokesmen who said this was part of a wider investigation into a number of wealthy Italians. The FA revealed that they had known about the upcoming probe when they had appointed Capello, and expected no charges to be brought.

Capello is a self-confessed fine art enthusiast. Over the years, he has acquired a number of works, and his art collection is estimated to be worth £17 million. His favourite artist is reportedly Wassily Kandinsky. Capello is also extremely fond of opera, and likes to spend his evenings listening to classical music.

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