What Is Fabio Capello's Net Worth and Salary?
Fabio Capello is an Italian soccer manager and former professional footballer who has a net worth of $90 million. Fabio Capello has won championships in four major cities and has won the domestic league title with every team he has ever coached. His annual salary for coaching peaked at $18 million. Capello is a self-professed fine art enthusiast and, over the years, has acquired a number of works of art that bring his art collection worth to nearly $14 million.
Early Life
Fabio Capello was born on June 18, 1946, in San Canzian d'Isonzo, Italy. At the time, the area was part of the Allied-occupied Zone A. He is the son of Guerrino and Evelina Capello and was raised in a devout Catholic home. His father worked as a schoolteacher and also played football. Fabio had an uncle, Mario Tortul, who played for the Italian national team during the 1960s.
Playing Career
Capello was signed by SPAL in 1963 when he was still a teenager. He was a talented and tactical holding-midfielder. He often played as a deep-lying playmaker and was an excellent ball passer who was able to orchestrate impressive team attacks from his position. Fabio became a key player for SPAL in the 1965-1966 season after having helped the team advance in their league from Serie B to Serie A.
In 1967, he moved to Roma where he became a key player for the club. In his first season, he helped Roma to the first-place position after eight matches. However, a recurring injury in his left knee kept him out for the rest of the season. Roma eventually finished the season in 10th place, only points away from relegation. The following season, Capello returned in better shape and helped Roma secure the Coppa Italia. This win qualified Roma to play in the Anglo-Italian League Cup, though they were knocked out. That year, they also reached the semi-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup but were also knocked out.
In 1970, Fabio was sold to Juventus. He had a poor start with the team but, over time, became instrumental to the team's success under manager Cestmir Vycpalek. Juventus won the league title in 1972, 1973, and 1975. They also reached the 1973 European Cup Final. In 1976, Juventus traded Capello to Milan due to concerns about his knee. He only missed two games in the 1976-1977 season with Milan due to his injury. However, over the next few seasons, his playtime was limited severely by his knee. During the 1979-1980 season, he accepted that he would be unable to continue as a professional player due to his injury.
While playing professionally, Capello also played 32 times for the Italian national team between 1972 and 1978. He made his international debut against Belgium in 1972. He is particularly remembered for a goal against England in 1973, marking the first time that Italy had ever beaten England.
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Coaching Career
After retiring from professional play, Capello became a soccer pundit for Italian television. He then focused his career on managing. In the early 1980s, he coached the Milan youth teams. Fabio coached in various capacities with Milan throughout the 1980s until replacing Arrigo Sacchi as manager of Milan in June 1991. Milan remained unbeaten for 58 league games between May 1991 and March 1993 until they were finally defeated by Parma.
In 1994, Milan won the Champions League Final. They were particularly well-known for their stellar defense that year, conceding only 15 goals the entire season. The club's defense at the time was regarded as one of the greatest defenses of all time and achieved the longest streak without conceding a goal in Serie A history. From December 1993 to February 1994, Milan's defense went unbeaten for 929 consecutive minutes. This record was only broken by Juventus during the 2015-2016 season.
The following year, Milan reached their third consecutive Champions League final in 1995, though they were defeated by Ajax. The following season, Capello modified Milan's formation and strategy, enabling the team to win the league title by an eight-point margin.
In 1996, it was announced that Fabio would be the new Real Madrid coach. He spent a single season with the team and guided the club to the Spanish league title in 1997. However, he ultimately had a falling out with the chairman, Lorenzo Sanz. Capello then returned to Milan. However, he did not have as successful of a time managing the team as he had the first time. He was dismissed by Milan and then took a short break from coaching.
In May 1999, Fabio moved to Roma as a manager. He remained there until 2004. He then left Roma to sign with Juventus, where he remained for two years before signing with Real Madrid in 2006. In 2007, he was formally appointed as manager of the England national team. He remained in that role until 2012, when he became manager of the Russia national team. In 2017, he signed a contract with a Chinese club before ultimately announcing his retirement in 2018.
Personal Life
Capello is married to Laura Ghisi. The two met on a bus as teenagers in Italy. They have a son together named Pier Filippo, who went on to work as his father's agent. Fabio is a fine art enthusiast whose collection is estimated to be worth over $10 million. His favorite artist is reportedly Wassily Kandinsky.
Capello is known for his right-wing political views. When he was younger, he was a self-described socialist but then became a longtime supporter of Silvio Berlusconi and his center-right party, Forza Italia. In 2002, Fabio admitted to having voted for the Northern Italian right-wing separatist political party La Lega once in the past. However, he has rejected the label of conservative and has voiced his support for trade unions.
