Eugenio Bersellini

Eugenio Bersellini (June 10, 1936 – September 2, 2017) was an Italian footballer and coach, best remembered as one of the key architects of Italian football in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Source Wikipedia

Born in Borgo a Buggiano, Tuscany, Bersellini enjoyed a solid playing career as a midfielder, spanning the late 1950s and 1960s. He was not a flashy player but was valued for his work rate, tactical intelligence, and physical robustness—traits that later defined his coaching philosophy. After starting his career with Fidenza in the fourth tier, he signed for Brescia in Serie B in 1954 where he stayed for five years with 98 appearances and 19 goals. In 1956-57 they went close to promotion, losing out in the playoff. He then played another five years at Monza, with a season break at Pro Patria, all again in the second tier. In his last year they were relegated to Serie C and he moved south to Lecce for his last two years of active football.

After retiring, he quickly made his mark as a coach, earning a reputation for tactical discipline, physical preparation, and man-management.

He first started at Lecce in 1969 the spent a couple of years each at Como, Cesena and Sampdoria before being called up to Inter whom he led to the Serie A title in 1979–80. He also won two Coppa Italia titles with Inter (1977–78 and 1981–82).

He left and coached Torino for two years before going back to Sampdoria guiding them to their first major trophy, the Coppa Italia in 1984–85, laying the foundations for the club’s golden era that followed under Vujadin Boškov.

This was followed by further seasons in Serie A with Fiorentina (1986–1987), Avellino (1987–1988), and Ascoli. He then returned to Como (1990–1991) in Serie C1, before taking charge of Modena (1991–1992), Bologna (1992–1993), and Pisa (from February to June 1994) in Serie B. He later coached Saronno in Serie C1 from 1995 to 1997. He then left for Libya. His North African experience began in 1999, when he was appointed head coach of the Libyan national team. In 2001 he was hired by Al-Ahly Tripoli, and in 2002, after moving to the bench of Al-Ittihad Tripoli, he won the Libyan championship, coaching — among others — Al-Sa'adi Gaddafi.

After returning to Italy, in 2006 he was entrusted with the task of rescuing Lavagnese, who were struggling near the bottom of Serie D. Under his guidance the team climbed the table and secured survival after winning the relegation play-outs against Narnese. His final role was as sporting director of Sestri Levante in the 2006–2007 season, a Ligurian Serie D club.

Eugenio Bersellini was a great manager. He was nicknamed the Iron Sergeant for his harsh training methods and an inflexible working ethic. He believed that the foundation of the manager was to thoroughly know the players and then adapt the team based on those characteristics.

Eugenio Bersellini passed away on September 17 2017 in Prato at the age of 81, leaving behind a legacy as one of the most influential Italian coaches of his generation.

Sources

Wikipedia