“I always believed in winning and I always tried to transmit this mentality to my players: go to an event to win.” This was emphasized by Marcello Lippi, the coach with whom the Italian national team won the world championships in 2006, presenting the docufilm “Now I win”, released in theaters and directed by Herbert Simone Paragnani .
“We were convinced that we could win this Cup – reiterates the former coach -. I was very convinced, I tried to convince them all and I succeeded. I always say that I have experienced two extraordinary things in my life: my family and the World Cup won in Germany.”
“I win? Not always, but that’s enough,” jokes the former coach, citing the title of the documentary, before adding: “I was lucky to have good players, without whom we cannot win . Then I also managed to make these players understand that we had opportunities. Before every event, I always told my parents: “Now let's go win”, because the players should think about winning and not about losing. participation, no matter how good it was. I always tried to convey the idea of winning.”
After his experience with the Azzurri, Lippi worked for seven years in China, first in Guangzhou and then with the national team. The former coach explains: “I went there because from an economic point of view it was an exceptional offer, I went to get this money. What if I thought I was going to win? Guangzhou was one of the best Chinese teams and we won three league titles as well as the Asian Champions League. But honestly, I went there for the cheap offer which was exceptional.
In 2019, on the occasion of the meeting at the Quirinale with Sergio Mattarella, Chinese President Xi Jinping requested that Lippi also be present: “He greeted me asking when I would return to coach their national team and I patted him shoulder. Did I learn Chinese when I was there? A few words yes, then I forgot everything. Learning Chinese is impossible.”
In 1994, the coach received the first offer to coach Juventus. “Before accepting Agnelli's offer – he said – I went to my father's grave. I did it because he, my father, never liked Juve and so I told him: 'Have patience, I'm going, but don't feel bad about it'.”
However, Lippi's debut as a footballer took place with Stella Rossa Viareggio, his hometown team. A start to his career which he remembers like this: “They made us sing 'Bella Ciao'. It was almost a Communist Party cell, but we were children and all we thought about was playing football. »
Finally, regarding Zidane: “From a technical point of view, he was the best, a great footballer. He was technically exceptional, he was part of that Juventus team that won everything we were saying before. An extraordinary boy and a great footballer.”
