Sports Nicknames - Don Fabio, Postman Pat

Fabio Capello was a highly calculative player whose technique and game awareness made him a great asset to the team. That is probably the reason why he has enjoyed such a successful career as a player and a manager.



Capello was an Italian professional football player who played at the highest level between 1964 and 1980. He played for different teams, including SPAL, Roma, Juventus, and AC Milan. Following his retirement from the sport, he took up various team coaching roles. He has managed a number of teams that include the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan, Roma, Juventus, the English National Football Team, and the Russian Football Team.


Nicknames:

Don Fabio:

The nickname Don Fabio is a result of Capello's aggressive attitude and energetic presence on the court. He is regarded as one of the most influential personalities in the history of Italian football. His presence on the pitch always contributed to his side's confidence and spirits.

As a manager, he was a tactically intelligent presence in a team's dressing room. He knew what he wanted out of his players and knew the best possible ways to get the results. His don-like attitude was the reason that he was nicknamed "Don Fabio."

Spanish media admired and appreciated him a lot during his time with Real Madrid. He coached Real Madrid for only two seasons. His first stint lasted the length of the 1996-97 season, while his second stint was between 2006-07.

Real Madrid won LA Liga during both these seasons. That's the story behind the legend of "Don Fabio", who managed his players like a God Father.

The Surveyor:

Another nickname that belongs to Fabio Capello for his coaching excellence. Fabio was always admired as a smart and intelligent character in football. He was able to read the game situation and make moves accordingly. That's just how the nickname "The Surveyor" originated. He would keep track of everything that his team did, make rigorous schedules, and analyze things from multiple perspectives.

That was his own way of working as a coach. And that probably was the reason behind the Surveyor's incredible success.

Postman Pat:

Capello was the manager of the English Football Team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. During that period, Jimmy Bullard called him "Postman Pat" because of his appearance and strictness. His curly dark brown hair and glasses closerly resembled the stop-motion animated series character.

Achievements:

As a player, Fabio won 4 Serie A titles and 2 Coppa Italia titles. In comparison with that, his coaching career was far more illustrious as he won 7 Serie A titles, UEFA Champions League, and European Super Cup.

He has won the Panchina d'Oro award (Best Coach in Italian Football) four times. Moreover, he was given the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Coach Award in 2009.

ESPN named him the 20th Greatest Manager of All Time in 2019. Other than that, he was also included in the 21 Greatest Managers of All Time by France Football.

In 2013, "Don Fabio" was officially inducted into the Italian Football Hall of Fame. AC Milan also honored him by including him in the AL Milan Hall of Fame.


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