Sports Nicknames - Braveheart, Rino, Snarling Dog, Ringhio

Gennaro Gattuso is one of those players who never went under the radar, as his motions and involvements on the pitch were closely noticed and often hyped.



While the experts regard him as the Greatest holding midfielder of all time, his die-hard attitude, aggressive intent, and versatile nature of play earned him the nicknames Braveheart, Rino, Snarling Dog, and Ringhio.


AC Milan:

At AC Milan, his aggressive tackling and die-hard attitude were the reason why his teammates first started calling him Ringhio. His time in Italy also made him famous as Snarling Dog. An interesting fact about Gattuso is that he has a tattoo on his arm that is proof of his love and association with AC Milan. The story about the tattoo is that Gattuso had a dream of winning the Champions League with AC Milan, and he achieved that on 28th May 2003. That's imprinted in the form of a tattoo on Gattuso's arm. Moreover, the Italian fans also tagged him as Rino or Rhino for his playing style. This tag also came to prominence during the time when he managed Palermo FC.


The Braveheart:

Italy's Ringhio also played for the Swiss Football Club Rangers. At Rangers, his attitude, competitiveness, and self-belief always stood out. All of this led to a new nickname of BRAVEHEART for him that has stayed with him even today.


Achievements and Honors:

As a player, Gattuso's greatest achievement and honor was the 2006 FIFA World Cup victory, as he was an important and highly dependable member of the World Cup Winning Italian Squad of 2006.

The defensive midfielder was also a part of the Italian squads for FIFA World Cups in 2002 and 2010. He made a total of 73 appearances for the Italian National Football team. While he had an illustrious career in Club football, his most notable period was with AC Milan between 1999 and 2012. During the period, he won Serie A. twice in 2004 and 2011, Coppa Italia in 2003, FIFA Club World Cup in 2007, and UEFA Super Cup in 2003 and 2007. Braveheart also won the prestigious UEFA Champions League in 2003 and 2007. As an acknowledgment and appreciation for his achievements, he was inducted into the AC Milan Hall of Fame. Rino's 18 years long playing career came to an end in 2013.


Managerial Career:

Following retirement, Gattuso has pursued a career as a Manager and is currently associated with Valencia FC. Earlier, he won his first trophy as a manager with Napoli as the team won Coppa Italia 2019-20.

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