Cesare Prandelli
An Italian football manager who guided the national team with tactical nuance and profound empathy to the final of the European Championship.
Born 1957 (age 69)·Italian association football player and manager·Birthday: August 19·Baby Boomers
Biography
Cesare Prandelli's career in football is a story of thoughtful evolution, from a reliable midfielder for Juventus to a manager known for his philosophical approach. His coaching breakthrough came at Fiorentina, where he built an attractive, cohesive team that challenged for Serie A honors and reached the Champions League. This success earned him the helm of the Italian national team in 2010. Prandelli's Italy was a surprise package at Euro 2012, playing with a fluidity that captivated fans and storming to the final, where they fell to a dominant Spain. His tenure was marked by a focus on character and style, but also by personal tragedy and the immense pressure of the job. Later spells at Galatasaray, Valencia, and Fiorentina again showcased a coach deeply connected to the human side of the sport.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Cesare was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cesare Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Cesare's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led the Italian national team to the final of UEFA Euro 2012, losing to Spain.
- Managed A.S. Roma to a second-place finish in Serie A in the 2007-08 season.
- Guided Fiorentina to a Champions League knockout stage berth in the 2009-10 season.
- Won the Serie A Coach of the Year award (Panchina d'Oro) in 2006 while at Fiorentina.
Did You Know?
He played six seasons for Juventus, winning two Serie A titles as a player.
He resigned from the Italian national team job in 2014 to support his partner during her illness.
He briefly served as head coach of the Uzbekistan national team in 2024.
Prandelli is known for his interest in literature and philosophy outside of football.
“Football is the most important of the less important things in life.”
