Angelo Colombo

Angelo Colombo

Personal information
Full name	Angelo Colombo
Date of birth	(1961-02-24) 24 February 1961 (age 63)
Place of birth	Mezzago, Italy
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) [1]
Position(s)	Midfielder
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1979–1984	Monza	108	(4)
1984–1985	Avellino	30	(6)
1985–1987	Udinese	51	(1)
1987–1990	Milan	77	(7)
1990–1992	Bari	26	(2)
1994–1995	Marconi Stallions	17	(2)
Total		309	(22)
International career
1988	Italy Olympic	5	(0)
Managerial career
2009	Calcio Montebelluna
2010–2011	Carpenedolo
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Angelo Colombo (born 24 February 1961) is an Italian former footballer who played for Milan as a midfielder, and was part of their European Cup victories in 1989 and 1990. He is now a scout for the club. ^[2]

Club career

Angelo Colombo began his career with the Monza in 1979, first with the youth squad, at the age of 13, and later making his professional debut with the club in Serie B. In 1984, he was acquired by Pierpaolo Marino's Avellino side, and he made his Serie A debut with the club on 16 September 1984, in a 0–0 home draw against Roma. ^{[2] [3]}

The following season, he transferred to Udinese, in 1985, and in 1987, he was bought by Milan, under manager Arrigo Sacchi, making his club debut in the Coppa Italia on 23 August 1987, in a 5–0 win over Bari. He enjoyed a successful three-season spell with Milan, winning the 1987–88 Serie A title, the 1988 Supercoppa Italiana, consecutive European Cups (1988–89 and 1989–90), as well as the 1989 Intercontinental Cup, and the 1989 European Super Cup, with his final appearance coming in Milan's 1–0 victory over Benfica in the 1990 European Cup Final on 23 May; in total he made 115 appearances for the club between 1987 and 1990, scoring 7 goals, all of which came in his 77 Serie A appearances with the club. ^{[2] [4]}

In 1990, he moved to Bari, at the request of Salvemini, to replace Carbone, who had recently been purchased by his former club Milan. In 1992, he left the club, temporarily retiring from football, although in 1994, he returned to football, signing for Australian side Marconi Stallions, with whom he ended his career after the 1994–95 season. ^{[3] [4]}

International career

Although he was never capped for the Italian senior side, ^[5] Colombo played for the Italy Under-21 side at the 1988 Summer Olympics, where they reached the semi-finals, finishing the tournament in fourth place. ^{[2] [6]}

Style of play

Colombo was capable of playing both as a wide midfielder on either flank (although he was usually deployed on the right) and in the centre as a defensive midfielder. Although not particularly prolific, talented, or skilful from a technical standpoint, he was known for being a quick, determined, selfless, and energetic team player, who was often involved in the build-up of the team's attacking plays. However, he stood out in particular for his stamina, tenacity, intelligence, attacking movement off the ball, and defensive work-rate, as well as his ball-winning abilities, which made him a key player in Sacchi's legendary Milan side of the late 80s, and which allowed him to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Along with his partner Alberigo Evani on the opposite flank, he was often tasking with covering defensively for the overlapping runs of Milan's attacking full-backs, namely Mauro Tassotti on the right, while his defensive skills also enabled him to form a strong partnership with fellow holding midfielder Frank Rijkaard in midfield. Sacchi himself once even described Colombo as being "tactically more important than Maradona." In addition to his qualities as a player, he also stood out for his long blonde hair. ^{[2] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]}

Managerial career

After retiring, Colombo coached the Milan youth side for five years, and later became a their co-ordinator for four more years, and subsequently a scout for the team. On 26 January 2009, he signed a contract to coach Montebelluna in Serie D, replacing Gianfranco Borgato, and saving the team from relegation in the play-off against Somma. ^[2]

In May 2010, he took charge of Carpenedolo during the 2009–10 Lega Pro Second Division play-offs against Villacidrese, which ended with the club's relegation to Serie D at the end of the season. The following season, the team were defeated in the Serie D play-off against Mobilieri Ponsacco, but the team were not relegated to the Eccellenza League, as they were re-drawn. On 30 October 2011, Colombo was sacked, as the team were second last during the 2011–12 Serie D season. ^[14]

Honours

Club

Milan ^{[2] [3] [4]}

• Serie A: 1987–88
• Supercoppa Italiana: 1988
• European Cup: 1988–89, 1989–90
• European Super Cup: 1989
• Intercontinental Cup: 1989

References

1. https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/oicAAOSw5Oxa8yXX/s-l1600.jpg ^{[ bare URL image file ]}
2. "Angelo Colombo". magliarossonera.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 April 2015.
3. "Angelo Colombo". pianeta-calcio.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 26 October 2018. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
4. "Angelo Colombo – Carriera, Giocatore, Allenatore". altervista.org (in Italian). Retrieved 22 April 2015.
5. "Miraggi Azzurri: 11 campioni senza Nazionale" (in Italian). Storie di Calcio. 5 September 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
6. "Angelo Colombo Biography and Statistics". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020.
7. "Accadde oggi Angelo Colombo". www.udinese.it (in Italian). Retrieved 19 November 2022.
8. "The Immortals exclusive extract: Colombo's butler". Football Italia. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
9. "Il Milan di Arrigo Sacchi, la squadra perfetta che incantò l'Europa". Eurosport (in Italian). 20 March 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
10. "Il Milan di Arrigo Sacchi contro il Barcellona di Pep Guardiola: chi è il più forte?" (in Italian). 90min.com. 10 June 2019. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
11. Camedda, Paolo (1 April 2022). "Arrigo Sacchi, il 'Profeta di Fusignano' che ha rivoluzionato il calcio italiano: dal grande Milan alla Nazionale" (in Italian). www.goal.com. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
12. Wilson, Jonathan (19 April 2011). "Jonathan Wilson: Barcelona 2011 vs. AC Milan 1990". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
13. Barker, Matt (28 October 2016). "Milan '88: The inside story of Sacchi's all-conquering kings, as told by them". fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
14. Luca Canini. "Carpendolo: ora tocca a Colombo". bresciaoggi.it (in Italian). Retrieved 22 April 2015.^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}