 Zenga coachingWolverhampton Wanderers in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walter Zenga[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1960-04-28)28 April 1960 (age 65) | ||
| Place of birth | Milan, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Siracusa (club manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1969–1971 | Macallesi 1927 | ||
| 1971–1978 | Inter Milan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1978–1994 | Inter Milan | 328 | (0) |
| 1978–1979 | →Salernitana (loan) | 3 | (0) |
| 1979–1980 | →Savona (loan) | 23 | (0) |
| 1980–1982 | →Sambenedettese (loan) | 67 | (0) |
| 1994–1996 | Sampdoria | 41 | (0) |
| 1996–1997 | Padova | 21 | (0) |
| 1997–1998 | New England Revolution[2] | 22 | (0) |
| 1998–1999 | New England Revolution | 25 | (0) |
| Total | 530 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1984–1986 | Italy U21 | 15 | (0) |
| 1984 | Italy Olympic | 1 | (0) |
| 1986–1992 | Italy | 59 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1998–1999 | New England Revolution (player/coach) | ||
| 2000–2001 | Brera | ||
| 2002–2003 | Naţional București | ||
| 2003 | Naţional București (technical director) | ||
| 2004–2005 | Steaua București | ||
| 2005–2006 | Red Star Belgrade | ||
| 2006–2007 | Gaziantepspor | ||
| 2007 | Al-Ain | ||
| 2007 | Dinamo București | ||
| 2008–2009 | Catania | ||
| 2009 | Palermo | ||
| 2010 | Al-Nassr | ||
| 2011–2013 | Al-Nasr | ||
| 2013–2014 | Al-Jazira | ||
| 2015 | Sampdoria | ||
| 2015–2016 | Al-Shaab | ||
| 2016 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | ||
| 2017–2018 | Crotone | ||
| 2018–2019 | Venezia | ||
| 2020 | Cagliari | ||
| 2023–2024 | Persita Tangerang (technical director) | ||
| 2024 | Emirates | ||
| 2024– | Siracusa (club manager) | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Walter ZengaCavaliere OMRI (Italian pronunciation:[ˈvalterˈdzeŋɡa,-ˈdzɛŋ-]; born 28 April 1960) is an Italian professionalfootballmanager and former player, currently club manager atSerie C clubSiracusa.
He is regarded as one of the greatest goalkeepers of his generation,[3][4][5] and one of Italy's best keepers ever.[6]
He was a long-timegoalkeeper forInter Milan and theItaly national team. During his playing career, Zenga was part of the Italian squad that finished fourth at the1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and was the starting goalkeeper for the Italian team that finished third in the1990 FIFA World Cup tournament held in Italy, keeping a World Cup record unbeaten streak.[7] A three-time winner of theIFFHS World's Best Goalkeeper Award, Zenga is regarded by pundits as one of the best goalkeepers of all time,[8] and in 2013 was voted the eighth best goalkeeper of the past quarter-century byIFFHS.[9] In 2000, he also placed 20th in theWorld Keeper of the Century Elections by the same organisation.[10]
After retiring as a player, Zenga briefly became an actor in an Italiansoap opera and also apundit on Italian TV. Since 1998 he has worked as ahead coach and managed clubs in the United States, Italy, Turkey, Romania, Serbia, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and England.
Zenga joinedInter Milan in 1982, after starting his professional career in 1978 in the lower divisions of Italian football (his first team wasSalernitana inSerie C1, and he also played forSavona andSambenedettese). Initially, (in the1982–83 season) he was the substitute ofIvano Bordon, who was one of the top Italian goalkeepers of his era, as he had beenDino Zoff's reserve in the1982 FIFA World Cup. However, Zenga played Inter's matches in theCoppa Italia, impressing enough that the club decided not to buy another goalkeeper after Bordon's decision to move toSampdoria during the summer of 1983. Zenga became Inter's starting goalkeeper in the1983–84 season, where he conceded only 23 goals, better than any other goalkeeper in that season.[11]
The next season would prove to be bittersweet for Zenga: although he continued to play excellently, he did not manage to win any trophies. In Italy, Inter was the main rival ofHellas Verona who won the first and, to this day, onlyScudetto of its history in 1985, while in Europe he had to suffer two bitter and quite controversial defeats at the hands of Spanish giantsReal Madrid, both times in theUEFA Cup semi-finals. However, personal success was growing: he became a fan favourite due to his qualities and his love for the team, his fame was now nationwide thanks to his larger than life personality and he quickly established himself as one of the premier goalkeepers of the country, which led to him being called up to Italy's squad for the 1986 World Cup.[11]
Apart from enjoying the selection for a World Cup, the summer of 1986 proved to be important for Zenga also at club level. In fact, Inter signedGiovanni Trapattoni, who leftJuventus after a highly successful 10-year stint, to manage the team. Meanwhile, the trio formed by Zenga,Giuseppe Bergomi andRiccardo Ferri (who respectively occupied the positions of goalkeeper, right-sided full-back, and man-marking centre-back/stopper) was becoming the cornerstone of the team and of the Italian team also. In the1986–87 season. Inter closely foughtNapoli for theScudetto, finishing third despite a series of injuries which plagued the team in the final weeks of the season (among others,Marco Tardelli,Alessandro Altobelli andKarl-Heinz Rummenigge had to watch the final matches from the bench). However, Zenga imposed himself as the best goalkeeper in Italy, finishing the 30 matches-long season conceding only 17 goals and by being picked by new Italy's managerAzeglio Vicini as the starter in the goalkeeping position.[11]
The next season would prove to be disappointing for Inter and Zenga: the team struggled all the season, due to lack of compatibility between the two main forwards (team's captain Altobelli and the newly acquiredAldo Serena) and between the two offensive midfieldersGianfranco Matteoli and the BelgianVincenzo Scifo. Plus Zenga, dissatisfied with the way the club was managed, decided to leave Inter and join the then dominant Napoli. However, the move did not materialize and Zenga remained with Inter. The highlight of the season for Zenga was the participation in the1988 UEFA European Championships with Italy.[11][12]
However, the next season would prove to be one of the best for Inter and Zenga. The team, reinvigorated by the acquisitions of the young ItaliansAlessandro Bianchi andNicola Berti, the GermansAndreas Brehme andLothar Matthäus fromBayern Munich and the ArgentineRamón Díaz dominated the season, winning the league title with a record haul of 58 points and breaking several other records during the year. Such a performance is even more impressive if the whole quality of the tournament is taken in consideration: in second position there was theDiego Maradona-led Napoli and in third position the star-studded and future European championMilan. Zenga ended the season conceding only 19 goals, the best goalkeeper again in that respect.[11]
The1989–90 and1990–91 seasons proved to be bittersweet for Inter: although the team remained a title contender, it didn't manage to take another success on home soil, except for the victory in theSupercoppa Italiana played in November 1989 against Sampdoria. The 1991 season turned out to be a close fight between Inter and Sampdoria, with the title decided in a match played in Milan, which Inter would lose 0–2 allowingGianluca Vialli andRoberto Mancini to win the league title. However, Inter won theUEFA Cup that year, defeating, among the others,Aston Villa,Atalanta andSporting CP on the road to the final againstRoma. Inter won the first match 2–0 and lost only 1–0 in Rome, achieving the first European success since the 1960s. After that match, manager Giovanni Trapattoni left the team, as he decided to return as coach of Juventus.[11]
On a personal scale, Zenga experienced in these seasons the peak of his career. For three consecutive years (1989–1991) he was nominated byIFFHS the best goalkeeper in the world, ahead of goalkeepers likeMichel Preud'homme,Rinat Dasaev andAndoni Zubizarreta.[7] Zenga was at his best between the posts, as his great explosiveness and sharp reflexes enabled him to make great and spectacular saves. Not known for being a great penalty saver (frequently dropping down to the ground in the middle of the goal), in his career he did however savepenalty kicks fromRoberto Baggio,Michel Platini andPaul Merson.[11]
Zenga continued to play for Inter until 1994, winning theUEFA Cup in 1991 and1994, his last season with the club.[11]
In 1994, Zenga transferred toSampdoria,[13] and then toPadova two years later.
On March 4, 1997,Major League Soccer allocated Zenga to theNew England Revolution.[2] He made his Revolution debut in the1997 season opener on March 29, a 1–0 victory over theDallas Burn.[14] He made his home debut on April 20, in a 2–1 victory over theTampa Bay Mutiny.[14] During a game versus the Tampa Bay Mutiny, hecelebrated a goal by running to the sidelines and making out with his girlfriend, as the Mutiny barely missed the open net straight from the kickoff.[citation needed]
In June On July 20, the club placed Zenga on injured reserve following a knee injury.[2] He would fly to Italy following the Revolution's 4–2 victory over Tampa Bay on July 18 for arthroscopic surgery.[15]Scott Coufal andJeff Causey would fill in for Zenga until his return to net on September 12.[14] Zenga was awardedMLS Player of the Month honors for the month of September, the first Revolution player to ever win the award.[14] Despite missing time, Zenga was a finalist for the1997MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Award. He additionally represented the Revolution in the1997 MLS All-Star Game, and won the team's Most Valuable Player Award.[14] Prior to the All-Star game, at a fan event inFederal Hill, Providence, Rhode Island, then-Providence MayorBuddy Cianci presented Zenga with a bottle of his personal marinara sauce, "Mayor’s Own Marinara Sauce."[16] The Revolution supporter's groupthe Midnight Riders named Zenga their 1997 "Man of the Year."[17]
On January 15, 1998, Zenga announced his retirement.[2] He had led the Revolution to their first playoff berth in team history,[18] and he finished the 1997 season with the second best goals-against average (1.27), second highest win total (15), and best league shootout record, allowing only 12 goals in 41 attempts.[19] Despite his retirement, Zenga would continue his affiliation with the club as a part-time European scout.[19]
Zenga departed the Revolution to pursue an acting career (he and his girlfriend starred in an Italiansoap opera),[19][20] however he would return on August 24, 1998, being named Revolution head coach after the resignation ofThomas Rongen on the same day.[2] Zenga led the Revolution to a 3–3 record in the final 6 matches of the1998 New England Revolution season.[18]
Zenga stipulated that he would only return to the Revolution for the1999 season if he could play as well as coach, and he became the Revolution's (and league's) first-ever player/coach on October 28, 1998.[18][2] As a player-manager, Zenga led the Revolution to a 10–20 record.[11] After issuing an ultimatum, demanding contract extension discussions begin prior to the season's end, Zenga was relieved of his duties on September 30, with interim managerSteve Nicol being brought in to conclude the season.[2][21]
Zenga was capped 58 times for theItaly national football team at senior level between 1987 and 1992.[22] In these, he conceded only 21 goals (0.36 per game) and kept 41 clean sheets (70.69%), both averages being a record for the Italy national team. He previously featured in the Italian squad at the1984 Olympics, where the team managed a fourth-place finish, and also featured as one of theItaly under-21 side's overage players at the1986 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, as the team's starting goalkeeper.[23] He was also included inEnzo Bearzot's 22-man Italy squad for the1986 World Cup. Initially selected as the team's third goalkeeper behind Fiorentina'sGiovanni Galli and Roma'sFranco Tancredi, his name was taken in consideration by Bearzot before the match against theMichel Platini-ledFrance due to the poor performances of Galli (who, in the end, also played against France).[11]
Zenga became the Italy national side's starting goalkeeper under managerAzeglio Vicini, ahead of his perceived career rival,Stefano Tacconi.[7][11][24][25][26][27] During the1988 UEFA European Championships, Zenga played all four of Italy's matches (a 1–1 draw againstWest Germany, a 1–0 victory overSpain, and a 2–0 win overDenmark in the group stage matches, and a 0–2 loss against theSoviet Union in the semi-final). Here again Zenga was at the centre of controversy: in the first match against West Germany he conceded a free kick inside the penalty area due to having made too many steps while carrying the ball in his hands (an infringement rarely penalised).Andreas Brehme, who would become Zenga's teammate at Inter only a few months later, scored from the resulting free kick to tie the game for West Germany. Italy reached the semi-finals of the competition.[11][12]
Zenga remained first choice goalkeeper when Italy hosted the World Cup in1990, and helped the team to a third-place finish, during which he set a record of five consecutive clean sheets, and a total of 518 minutes without conceding a goal, a record still standing.[7][11][28] His unbeaten streak was ended byClaudio Caniggia's header in the semi-finals against defending championsArgentina, after Zenga had made an error when coming out to collect a cross; following a 1–1 draw after extra-time, Argentina advanced to the final 4–3 on penalties, while Zenga failed to stop a single spot kick in the shoot-out.[11][29][27] In the third-place match againstEngland, Zenga conceded his second goal of the tournament when he was beaten by aDavid Platt header, although Italy managed to capture the bronze medal with a 2–1 victory.[30]
After Italy had failed toqualify for the1992 European Championship,Arrigo Sacchi was appointed as Italy's new manager, and he eventually excluded Zenga from his side, in favour of goalkeepers who were more suited to his zonal marking defensive system, such asGianluca Pagliuca, andLuca Marchegiani.[11][31][32]
An aggressive, consistent, physically strong, complete, and athletic goalkeeper, Zenga was nicknamedDeltaplano ("Hang glider")[7][33][34][35] due to his excellent shot-stopping abilities, positioning, explosive reactions, bravery, and in particular for his speed, elegance, and agility, which enabled him to produce spectacular saves.[7][11][29][35] Despite his reputation, the media was often critical of Zenga's penalty-saving record throughout his career,[29][35] although he stopped penalties against notable specialists, such asRoberto Baggio,Paul Merson andMichel Platini;[12] he was also criticised by pundits for his unsteady performances when coming out off his line to claim crosses, and performed best between the posts,[11][29][35][36] while he was also not particularly adept with the ball at his feet,[34] or very confident in his distribution,[37] and initially struggled in teams which employed a zonal marking defensive system and the offside trap, due to his reluctancy torush out of goal.[31] Nevertheless, he was able to adapt successfully to the changes in regulations following the introduction of the back-pass rule, and maintained a high level of performance as his career progressed, even as goalkeepers were required to play more frequently with their feet.[38] In addition to his goalkeeping ability, Zenga also stood out for his strong mentality and leadership from the back, as well as his temper and flamboyant celebrations as a footballer,[12][31][39] and was also known for his composure under pressure, which enabled him not to be fazed if he ever made any errors.[40]
His other nickname,L'Uomo Ragno ("Spider-Man"),[7] is not related to his goalkeeping skills, but rather to a curious circumstance: in 1992, while answering questions about his exclusion from the Italy national team, Zenga softly sang a song by the Italian band883, calledHanno ucciso l'Uomo Ragno ("Someone killed Spider-Man"),[32] which led pundits and supporters to call him like theMarvel Comics character.
Zenga became the head coach of theNew England Revolution on August 24, 1998, replacing Thomas Rongen for the final six matches of the 1998 season.[2] On October 28, Zenga was announced as Player-Manager of New England Revolution heading into the 1999 season.[41] His tenure as Player-Manager would last less than one full campaign, as he was replaced with two matches left left to play, following the Revolution's 1–0 loss to theDallas Burn, on September 30, 1999.[2] After he left the club, Zenga retired from active football, choosing to pursue a coaching career.
After a short stint with MilaneseSerie D teamBrera, Zenga moved to Romania in 2002, first managingNaţional București and thenSteaua București, where he won thedomestic title and reached the Round of 16 of the2004–05 UEFA Cup after eliminating UEFA Cup winnersValencia from the competition.
In the summer 2005, after being fired from Steaua București before the end of the season, Zenga joinedRed Star Belgrade, leading the Serbo-Montenegrin team to adouble (national league andnational cup).
In the summer 2006, Zenga was appointed as coach of TurkishSüper Lig sideGaziantepspor; however, after a poor start (five wins in 17 league matches), he resigned in January 2007 in order to accept an offer fromUnited Arab Emirates clubAl-Ain.
After just five months in charge, Al-Ain sacked Zenga, who was announced in September 2007 as newDinamo București coach, replacingMircea Rednic, but he resigned only two months later following a 1–0 loss in a local derby lost to Steaua.[42] He then accepted a job as a football commentator and pundit for Italian public broadcasting serviceRAI.
On 1 April 2008, he agreed to replace resigning bossSilvio Baldini as manager ofCatania.[43][44] He made his Serie A debut on 6 April with a 3–0 home win againstNapoli,[45] leading them to a dramatic relegation escape during the final minutes of the league, after a 1–1 home draw againstRoma.
Confirmed at the helm of Catania for the2008–09 season, Zenga proved to be fit for the Italian top flight, leading therossoazzurri to impressive results in the early part of the season, and agreeing a one-year contract extension with the Sicilian club.[46]
Catania's playing style under Zenga was notable for the coach's focus on free kick planning; his assistant manager Gianni Vio is known to work exclusively on this particular side of football tactics during the weekly training sessions.[47] He guided Catania to a mid-table finish and the Serie A points record for the eastern Sicilian side; at the final home game of the season he announced he was parting company with his club by mutual consent.
On 5 June 2009, after being linked with the managerial job atLazio it was revealed that Zenga had agreed a three-year contract withPalermo to replace outgoing managerDavide Ballardini; the move was seen as a massive surprise due to theRosanero club being rumoured to be interested in several other managers and the bitter rivalry between them and Catania, the only two Sicilian teams playing in the Italian top flight.[48] He debuted with a 4–2Coppa Italia win overSPAL 1907, and a 2–1 home win againstNapoli in the first week of the Serie A season. However, a number of disappointing results followed, ending in an unimpressive 1–1 home tie to Catania that led Palermo chairmanMaurizio Zamparini to remove Zenga from his managerial duties on 23 November, after only thirteen league games in charge of therosanero.[49]
On 11 May 2010, he was announced new head coach ofSaudi Professional League clubAl-Nassr.[50] He was removed from his position on 24 December after a string of poor results led Al-Nassr to be overtaken at the top of the league table.[51]
On 6 January 2011, Zenga was appointed as new head coach ofAl Nasr in theUAE Pro-League.[52]
On 4 June 2015, Zenga returned to Italy, and was appointed head coach atSerie A sideSampdoria for the 2015–16 season.[53] However, after he was sacked in November, and replaced byVincenzo Montella as head coach,[54] he later returned to the Middle East to manage bottom placed clubAl-Shaab, however he was unable to turn around the club's fortunes and left the club on 20 February 2016 by mutual consent.[55]
On 30 July 2016, Zenga was appointed head coach ofFootball League Championship sideWolverhampton Wanderers for the 2016–17 season.[56] Despite having never managed in England, he cited his vast foreign experience as enough to succeed.[57] On 2 August, he made his first signings, buying Icelandic strikerJón Daði Böðvarsson fromKaiserslautern and bringing in Portuguese midfielderJoão Teixeira on a season-long loan fromBenfica.[58]
In his first game on 6 August, Zenga's team drew 2–2 away toRotherham United, coming back from a 2–0 deficit with ten players;[59] he described his first game as an "amazing experience".[60] Zenga took Wolves on a six-game unbeaten run in all competitions, and eight points from his first four league games, including a 3–1 win at local rivalsBirmingham City.[61] He praised the Wolves players' spirit and credited them with leading them to the unbeaten start.[62]
Following the end of the summer transfer window, Zenga, having made ten new signings since his appointment, claimed that the Wolves squad was so strong that he could field two different teams if needed.[63] Following a 4–0 loss toBarnsley, Wolves beat promotion favouritesNewcastle United, to end their five-game winning run.[64][65] Zenga claimed his team's subsequent performances showed that the defeat to Barnsley was "an accident".[66] Wolves then went on a five-game winless run, losing four, that would lead to his dismissal.
Despite the insistence ofDave Edwards that Zenga retained the support of the Wolves players, he was dismissed on 25 October following only 4 wins out of the club's first 14 Championship fixtures and Wolves 18th in the table.[67][68] On 7 April 2017, Wolves director Jeff Shi said: "I liked Walter. He was passionate, a really lovely guy... Later we found out it was not a good match. We had to change very quickly... The only big mistake in my mind was the coach appointment at the beginning of the season."[69]
On 8 December 2017, Zenga was appointedCrotone manager.[70] The team was relegated to Serie B at the end of the year.
Zenga returned into management on 11 October 2018 as he was named new head coach of Serie B clubVenezia in place ofStefano Vecchi.[71] He was sacked on 5 March 2019, after a run of four losses in five games had the club fighting relegation.[72]
On 3 March 2020, Zenga was appointed new head coach of Serie A clubCagliari, signing a contract until 30 June 2021, with Under-19 coach Max Canzi named as his assistant.[73] His debut for theSardinian club was delayed due to thecoronavirus pandemic and subsequentnationwide lockdown.[74] He won three and drew four of his 13 games in charge as the team finished 14th, and was replaced byEusebio Di Francesco in August.[75]
On 27 September 2024, Italian Serie D clubSiracusa announced the hiring of Zenga as a "club manager" and "brand ambassador", in a non-coaching role within the club.[76]
As a manager, Zenga usually uses a four–man back-line with his teams, while he has used several different tactical systems and formations in midfield and attack throughout his career.[77]
Zenga has been married three times; he has five children.
In 1982, young professional goalkeeper Zenga, playing on loan inSan Benedetto del Tronto with Serie B sideU.S. Sambenedettese, married the localmodel and 1980 MissMarche Elvira Carfagna, having first met her at Palazzina Azzurra on thetown's waterfront.[78][79] As Zenga re-joined Inter, the couple moved toMilan and, in November 1986, had a child, son Jacopo. During his marriage to Carfagna, Zenga had an extramarital affair with television presenterMarina Perzy.[80] By late 1987, he became romantically involved with television personalityRoberta Termali [it], whom he had been co-hosting a weekly Friday evening program,Forza Italia [it], with since September 1987 onOdeon TV.[81][82] The relationship led to Zenga leaving his family and moving in with Termali in January 1988.[80]
Two years into Zenga's relationship with Termali, the couple's first child, son Nicolò, was born out-of-wedlock in December 1989. Zenga and Termali wed in September 1992 in a notable ceremony at the Via Palestra gardens in Milan with Zenga's Inter teammateDavide Fontolan as the groom's best man and a prominent guest list that included Milan mayorGiampiero Borghini, Inter head coachOsvaldo Bagnoli, Inter vice-chairmanPeppino Prisco, Italy national team managerAzeglio Vicini as well as footballers such asGianluca Vialli andRuud Gullit.[83][84][85] Their second child, son Andrea, was born in September 1993.[86] The couple divorced in 1997.
After divorcing Termali, now veteran professional footballer Zenga entered a relationship with television presenterHoara Borselli [it], sixteen years his junior. With Zenga winding down his playing career in the United States, the couple lived in the country as he began transitioning into football coaching. Still unsure as to which line of work he ultimately wanted to pursue after playing professional football, Zenga also took media jobs in Italy, often with his new partner. The couple ended up spending six years together during which they notably co-hostedhome shopping programs on privately owned television channels in Italy, selling appliances andconsumer goods such asvacuum cleaners andelectro-stimulators.[87]
In May 2005 while coaching inBucharest, Zenga married 23-year-oldRomanian woman Raluca Rebedea, 22 years his junior.[88] Three years later, in June 2008, the couple organized another wedding ceremony while on vacation inLas Vegas; held in aVegas chapel, Zenga posted thewedding footage on his YouTube channel.[89] On 19 November 2009, Rebedea gave birth to their daughter Samira Valentina.[90] Though the family resided inDubai, in April 2010, Zenga stated his willingness to takeRomanian citizenship,[91] which he reportedly obtained in April 2012.[92] The couple's second child, son Walter Jr., was born in 2012.[93] In October 2020, Zenga made the dissolution of his and Rebedea's 14-year marriage public via a lengthyInstagram post, revealing that the two "hadn't been a couple for some time" and identifying the reasons for the split in "both the distance, created because of [Zenga's] work as a [football] coach, as well as due to [Rebedea's] radical change", adding he had already filed for divorce at the Dubai Court of Appeal before concluding that "the freedom I've always given her has somehow turned against us [as a couple]".[94][95] Zenga's particular statement about "the freedom he had given to his wife" triggered a reaction by Italian journalistSelvaggia Lucarelli [it] who criticized the former goalkeeper for "considering his wife's freedom a concession".[94] The resulting controversy online in Italy led to Zenga removing the post.[94]
Zenga's son with Carfagna, Jacopo Zenga, became a professional footballer himself, playing inSerie D after spending time with Inter andGenoa at youth level.
The younger of Zenga's two sons with Termali, Andrea Zenga, also pursued professional football for a few years before turning to modelling and celebrity reality television in Italy. In September 2018, he appeared with his fiancé Alessandra Sgolastra on thefirst season [it] ofItalian Celebrity Temptation Island [it] onCanale 5 as well as on thefifth season ofGrande Fratello VIP (Italian Celebrity Big Brother) in December 2020. TheGrande Fratello VIP appearance was marked by his opening up about harbouring ill feelings regarding his father Walter's alleged absentee parenting, a claim that received a lot of press in Italy including reaction from the parties involved.[96][97][98]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Continental | Other1 | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Salernitana (loan) | 1978–79 | Serie C1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | ||
| Savona (loan) | 1979–80 | Serie C2 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 23 | 0 | ||
| Sambenedettese (loan) | 1980–81 | Serie C1 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 33 | 0 | ||
| 1981–82 | Serie B | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 38 | 0 | |||
| Total | 67 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 71 | 0 | ||||
| Inter Milan | 1982–83 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | |
| 1983–84 | 30 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6[a] | 0 | – | 41 | 0 | |||
| 1984–85 | 25 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 8[a] | 0 | – | 43 | 0 | |||
| 1985–86 | 30 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10[a] | 0 | – | 44 | 0 | |||
| 1986–87 | 29 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 8[a] | 0 | – | 46 | 0 | |||
| 1987–88 | 26 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 6[a] | 0 | – | 43 | 0 | |||
| 1988–89 | 33 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5[a] | 0 | – | 43 | 0 | |||
| 1989–90 | 31 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2[b] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 38 | 0 | ||
| 1990–91 | 32 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12[a] | 0 | – | 48 | 0 | |||
| 1991–92 | 31 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | – | 39 | 0 | |||
| 1992–93 | 29 | 0 | 5 | 0 | – | – | 34 | 0 | ||||
| 1993–94 | 32 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 12[a] | 0 | – | 49 | 0 | |||
| Total | 328 | 0 | 73 | 0 | 71 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 473 | 0 | ||
| Sampdoria | 1994–95 | Serie A | 34 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8[d] | 0 | 1[c] | 0 | 47 | 0 |
| 1995–96 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 7 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 41 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 54 | 0 | ||
| Padova | 1996–97 | Serie B | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 0 | ||
| New England Revolution | 1997 | Major League Soccer | 22 | 0 | – | – | 2[e] | 0 | 24 | 0 | ||
| 1999 | 25 | 0 | – | – | – | 25 | 0 | |||||
| Total | 47 | 0 | – | – | 2 | 0 | 49 | 0 | ||||
| Career total | 530 | 0 | 82 | 0 | 79 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 695 | 0 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Italy | 1986 | 3 | 0 |
| 1987 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1988 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1989 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1990 | 14 | 0 | |
| 1991 | 8 | 0 | |
| 1992 | 4 | 0 | |
| Total | 59 | 0 | |
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| New England Revolution[nb 1] |  | 24 August 1998 | 30 September 1999 | 36 | 13 | 0 | 23 | 71 | 88 | −17 | 036.11 | |
| Brera |  | 31 October 2000 | 18 January 2001 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | ? | ? | !— | 011.11 | |
| Naţional București |  | 24 July 2002 | 10 September 2003 | 47 | 20 | 8 | 19 | 67 | 56 | +11 | 042.55 | |
| Steaua București | | 1 July 2004 | 20 May 2005 | 40 | 21 | 8 | 11 | 57 | 31 | +26 | 052.50 | |
| Red Star Belgrade |  | 22 July 2005 | 12 June 2006 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 4 | 102 | 36 | +66 | 076.74 | |
| Gaziantepspor |  | 1 August 2006 | 3 January 2007 | 21 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 28 | 29 | −1 | 038.10 | |
| Al Ain |  | 7 January 2007 | 30 June 2007 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 15 | −1 | 040.00 | |
| Dinamo București | | 3 September 2007 | 24 November 2007 | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 21 | 12 | +9 | 046.15 | |
| Catania | | 1 April 2008 | 30 June 2009 | 50 | 16 | 10 | 24 | 56 | 64 | −8 | 032.00 | |
| Palermo | | 1 July 2009 | 23 November 2009 | 14 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 20 | +1 | 035.71 | |
| Al-Nassr |  | 11 May 2010 | 24 December 2010 | 16 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 33 | 19 | +14 | 043.75 | |
| Al-Nasr | | 6 January 2011 | 13 June 2013 | 94 | 36 | 26 | 32 | 162 | 142 | +20 | 038.30 | |
| Al Jazira | | 21 October 2013 | 14 May 2014 | 35 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 60 | 51 | +9 | 042.86 | |
| Sampdoria | | 11 June 2015 | 10 November 2015 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 21 | 21 | +0 | 035.71 | |
| Al-Shaab | | 1 December 2015 | 20 February 2016 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 31 | −19 | 010.00 | |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers |  | 30 July 2016 | 25 October 2016 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 20 | 21 | −1 | 035.29 | |
| Crotone | | 8 December 2017 | 19 June 2018 | 23 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 29 | 36 | −7 | 026.09 | |
| Venezia | | 12 October 2018 | 5 March 2019 | 19 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 18 | 22 | −4 | 026.32 | |
| Cagliari | | 3 March 2020 | 2 August 2020 | 13 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 16 | −5 | 023.08 | |
| Emirates | | 5 January 2024 | 23 April 2024 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 18 | −10 | 014.29 | |
| Total | 536 | 214 | 126 | 196 | 811 | 728 | +83 | 039.93 | ||||
Inter Milan[101]
Sampdoria
Italy U21
Italy
Individual
Național București
Steaua București
Red Star Belgrade
Al Ain
Al Jazira
Awards | |||||||||||
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Italy squads | |||||||||||||||||||
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