Trapatoni - Style

Style

Trapattoni is very popular in Italy also due to his peculiar style, including original press conference speeches often featuring language mistakes and trademark quotes, one of the most famous being "non-dire gatto se non-l'hai nel sacco ("don't say cat until you've got it in the bag"). Such approach, coupled with his difficulties with the local language, won him a significant amount of popularity also in Germany during his spell at FC Bayern Munich. His most famous press conference while at the helm of the Bavarians, during which he soundly attacked many of his players, including Thomas Strunz (whose last name incidentally resembles an Italian swear word) in a speech full of mistakes and neologisms, most famously using "Ich habe fertig" (roughly translatable as "I have finished", in place of "I am finished") and "Schwach wie eine Flasche leer" ("weak like a bottle empty").

He is also known for a two-fingered whistle he uses to capture the attention of his players during games. He also brought a bottle of holy water during 2002 FIFA World Cup games when he was in charge of the Italian national team.