Soccer in mourning: Carlo Mazzone has died at age 86
Soccer in mourning: Carlo Mazzone has died at age 86
Doyen and record-breaking Serie A benchwarmer Carlo Mazzone has died at age 86 in Ascoli Piceno, the city where he kicked off his very long career in the top division after Ascoli’s promotion in 1974.
Mazzone, who was born in Rome on March 19, 1937, coached Ascoli, Fiorentina, Catanzaro, Ascoli again, Lecce, Cagliari, Rome, Cagliari again, Naples, Bologna, Perugia, Brescia, Bologna again and, finally, Livorno in the top division.
He totaled 792 benches in Serie A, an all-time record, which becomes 797 with play-offs. He won the Golden Career Bench in 2002 and won an Italian-English League Cup in 1975 with Fiorentina and the Intertoto in 1998 with Bologna.
His run to the Atalanta fans’ corner on Sept. 30, 2001 when he celebrated the 3-3 draw scored by his Brescia side in this way will always remain in the collective memory. But he also molded talents such as Giancarlo Antognoni, Francesco Totti and Andrea Pirlo. The only regret is that we have not seen him on the bench of a big one, other than that of “his” Roma.
