Template:Short descriptionTemplate:Use dmy datesTemplate:Infobox football biographyGiuseppe "Beppe" BergomiTemplate:Postnominals<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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A one-club man, Bergomi held the record of most appearances for the club for several years, while also being the side's longtime captain. He was affectionately referred to as "Lo zio" ("the uncle")<ref name="Billy e lo zio Bergomi">Template:Cite news</ref> because of his bushy eyebrows and the impressive moustache he wore even as a youngster,<ref name="100 top World Cup footballers">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Born in Milan, Bergomi began training with Inter Milan's first team at the age of only 15, and made his professional debut at the age of 16, 1 month and 8 days in the 1979–80 Coppa Italia against rivalsJuventus in Turin, on 30 January 1980, becoming the youngest to make it in the history of the club. During the 1980–81 season, at the age of 17, he made his first Serie A appearance in a 2–1 home win over Como on 22 February 1981. After winning the Coppa Italia the following year,<ref name=Treccani>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Bergomi would go on to spend his entire career with Inter,<ref name="The Uncle of Italy">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Bergomi retired in 1999 at the age of almost 36, holding the record of most appearances for Inter (758)<ref name=Treccani/> until late September 2011, when he was overtaken by Javier Zanetti.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also scored 28 goals for the club. With 96 appearances, he currently holds the record for most appearances in the UEFA Cup.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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International career
With Italy Bergomi won the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He also played in the 1986 and 1990 campaigns (acting as captain in the latter), as well as UEFA Euro 1988, with the nation reaching the semi-finals of the latter two tournaments. His final international tournament was the 1998 World Cup.<ref name=Treccani/>
Alongside the likes of Inter's Giuseppe Baresi, his younger brother Franco of A.C. Milan and Juventus trio of Antonio Cabrini, Claudio Gentile and Gaetano Scirea, he formed the backbone of the national team's defence for much of the 1980s,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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}}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was included in the Italy team for the World Cup in Spain later that year, becoming the youngest Italian player ever to be called up for a World Cup.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the victorious tournament, he appeared in three games, including Italy's 3–2 second round victory against Brazil in their final group match, where he put in a strong performance after coming on for the injured defender Fulvio Collovati, marking opposing striker Serginho Chulapa, despite later deflecting Paulo Roberto Falcão's shot into his own net;<ref name="The Man Who Marked Rummenigge"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the result allowed Italy to advance to the semi-final ahead of Brazil and Argentina in the so-called "Group of Death."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Bergomi also appeared in the 1986 edition of the tournament, where Italy were eliminated in the round-of-16 by eventual semi-finalists France following a 2–0 loss.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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During the first match under Bearzot's successor, Azeglio Vicini, Bergomi scored his first two goals for Italy in a 2–0 friendly win against Greece in Bologna on 8 October 1986, becoming the first Italian defender to score a brace at international level; he also wore the captain's armband for the first time, following striker Alessandro Altobelli's substitution.<ref name="festa dello Zio"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 20 February 1988, Bergomi was named Italy captain ahead of Italy's 4–1 friendly win over the USSR in Bari,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> a role he held for 33 games, until 1991.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Bergomi went on to captain his country in the 1990 World Cup – held on home soil – to a third-place finish,<ref name="protagonisti di Italia 90">Template:Cite news</ref> playing in all seven matches, which included five consecutive wins and as many clean sheets, for a total of 518 minutes without conceding a goal, and the best defensive record overall in the history of the competition,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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After being sent off in a 2–1 away defeat against Norway for the Euro 1992 qualifiers on 5 June 1991 (Vicini's second-last match as Italy coach), following a clash with Erik Pedersen and an ensuing altercation with Gøran Sørloth,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> resulting in a six-match ban, Bergomi spent years without being called up to the Azzurri;<ref name=beppebergomi/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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However, Bergomi was surprisingly selected by Cesare Maldini for the 1998 World Cup at age 34,<ref>The Italy squad; BBC Sport, 3 May 1998</ref> due to an injury to Ciro Ferrara,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> after playing 28 times in the league and leading the Nerazzurri to the UEFA Cup<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> – his third and last edition of the tournament. After appearing in a pre-tournament friendly against Sweden, which ended in a 1–0 defeat,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Along with Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Paolo Maldini, and Gianni Rivera, Bergomi is one of only five Italian players to have appeared in four editions of the FIFA World Cup.<ref name="Record e Curiosità"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Style of play
Bergomi was an extremely versatile defender, who was capable of playing anywhere along the backline and adapting to any formation:<ref name=fifa/><ref name=Treccani/><ref name="solocalcio">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Despite having a strong temper and being a hard tackler<ref name="50 hardest footballers">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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A precocious talent in his youth (when he had initially started out as a forward),<ref name=Treccani/><ref name=beppebergomi/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Post-playing career
A licensed football coach, Bergomi became youth coach of the Esordienti at Inter in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In July 2009 he was appointed youth coach of Allievi Nazionali (under-17) at Monza,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> being promoted as head of the Berretti under-19 team, in co-operation with Giuseppe Chieppa, one year later.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In July 2011, Bergomi left Monza to accept the same position at Atalanta.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Additionally, he also worked as a football pundit and commentator for Italian satellite television Sky Italia, often commentating with Fabio Caressa, including in Italy's victorious run at the 2006 World Cup.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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Personal life
Bergomi is married to Daniela; they have two children: Andrea and Sara.<ref name="cinquantamila">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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In May 2020, Bergomi revealed that he had recovered from COVID-19, after contracting it following its outbreak in Italy.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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