Tottenham athletic trainer Giampiero Ventrone has passed away in Naples during the night at age 62. The assistant, who supported Marcello Lippi and Antonio Conte over the years, worked regularly up until a few days ago. According to La Repubblica, he fell seriously ill suddenly because of acute leukemia.
Nicknamed ‘the Marine’ for his army experience and discipline, he got his start at Juventus under the World Cup-winning coach in 1994. He was well-known for the incredible intensity of his practices. After leaving the Bianconeri in 2004, he spent time at Ajaccio, Catania, plus Jiangsu and Guangzhou in China, among others.
Ventrone returned to European football at Tottenham in 2021, assisting Conte, who experienced his methods first-hand as a player. During the pre-season preparation in South Korea, the pictures of the exhausted Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min made the rounds.
As per La Gazzetta dello Sport, the trainer revolutionized the physical preparation in the ‘90s. He used to say: “Every player is a safe, and the secret is to find the right combination.” Partly thanks to him, the Bianconeri outlasted Parma in a title duel in his first season.
One of his props became infamous: the so-called ‘bell of shame,’ which those who couldn’t keep up had to ring to announce they were surrendering, thus facing the ensuing humiliation. “It’s a motivation to go beyond your limits, also because there shouldn’t be on the pitch. My systems can be used only by persons that already went through them. Otherwise, it’s easy for coaches to blame them.”
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