It was one of those dreadfully hot August nights in Sicily as the sweat was pouring down this young man’s pale face. Despite the hot weather, the 21-year-old was fever-like shivering, in the noisy streets of Palermo as he stared at the TV in a packed cafe.The young man’s barely decent knowledge of the Italian language didn’t allow him to understand much of what was being said, but the footage was brutally straightforward and familiar to him. His hometown of Prague was being bulldozed by a whole bunch of the USSR’s tanks and artillery.Prague residents throwing Molotov cocktails at a Soviet tank in Prague, August 21, 1968. pic.twitter.com/h8n9phYgme— Sachin Sengar (@sengarsachin0) May 22, 2022 Warsaw Pact’s occupation of Czechoslovakia shocked and detested young Zdenek, who was enjoying himself only minutes ago, spending the last couple of weeks on holiday with his uncle Cestmir Vycpale, the former Juventus player and coach. Soviet invasion of his homeland forced him to stay indefinitely in Italy and chase his dreams miles and miles away from home, friends and teenage sympathy.That night he lit his first cigarette.##EDITORS_CHOICE##Cinisi, Bacigalupo, Carini, Misilmeri, Esacalza… those were the few local amateur sides that provided Zdenek Zeman, a Czech immigrant and a former handball player, with a chance to work as a football coach in his 20s. What followed was his maiden semipro assignment, becoming a member of the coaching staff of the Palermo youth team in 1974. It was just the beginning of a five-decade-long journey, embellished with as many as 24 stints across Italy, plus two short spells in Serbia and Turkey. Quite a journeyman, one would say…MON: 19.00: (1.96) RAUFOSS (3.45) ASANE (3.70) And wherever he would go, only two things would be guaranteed for Zeman. Wherever he went, he would drag his suitcase packed with cigarettes and an undistilled attacking football. Tastier than pizza, nicer than Italian espresso, sweeter than Toto Cutugno’ songs, more attractive than Sabrina Salerno…Silent Zdenek would simply sit in the dugout, light himself one cigarette after another and watch his 4-3-3 symphony thriving on a charming Mediterranean Sunday sun. There was no need for yelling or making those Italian-esque hand gestures like most of his colleagues. The man of a few words, as Zeman always used to be, kept them for the locker room and his players.And, thanks for asking, he bloody knew how to spot the most beautiful roses in the garden and nourish them until they blossom. It started with Foggia in the Italian third-tier back in 1989. There he spotted and invented tiny little magician Giuseppe Beppe Signori, who would become one of the mainstays of the Serie A in the glorious ’90s. What Zeman pulled off with Foggia was a masterclass, clinching consecutive promotions to reach the top division. And then a spot in the late UEFA Cup three seasons in a row, rewriting the football history at the Apennines.’Beppe’ Signori was a tornado of a forward with an unerring shot and brilliant technique – unplayable. A successful spell at #Foggia alerted #Lazio of his talents & he would win Serie A Top Scorer 3 times & establish himself as an #Azzurri regular during his time in #Rome. pic.twitter.com/1N4GrKsKdj— Fussball Geekz (@philharrison192) October 10, 2021 His next step was Lazio in 1994, where he would reunite with Signori and, together with crazy Paul Gascoigne, put on a show that will be remembered for ages. Moreover, the Czech tactician did another magical thing for Azzurri, as he gave minutes to then-teenager Alessandro Nesta. When he did the unthinkable and changed the job at Lazio for the one with their city rivals, AS Roma, he repeated the same, only this time with one much more attacking-minded player.When Gazza was still smiling. Festive mood for #PictureOfTheDay, thanks to Gascoigne and Zeman pic.twitter.com/aZsciB9xKG— Filippo Ricci (@filippomricci) August 15, 2013 Zeman gave the keys of the Giallorosi team to young Francesco Totti. He was 21 at the time, just like Zdenek, when he heard the news of the Prague occupation. For those two seasons, Italy witnessed some super-offensive football, ludicrously unique scoresheets (4-3, 5-2 and similar) and quite a few exciting, even frantic games.Yes, you’re not wrong for noticing there’s no mention of Zeman’s titles whatsoever because of one simple reason – there were none of them. And, quite honestly, for this Eastern European Bielsa, they were not obligatory. Between two packs of cigarettes, he would put on a show predestined to stay in collective memory much longer than some silverware.“Totti is what every child dreams of being when they grow up. A fan that become a champion, a champion that becomes a symbol, a symbol that becomes a legend.” – Zdenek Zeman pic.twitter.com/JQtGvvF8jq— AllThingsSeleção ™ (@SelecaoTalk) January 5, 2021 Unlike current Roma’s coach – another icon whose ingeniousness goes hand in hand with his garrulous personality – Zeman didn’t need to talk when not on the pitch. His 4-3-3 was loud and clear enough, a perfect mixture of the Dutch ‘total football’ and the Slavic courage and extravagancy. Served on the Italian plate. It was the attractiveness in a nutshell.And it didn’t change for a second, no matter where Zeman and his suitcase would land. Or return, as in the case with Foggia, Cagliari and Roma, his most loved partners, to whom he would return at some point in life.Zdeněk Zeman: “Sarri is doing a much better job than Mourinho. Mourinho, so far, is a major disappointment.”José Mourinho: “I can’t answer. I have won 25 trophies in my career while Zeman has only won 2 Serie B titles.” pic.twitter.com/inXvBtjCIb— IM (@Iconic_Mourinho) March 19, 2022 Even after the end of his coaching career, his beloved Foggia convinced him to come out of three years of retirement. So, he must have been thrilled to sit in the dugout once more with his old love? Probably yes, until they parted ways, again, for the third time a few days ago.”The president didn’t want to change. Neither did I, that’s it.”The image of a 74-year-old man standing alone at a bus station with one suitcase next to him appeared on social media on Saturday morning.Zdenek Zeman has decided to step-down as Foggia’s coach. This picture has made its way around the Italian media of him waiting for a bus with his luggage upon leaving Foggia. 🚌 pic.twitter.com/8EZ2pGDu0s— Raffaele (@ItalianoCalcio) May 28, 2022 But where is he heading to in the moments when Europe is again in a nerve-racking state due to the movement of the Russian tanks? No one knows. The only sure thing is the content of his old immigrant suitcase – on the bottom, you’ll find a pack of smoke and a piece of paper with a small ‘4-4-3’ insignia written somewhere on it.By: Bojan Babic
