Former England assistant manager Italo Galbiati has passed away at the age of 85.
He worked with Fabio Capello as part of the backroom staff at the Three Lions between 2007 and 2012. Galbiati also worked with the ex-England boss at AC Milan, Real Madrid, Juventus, Roma and in the Russia national team set-up.
During his playing career, Galbiati featured for four clubs. He started out at Inter Milan, before going on to Reggina and then Lecco, where he would establish himself as a key performer in their side. Having made 146 appearances for the now-Serie C side, Galbiati spent the final year of his career at Como in 1967 before retiring from football.
In the 1970s, Galbiati decided to become a youth coach at Inter - but it was in the following decade where he moved across the city to AC Milan. Galbiati took over at Milan on several occasions on a caretaker basis - with the first coming in 1980.
Following his death on Wednesday, Milan sent a heartfelt message in a club statement: "Italo Galbiati, a point of reference in the Rossoneri world and a strong point of many companies in the history of Milan, has left us. We cling to the family with affection and concussion."
Further tributes have poured in from across the footballing world as they mourn the death of Galbiati. Serie A outfit Monza branded Galbiati as "a master of football". They said on Twitter: "AC Monza mourns Italo Galbiati and joins the pain of the family.
"Player, coach and talent scout, a master of football. A legendary career, which Italo closed by putting his experience at the service of the Youth Sector of our Society."
Galbiati first worked with Capello in the 1980s and the pair formed a strong bond before becoming a management team in 1991. The duo took charge of 249 matches at Milan between 1991 and 1996 at the San Siro, winning 142 of those as they lifted the Serie A four times and the Champions League on one occasion.
Capello and Galbiati then moved to Real Madrid in the summer of 1996 as they tried a fresh challenge. However, it didn't work out for the quick-thinking pair at Los Blancos despite winning 31 of their 48 games at the helm after Capello allegedly fell out with chairman Lorenzo Sanz.
They moved back to Milan, before joining Roma, where they endured a considerable amount of success, having spent five years in the Italian capital. Capello and Galbiati won one Serie A title at Roma, clocking an impressive 49% win rate during his time in charge.
A spell at Juventus followed before they took over at Real Madrid for a second time. However, like last time, they lasted just a season at the Santiago Bernabau before leaving.
England was next up for the well-travelled management duo - and they were put immediately on the back foot at the Three Lions after they failed to qualify for Euro 2008. Although that wasn't Capello and Galbiati's fault, they needed to bring some magic and inspiration to the camp as they attempted to qualify for the 2010 World Cup.
They managed to achieve that feat, although England crashed out of the competition in South Africa at the last-16 stage. Capello and Galbiati were relieved of their duties two years' later after another disappointing tournament - this time at Euro 2012 as Roy Hodgson took the job.
