A single-minded disciplinarian who has won honours wherever he has managed in the club game, the Italian has transformed the England national team from the disappointment of their failure to qualify for Euro 2008 to hopes of being a genuine contender in world football.

As a player, Capello was a full international for Italy, his best moment in an Azzurri shirt coming when he scored the winner against England at Wembley in 1973.

On retiring after a career that took in SPAL, Roma, Juventus and AC Milan, he eventually became coach at Milan in 1991 and led them to domestic and continental glory with his crowning achievement the 1993-94 UEFA Champions League title, defeating Barcelona 4-0 in a memorable final.

Leaving for a single season in charge of Real Madrid, in which he guided the club to the Spanish league title in 1997, he was unable to deliver Europe's biggest prize and returned to Milan for another spell. It was, this time, unsuccessful though as Milan finished in 10th place, 30 points behind the champions Juventus.

Sacked by Milan, Capello "sat on a beach and thought about football" before joining Roma in 1999. He won the 2001 Serie A title although that was to be as far as he could take them and he moved on from the debt-ridden club to Juventus in 2004.

Juventus won the 2004-05 and 2005-06 Scudetto under Capello's leadership, but were later stripped of their trophies due to involvement in the Italian match-fixing scandal and Capello resigned after the Old Lady's relegation to Serie B to have another go in Spain with Madrid.

Clashing over his treatment of David Beckham, Capello brought an end to Madrid's long trophy drought with another title, but was incredibly sacked because of his pragmatic style of play in the summer of 2007.

After the pain of missing out on Euro 2008, England turned to the Italian to lead them to the 2010 World and qualification was achieved as they won nine out of their ten qualifying games; Capello taking a firm grip on a previously listless bunch. While the campaign in South Africa ended in defeat to Germany, Capello is still viewed as the man to bring the glory days back to the Three Lions.

Strengths: Capello does things his own way or players face the highway. It is as simple as that. A winner who does not countenance failure.

Weaknesses: He may consider it a strength but he is never one to get close to his players. And his chosen style of play and tactics twice saw him sacked by Real Madrid, despite delivering them a Primera Liga title in each season (1996-97 and 2006-07).

Career high: That edge of caution was thrown off when his AC Milan team destroyed Barcelona's "Dream Team" in the Champions League final of 1994. Special mention must also go to his delivery of a scudetto to AS Roma in 2001, only the third in their history.

Career low: A second spell at AC Milan, on his return from Spain in 1997 saw him fail to come close to emulating his previous spell and he left San Siro before the end of the 1997-98 season, the only time he has failed to deliver honours to a club.

Tactics: Typically Italian, Capello employs an anchor-man in front of his defence as part of a midfield diamond. He switches between operating with a tall striker and fast partner, with a more expansive three-man frontline, boasting pace on the wings and power in the central area.

Quotes: "I will speak English with you when I can be sure that I know all the right words, because you are very good at twisting things and I am very careful." Fabio Capello.

Trivia: Capello's art collection is one of his most cherished things in life. Small wonder when it is valued at £10 million.