ITU, June 21 — Fabio Capello declared the England manager's job would be his last in football — a high-profile international end to a glittering career in the club game.

But two years after quitting the post the bespectacled Italian, 68, is still prowling the touchline, now in Russia's colours, unable to resist the lure of pitting his wits against his fellow coaches on the game's biggest stage.

“The Italian countryside is a wonderful place to retire to but my motivation is very simple: I want to do something different, learn new languages, have new experiences, like I'm having in Russia,” said Capello.

“Even the writing there is different.”

Capello's reputation was dented — at least in England — by a poor showing at the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 but his coaching CV otherwise makes for impressive reading.

He has won five Serie A titles — four with AC Milan and one with Roma — plus two La Liga crowns with Real Madrid. He also won the Champions League during his time with Milan.

Capello was appointed England manager in December 2007 following the country's failure to qualify for the Euro 2008 finals, signing a lucrative contract with a brief to halt years of English footballing under-achievement.

His hard-line disciplinarian approach reaped impressive results during a honeymoon period, when a revitalised England qualified for the 2010 World Cup with ease.

But Capello's first taste of management at a major international tournament ended in humiliation as England crashed out with a 4-1 defeat against old rivals Germany in the last 16.

He survived the storm of criticism following that failure and guided England to qualification for Euro 2012.

But the Italian resigned before the tournament after disagreeing with the Football Association over the decision to take the captaincy from John Terry, who was facing racism allegations.

Appointed to the Russia job after Euro 2012, the trim Capello oversaw an impressive qualifying campaign for Brazil in which his team finished ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal, reaching the World Cup finals for the first time in 12 years.

Showing no sign of losing his appetite for the game, the taciturn Italian — whose father spent time in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II — has signed a new deal until the end of the 2018 World Cup, which will be hosted by Russia, taking him well into his 70s.

Hard-line approach

Capello, an extremely cultured man who has put together an impressive modern art collection, has clearly not softened in his approach despite his advancing years, imposing a social media blackout on the squad in Brazil.

Explaining his reasons for the draconian measure on the eve of Russia's opener against South Korea, he said: “Players can't use social media here. They must abstain for one month, then when they get home they can go crazy.”

Russia drew that match 1-1 and next face a vibrant young Belgian side tomorrow before playing their last Group H game against Algeria on June 26.

Capello's hardline approach — mirroring his remarks once that he admired the order that Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco brought to the country during his rule from 1939-75 — gets the thumbs-up from his Russian charges in Brazil.

Defender Aleksei Kozlov, speaking after training in the sunshine in Itu, outside Sao Paulo, said the Italian coach — who also enjoyed an impressive international playing career — runs a tight ship.

“In the national team right now discipline is really high, it is really strict and everyone is working so hard, so professionally,” said the Dynamo Moscow player.

“I feel really comfortable working under his (Capello's) command,” added Kozlov.

“He's a great coach and has great experience. He has won lots of things in football and when you work with him you feel that you're learning something new every day.

“For me it's a very important and a very profound lesson working with him.”

And he laughed off suggestions that his Capello — so often stony-faced in front of the cameras — lacks a sense of humour.

“He can be funny,” insisted Kozlov. “I know him and probably he's a little bit strict with the press, with the media, but when you see him outside the football pitch, absolutely, he can joke and he can be really funny.” — AFP