Gennaro Gattuso

At 46 years old, Gennaro Gattuso has this physical status:

Gennaro Gattuso (Italian pronunciation: [denna]; born 9 January 1978), is an Italian professional football coach and former player who now serves as head coach of Valencia's La Liga team Valencia.

He mainly played in the center as a defensive midfielder, but he was also able to play on the wing. He started playing for Perugia, Salernitana, and Rangers, but is best remembered for his time with AC Milan in Serie A, where he won the Champions League in 2002–03 and 2006–07, as well as the Serie A championship in 2003–04 and 2010–11. He has won two Italian Supercups, two UEFA Supercups, and a FIFA Club World Cup in addition to these titles. He served for Italy's national football team at the 2000 Summer Olympics, three FIFA World Cups, two UEFA European Championships, and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Both at club and international level, Gattuso's talismanic midfield partnership with playmaker Andrea Pirlo was instrumental in Italy's World Cup triumph in 2006, as well as Milan's domestic, European, and international triumphs in the mid-2000s. Despite not being born with exceptional technical skills, Gattuso's creativity, passion, and work ethic all complimented Pirlo's mature, cohesive playing style, boosting his reputation as one of the best players in the country in his position, with his energy, aggression, and a hard-tackling style of play. Gattuso was known for his leadership and perseverance throughout his career, often sporting the captain's armband for Milan following Paolo Maldini's retirement.

Gattuso's coaching career began as a player-coach of his last club, Sion of the Swiss Super League, and he also had short stints in charge of Palermo and OFI Crete. In June 2016, he led Pisa to Serie B promotion. He coached both the youth and the first team of his former Milan cadets between 2017 and 2019, before being named as boss of Napoli, where he won his first title as a coach, the 2019-20 Coppa Italia.

Personal life

Gattuso is married to Monica Romano, a Scottish woman of Italian descent. Mario, the restauranteur, died in 2011, and her sister Carla Romano is a television presenter. They have two children.

Gattuso opened a fish shop in Corigliano Calabro, Mexico, in January 2010.

Gattuso is a Catholic, and he pleaded with Rangers, a Protestant team in the 1997–98 season, that his coworkers begged him to take off his crucifix necklace.

Francesca, Gattuso's sister, died in June 2020 at the age of 37. Since February, she had been in intensive care.

Gattuso has been suffering from an auto-immune disorder called ocular myasthenia since his time as a footballer. After being on the field wearing an eyepatch in several games, he spoke about his illness in late 2020.

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Club career

Gattuso was born in Corigliano Calabro, Italy. He began his career with Perugia, but he joined the Scottish team Rangers in July 1997, at the age of 19.

Walter Smith, the club's manager, left Gattuso to Glasgow in 1998. Dick Advocaat, Smith's replacement, did not like Gattuso, and after being drafted out of place as a right-back, the Italian was sold in October 1998 to Salernitana, who then went on to compete for £4 million.

In the summer of 1999, AC Milan purchased Gattuso from Salernitana for €8 million. He made his Milan debut with Chelsea on September 15th, 1999, before breaking into the team's starting lineup for the first time; he also endeared himself with the Milan faithful on Sunday, when facing Inter striker Ronaldo, who was widely regarded as the best player in the country at the time.

Gattuso's work-rate and versatility as a ball-winner later enabled Milan boss Carlo Ancelotti to deploy midfield player Andrea Pirlo alongside him in a more dynamic, attacking role, as well as the 2004 Serie A championship and the Supercopa Italiana. In June 2003 and in October 2004, Gattuso signed a labour contract extension with Milan. Gattuso was also in the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final with Milan, but it was only to be defeated on penalties by Liverpool after being leading 3–0 at halftime.

On September 26, 2006, Gattuso played his 300th game for the club in a goalless Champions League draw against Lille, and he extended his current deal with Milan until 2011. When Milan defeated Liverpool 2–1 in the final on May 23, 2007, Gattuso lifted the Champions League for the second time in his career.

Gattuso regained fitness after winning the FIFA Club World Cup on December 27, 2007, when his wife was visiting family in Scotland over Christmas. In the 1–0 league win over Catania in December, Gattuso sustained a torn Anterior cruciate ligament early on. Despite the injury, Gattuso played the entire 90 minutes before being diagnosed by the club's doctors after the match. On December 19, 2008 in Antwerp, Belgium, he underwent surgery to restore the damage. He had been expected to miss up to six months of action, but he came back to the Milan bench against Juventus on May 10, a month ahead of schedule.

He made his 400th appearance with Milan in the 2009-10 Serie A season against Siena on August 22, 2009, wearing the captain's armband. Gattuso will continue to play for Milan until June 2012, according to the Milan news on December 14, 2009, after adding one more year to his existing deal.

Milan's 2010-11 season was one of Gattuso's best seasons, and he brought an end to a three-year goal drought with a left-footed shot from outside the box, which was the deciding factor in a 1–0 win over Juventus on March 5th. Gattuso scored another goal against Cagliari in a 4–1 victory, this time a long-distance header that beat the goalkeeper, who was off his line. After a scoreless draw against Roma on May 7, Gattuso celebrated Milan's 18th Scudetto victory.

Gattuso had been having vision problems in early September 2011, just a few days before the season began. In Milan's first Serie A game of the 2011-12 season, Gattuso crashed into colleague Alessandro Nesta while playing against Lazio on September 9, 2011. He was sent outside immediately afterward in the 20th minute and diagnosed with a left-thorn nerve palsy, resulting in double vision, which may have ended his football career. He later confessed that he had seen teammate Zlatan Ibrahimoviovi in four different positions during the first stages of the game, but was unable to see Nesta, resulting in the pair's clash.

Gattuso said on May 11 that he would not renew his deal with the club, which was set to end on June 30th, and that he would leave Milan at the end of the season.

Gattuso joined Swiss club Sion on June 15, 2012, after being released by Milan. He had been linked to a move to join former Rangers in Scotland, but the offer was unable to be fulfilled due to the club's financial difficulties. After losing by Thun in the Swiss Super League, Gattuso was appointed as the new head of Sion.

He was forced to leave early in a UEFA Champions League group stage match against Ajax in September 2003 after slapping Ajax striker Zlatan Ibrahimovi in the face with the back of his hand. In December 2005, Gattuso was seen seeking out and screaming Schalke's midfielder Christian Poulsen in the Champions League's final whistle, causing him further problems as a result of Poulsen's ferocious marking of Kaká in the first leg. Gattuso denied, however, that the media exaggerated the incident's significance.

During an incident on the sideline, Gattuso pushed Tottenham coach Joe Jordan away by the throat during a Champions League match against Tottenham Hotspur on February 15, 2011. Jordan was seen outside his appropriate technical area exchanging terms with Gattuso in connection with the relatively physical game that had been played. After the game, Gattuso had shaken hands with the Tottenham players, a video footage showed him confronting Jordan and headbutting him after another exchange of words before being restrained by both teammates and opponents. "I lost track." There is no reason for what I did. "I accept my responsibility for it," the 33-year-old Gattuso said, but Jordan prompted him throughout the game but refused to specify what his remarks were. Joe Jordan had been using racial, inflammatory language for a large portion of the game, according to newspaper reports, who branded Gattuso a "fucking Italian bastard" from the sidelines. It was revealed the next day that UEFA was considering additional sanctions or fines for Gattuso's behavior against Jordan the previous day, who had been charged with "gross unsporting behaviour." Gattuso was then banned from five Champions League games, one for yellow card accumulation and the other four for the incident with Jordan. UEFA has also banned the Tottenham coach for his part in the transfer.

Gattuso took the yellow card from referee Nikolaj Hänni's hand and returned it back after gestures on December 2nd, 2012.

International career

Gattuso played for the Italy under-18 football championships in 1995, where Italy finished second in second place to Spain after a 4–1 loss; he also defended the Italy under-21 team in the 2000 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championships, where Italy gained the tournament by defeating the Czech Republic in the final with a 2–1 victory.

Gattuso was capped 73 times for his country at senior level, and represented his country in the 2000 Summer Olympics, Euro 2004, the 2009 Confederations Cup, and the 2010 World Cup. In a 1–0 friendly home win over Sweden on February 23, 2000, he made his senior international debut under Dino Zoff at the age of 22, when he made his debut under Dino Zoff. He made his first appearance for Italy under Giovanni Tracetoni on November 15th, scoring his only goal in a 1–0 friendly home win over England with a strong kick from outside the region; this was his first and only goal for Italy.

Gattuso made two substitute appearances at the 2002 World Cup, first in his country's 2–0 opening group victory over Ecuador and then second in Italy's tumultuous 2–1 extra time loss to South Korea in the second round of the competition. He also appeared in Italy's two first-group matches against Denmark (0–0) and Sweden (1–1) later in the year; however, Italy was barred from the tournament's final match against Bulgaria (2–1) due to a suspension; despite a two-way five-point tie with Denmark and Sweden, following a two-point draw.

Gattuso was selected to Italy's 23-man squad for the 2006 World Cup, and he was one of Italy's key players under new coach Marcello Lippi's tenure as a player in his country's 3–0 win over Ukraine in the quarter-finals of the tournament; he was named in the Man of the Match award for his role in his team's 3-2 win over Ukraine. He and Andrea Pirlo formed a strong partnership in the center of midfield, with Gattuso assisting Pirlo's innovative playmaking duties with his work-rate and ability to break down possession. Although Pirlo finished as one of the best assist providers in the tournament, Gattuso faced more obstacles in second place (47 more than Patrick Vieira in second place) and 351 out of the 392 he attempted on Friday, helping with the tournament's final group match of the tournament on Sunday, which was a 2–0 victory over the Czech Republic. After Italy defeated France on penalties against France on July 9, Gattuso earned a measure of notoriety for his post-match celebrations. Until FIFA officials ordered him to cover up, he removed his shorts and ran around the pitch in his underpants. For his appearances, he was selected to the tournament's All Star Team.

Gattuso competed in the group against Netherlands (a 0-3 loss) and France (a 2–0 victory) but Italy lost 4–2 in the ensuing penalty shoot-out after extra-time, but under Roberto Donadoni's supervision, the group's winner, Italy and France (a 0–0 draw) was suspended.

Following Fabio Cannavaro's replacement in the 61st minute of a friendly against Greece, he made his first appearance as Italy's captain on November 19th. Despite being forced to return from a serious knee injury, Lippi included Gattuso in Italy's squad for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup, where they lost in the first round. Gattuso made a name for himself against Egypt after being tripped up by Mohamed Aboutrika and his shorts fell down, revealing his underpants.

In June 2010, he declared that he would withdraw from international service after the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where he played in his country's final group match against Slovakia, triggering Italy's elimination after a 3–2 loss.

Managerial career

When Gattuso played for AC Milan, he began his coaching career in 2011 by enrolling in a course for UEFA A Licence. In July, he passed the exam.

After losing 4–0 by Thun in the Swiss Super League on February 25, 2013, Gattuso was appointed as the new manager of Sion. In the 2012–2013 season, Gattuso was the team's fifth manager. Gattuso won his first match as a boss on February 27, 2013, beating Lausanne 2–0 away in a Swiss Cup match. On May 13, 2013, Gattuso was fired.

After the Sicilians were relegated to Serie B, he was heavily linked with the managerial role at Palermo in May 2013. Maurizio Zamparini reported on June 3rd that he had a verbal deal with Gattuso, which had been subjected to a labour transfer with then boss Giuseppe Sannino. Following Gattuso's success in ending his employment with Sion, the appointment was made official later today. Luigi Riccio was Gattuso's assistant, with whom he worked at Sion. His time as the rosanero head coach was however short-lived, as he was fired on September 25, 2013 after winning only two victories and a draw in the first six games of the league season.

He took a course for UEFA Pro Licence in 2013-14, which culminated in him passing the exam in September 2014.

Gattuso was appointed manager of Superleague Greece's OFI Crete on June 5, 2014, a new one.

In the first few months as coach of OFI Crete, there were rumors that the players and coaching staff were not getting paid due to the club's poor financial conditions. Gattuso reacted angrily on the media, claiming that it wasn't true that he had left. He yelled curse words out of place and banged the table during the press conference.

Following a 2–3 home loss to Asteras Tripolis, Gattuso resigned as head coach of OFI Crete on October 26, 2014, citing the club's financial challenges as one of the principal reasons for his departure. On the next day, however, he changed his mind after being pushed by the club members and the board to remain. Gattuso officially resigned as OFI Crete boss on December 30, 2014, owing to the club's financial difficulties.

Following Alex Neil's departure in January 2015, he applied for the manager's job at Hamilton Academical in Scotland.

On August 20, 2015, Gattuso was appointed as the head of Lega Pro side Pisa's then-leadership. After beating Foggia 5–3 on aggregate in the Lega Pro promotion play-off final, he led Pisa to Serie B promotion on June 12, 2016. However, on July 31, he abruptly left Pisa, citing "serious, persistent, and ineffective" issues at the club as the reason for his departure. He rejoined Pisa as the team's head coach one month after leaving the club. However, Pisa remains in last place in the league's second best defense but the worst attack in the league, and Gattuso resigns again, this time positively.

Gattuso was appointed as the head coach of AC Milan Primavera, the club's under-19 team, in May 2017. After Filippo Inzaghi (2013–2014) and Cristian Brocchi (2014–2016), he was the third former player to coach the Primavera team since winning the 2007 UEFA Champions League. They also coached the first team after Clarence Seedorf's dismissal (a former Milan player and 2007 Champions League champion) and Sinia Mihajlovi respectively.

The Milan Primavera team was ranked third (out of 16 teams) in the league's first division as of round ten of the Campionato Nazionale Primavera (which ended on November 26th).

Vincenzo Montella was fired by AC Milan on November 27, 2017. They later named Gattuso as the head coach of the first team, who left the position as the coach of the under-19s. With a 2–1 home win over Bologna in Serie A on December 10, he won his first match. Milan finished the season in 6th place.

Gattuso's deal was extended to 2021 in April 2018. Milan dropped out on Champions League by a single point in his first full season as coach, finishing fifth on 68 points. He left Milan by mutual consent on May 28th.

Following Carlo Ancelotti's dismissal the day before, Gattuso was appointed head coach of Napoli on December 11th.

Napoli won by 1–1 home draw with Inter in the second leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals on June 13, allowing them to advance to the 2020 Coppa Italia final after a 2–1 aggregate win; Gattuso dedicated the win to his sister, who had recently died. After a goalless draw, Napoli defeated Juventus 4–2 on penalties on June 17th.

Gattuso was unable to finish fourth for Napoli after a 1–1 home draw with Verona on May 23, 2021, the league's final day of the season, finishing fourth. Following a triumph at Bologna, Juventus secured qualification to the following season's Champions League, just one point below. After one year and a half, Gattuso's time as Napoli's head coach came to an end.

Fiorentina announced the appointment of Gattuso as their new head coach on May 25th, which will go into operation on July 1. However, Gattuso and Fiorentina mutually rescinded the deal on June 17th, just two weeks before his contract was set to begin on July 1st.

Gattuso, the current Valencian boss, was announced on June 9th as the Spanish La Liga's new boss on a two-year contract. Following Claudio Ranieri and Cesare Prandelli, he became the third Italian manager to ever be elected by and guide the Valencian team.

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