| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1967-03-20)20 March 1967 (age 58) | ||
| Place of birth | Santa Maria a Vico, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.76 m (5 ft9+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1984–1986 | Sorrento | 42 | (0) |
| 1986–1988 | Arezzo | 70 | (2) |
| 1988–2002 | Genoa | 444 | (35) |
| 2002–2003 | Livorno | 31 | (1) |
| 2003 | Al-Ittihad | 10 | (0) |
| 2003–2006 | Livorno | 83 | (4) |
| 2006–2007 | Sorrento | 18 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Massa Lubrense | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 1991 | Italy | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2009 | Livorno (caretaker) | ||
| 2010 | Livorno (caretaker) | ||
| 2010 | Savona | ||
| 2011–2012 | Sorrento | ||
| 2012–2013 | Treviso | ||
| 2015–2016 | Sangiovannese | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 21 October 2008 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 21 October 2008 | |||
Gennaro Ruotolo (Italian:[dʒenˈnaːroˈrwɔːtolo],Neapolitan:[dʒənˈnɑːrəˈrwoːtələ]; born 20 March 1967) is an Italian formerfootballer and manager who played as amidfielder.
Ruotolo started his career withSorrento in 1984, but is best known for having been a key player forGenoa for over a decade; he joined theGrifone in 1988 to left it only in 2002 to joinLivorno ofSerie C1. During his spell at Genoa he lifted the1996 Anglo-Italian Cup. He played for Livorno until 2006, except for a four-months time atSaudi Arabian sideAl-Ittihad (February–June 2003), being part of both rosters which gained promotion toSerie B and thenSerie A, and playing two top division seasons with theamaranto. He left Livorno in 2006 to join newly promotedSerie C2 clubSorrento in a comeback to his first professional team. He left Sorrento in December 2007 by mutual consent[1] and then joined amateurPromozione side Massa Lubrense for the remainder of the season.
In his playing career, Ruotolo received three call-ups for theItaly national team, all in 1991, with a single appearance, a 2–0 home win againstDenmark on 12 June.[2]
In July 2008, he returned to Livorno, this time as assistant to the newly appointed coachLeonardo Acori.[3][4]
On 23 May 2009 Ruotolo was appointed on an interim basis to replaceLeonardo Acori at the helm of Livorno for the final Serie B league game and the following promotion play-offs in an attempt to bring his side back to the top flight.[5] He debuted with a late 3–2 away win toAscoli that left his side in third place at the end of the regular season.[6] In the promotion play-offs, Livorno was coupled with Tuscan rivalsGrosseto in the semifinals: after a shock 0–2 loss in the first leg, Ruotolo's side managed to make an impressive comeback by defeating their opponent in a 4–1 home win that ensured Livorno a place in the playoff finals againstBrescia.[7] In the finals, Ruotolo then managed to guide Livorno to defeat Brescia 5–2 on aggregate, thus marking an immediate Serie A return for theamaranto club.[8] He subsequently accepted an offer from Livonro to become the club's head coach on a permanent basis; however the move was later dismissed by the Italian Football Federation due to Ruotolo lacking the required UEFA Pro coaching badges, andVittorio Russo was instead appointed as acting head coach, with Ruotolo being however often referred as the "real" Livorno boss.
He was removed from his assistant coach position on 20 October 2009, after a 1–2 home loss toPalermo. In January 2010 he was re-hired by Livorno chairmanAldo Spinelli, this time as new youth coach of thePrimavera under-19 squad.[9]
On 5 April 2010 he was reappointed back at the helm of Livorno, taking over from dismissed head coachSerse Cosmi, in a desperate attempt to save the team from relegation.[10] He was this time allowed to act as head coach despite still not having the required coaching badges, thanks to a 60-day derogation from the Italian Football Federation.[11] The attempt was not successful, and Livorno went down to Serie B after only one season in the Italian top flight.
In June 2010 Ruotolo was announced as new head coach ofSavona, who will playLega Pro Seconda Divisione in the 2010–11 season.[12]
On 14 December 2011Sorrento unveiled Ruotolo as their new manager until the end of the season, after the sacking of previous manager Maurizio Sarri following the 4–0 away defeat toPro Vercelli.[13] By doing so he returned to the club where he had both begun and ended his playing career and thus reignited his close association with Sorrento andCampania, the region of his birth.
Since 25 October 2012 to the end of the season he has been the coach ofTreviso inLega Pro Prima Divisione, a position he kept until March 2013. He successively served a full season as head coach of Serie D amateurs Sangiovannese in 2015–16.