.jpg) Montella as manager ofMilan in 2016 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Vincenzo Montella[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1974-06-18)18 June 1974 (age 51) | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Pomigliano d'Arco, Italy[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | ||||||||||||||||
| Position | Striker | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | Türkiye (head coach) | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1990 | Empoli | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 1990–1995 | Empoli | 51 | (27) | ||||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Genoa | 34 | (21) | ||||||||||||||
| 1996–1999 | Sampdoria | 83 | (54) | ||||||||||||||
| 1999–2009 | Roma | 192 | (83) | ||||||||||||||
| 2007 | →Fulham (loan) | 10 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | →Sampdoria (loan) | 13 | (4) | ||||||||||||||
| Total | 383 | (192) | |||||||||||||||
| International career | |||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2005 | Italy | 20 | (3) | ||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Roma U15 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Roma (interim) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Catania | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | Fiorentina | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Sampdoria | ||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Milan | ||||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Sevilla | ||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Fiorentina | ||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Adana Demirspor | ||||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Türkiye | ||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||||||||||||||||
Vincenzo MontellaCavaliere OMRI (Italian pronunciation:[vinˈtʃɛntsomonˈtɛlla]; born 18 June 1974) is an Italianfootball manager and formerstriker. He is the current head coach of theTürkiye national football team.
Montella's nickname during his playing career was "Aeroplanino", in reference to his small stature and trademarkgoal celebration, in which he spread his arms like wings.[3] A prolific goalscorer,[4][5][6][7][8] throughout his playing career Montella played as aforward for Italian clubsEmpoli,Genoa,Sampdoria andRoma, and also had a spell on loan in England withFulham. He is mostly remembered for his performances with Roma (1999–2007), where he won theSerie A title and theSupercoppa Italiana during the2000–01 season, also later reaching the2003 Coppa Italia final with the club. In 2013, Montella was inducted into theRoma Hall of Fame.[9] At international level, he made 20 appearances forItaly between 1999 and 2005, scoring three goals; he was notably a member of the Italian team that reached the final ofUEFA Euro 2000, and he also represented his country at the2002 FIFA World Cup.
Montella began his managerial career as Roma's caretaker manager in 2011, later coachingCatania the following season. In 2012, he moved toFiorentina, where he spent three seasons, leading the club to three consecutive fourth-place league finishes, the2014 Coppa Italia final and theUEFA Europa League semi-finals in2015. After a season-long spell with Sampdoria, he was appointed Milan's manager in 2016, and later that year, he won his first title as a coach with the club, theSupercoppa Italiana. He was sacked by the club in 2017, and was subsequently appointed manager of Spanish sideSevilla. Despite reaching theCopa del Rey final and reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time in the club's history, he was sacked by Sevilla four months after his appointment, following a run that included nine matches without a victory. He returned to Fiorentina in 2019, with the second spell lasting over eight months. After a period managingAdana Demirspor in the Turkish league, he was appointed as coach of the Turkish national team in September 2023, helping the team to qualify forUEFA Euro 2024 and reach the quarter-finals.
Montella began his club career inSerie C1 atEmpoli in 1990 before moving toSerie B clubGenoa in 1995, where he scored 21 goals in his only season with the club, at the end of which he lifted theAnglo-Italian Cup. He then moved up toSerie A tocity rivalsSampdoria, where he remained three years, until 1999. After Sampdoria's relegation, he moved to Roma in a 50 billionlire (about €25.823 million) transfer.[10]
Montella made his Serie A debut on 8 September 1996, againstPerugia.
It was Roma coachZdeněk Zeman that wanted him to spearhead the Roma attack, but that year Roma also signed a new coach,Fabio Capello, who disliked short forwards. Despite this, during the1999–2000 season, Montella scored 18 goals, being the top scorer of thegiallorossi, playing alongsideMarco Delvecchio, in front of advanced playmakerFrancesco Totti. The following year, Roma signed the Argentinian forwardGabriel Batistuta fromFiorentina, the tall striker wanted by Capello.
There was a slight controversy between the two forwards concerning thenumber 9 shirt,[11] the prior number of both players – Batistuta ultimately chose number 18, although Batistuta was often the coach's first choice, while Montella was usually deployed as a substitute.[12] Despite his lack of starts, he was one of the main protagonists of Roma's thirdScudetto in2000–01[13] and scored many important goals for the club, including the equalising goal in a 2–2 away draw in Serie A against eventual runners-up Juventus on 6 May 2001,[14] and Roma's second goal in the 3–1 title-deciding victory overParma on 17 June, at theStadio Olimpico in Rome.[15]
The controversies between Capello and Montella continued in the following years, as Montella was unhappy at his lack of first team opportunities, and in March 2002, Montella made his sadness clear, stating: "I would have better expectations with another coach."[16] Despite his struggle to gain a starting spot, he became a club idol to the supporters, as he had a knack for performing well in theRome derby againstLazio, scoring a brace in his first derby in 1999, and four goals in a 5–1 win on 10 March 2002;[17] this four-goal haul is still the record of goals scored in a derby match by a single player.
2003 was a difficult year for Montella, as he divorced from his former wife, Rita,[18] and was plagued with many injuries. During the2003–04 season, he played only twelve games, but still managed a solid scoring record, scoring six goals despite his limited playing time.
During the2004–05 season, Capello finally left Roma – forJuventus – and, while thegiallorossi had a disastrous season, Montella scored 23 goals and earned a new contract lasting until 30 June 2010, also helping Roma to theCoppa Italia final that season.[19] In the2005–06 season, he was again plagued with injuries. He underwent surgery on both his back and shoulder, limiting him to just twelve games. In January 2007, during the2006–07 season, he was loaned toFulham becauseFrancesco Totti was the lone forward in new head coachLuciano Spalletti's4–2–3–1 formation, while Montella wanted to have more chances to play.[20]
With Roma, Montella played a total of 215 matches over eight years, scoring 94 goals to become thefifth-best topscorer in Roma history. He played his last game for Roma, on 23 December 2006, before leaving on loan to England.
Montella joined Fulham on a six-month loan on 4 January 2007, and was given the number 11 shirt. He scored twice againstLeicester City on his home debut, in theFA Cup.[21] He scored again on 27 January in the same competition againstStoke City.[22]
On 13 January 2007, Montella made hisPremier League debut, againstWest Ham United.[23] AgainstTottenham Hotspur atCraven Cottage seven days later, he scored his first Premier League goal with a penalty kick.[24] He also scored a goal againstBlackburn Rovers in a 1–1 draw, which gave Fulham the boost to avoid relegation.[25]
Montella quickly became popular with the Fulham fans, and showed his gratitude for making him feel at home at Craven Cottage.[26] However, he hardly started under manager Chris Coleman, despite several public pleas.[27] AfterColeman's sacking, Montella only started twice under his replacementLawrie Sanchez.[23][28][29][30] Montella hinted that he would like to return to Roma, after the end of the 2006–07 season.[31] The loan was terminated by Sanchez on 8 May 2007, a week before its natural expiration.[32]
He was loaned to Sampdoria for the2007–08 season.Bruno Conti brought Montella back to Roma in2008–09, afterMancini had departed Roma to joinInter Milan. Montella took number 23 when he came back;Mirko Vučinić held on the number 9 shirt which was formerly Montella's, and Montella took the number 23 shirt, formerly of Vučinić.
Montella was only able to make substitute appearances for Roma in the2008–09 season. He played his last game on 16 May 2009.
On 2 July 2009, Montella announced his retirement from professional football.[33]
Montella received his first internationalcap forItaly underDino Zoff in aUEFA Euro 2000 qualifying match againstWales on 5 June 1999, which Italy won 4–0, coming on as a second-half substitute forChristian Vieri;[34][35] he was part of the final 22-man Italian squad that took part atEuro 2000, where they reached thefinal.[36] Although Montella did not score during the competition, he recorded an assist in Italy's final group match againstSweden, setting upAlessandro Del Piero's match-winning goal in the 2–1 victory, which allowed Italy to top their group.[37] He would also make one more appearance during the tournament, in the 2–1 final defeat againstFrance, coming on as a late second-half substitute for Roma teammate and goalscorer Marco Delvecchio, with Italy leading 1–0; France equalised in injury time and eventually won the match in extra-time courtesy of aDavid Trezeguet golden goal.[38] He scored his first goal for Italy in an international friendly match againstSouth Africa inPerugia on 25 April 2001, a 1–0 home win for Italy.[39] On 27 March 2002, he scored a notable double againstEngland in an international friendly match inLeeds, giving Italy a 2–1 away victory after they had been trailing 1–0, with his second, match-winning goal coming from an injury-time penalty.[40][41]
After appearing for Italy underGiovanni Trapattoni during their2002 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, Montella was chosen as a member of the Italy team that would be competing at the2002 World Cup, where the Italians were eliminated controversially in the round of 16 to co-hostsSouth Korea, following a 2–1 defeat in extra time.[42][43][44] In his onlyWorld Cup appearance, during Italy's final group stage match againstMexico in the 2002 World Cup, he had a goal disallowed. He later set up Del Piero's equaliser in the eventual 1–1 draw, which helped Italy to progress to the second round.[42][45] He had warmed up and was ready to come off the bench in the round of 16 match, but South Korea'sAhn scored the golden goal moments before he was set to come on.[42][43][44][46] He later also appeared for Italy in threeEuro 2004 qualifying matches, but was not called up for thefinal tournament. He made his final appearance for Italy underMarcello Lippi, in an international friendly match againstRussia on 9 February 2005, held in Cagliari, which Italy won 2–0.[47] In total, Montella won twenty caps and scored three goals for Italy.[48]
Nicknamed "L'Aeroplanino" ("The Little Airplane"), due to his small stature and trademarkgoal celebration, in which he spread his arms like wings, Montella was known as a quick, hard-working, intelligent and opportunistic left-footedstriker, who was gifted with pace, good technique and a keen eye for goal, and was capable of striking the ball well with either foot; he has also been described as a "fine all round player, with excellent passing anddribbling skills." Although he was primarily played as acentre-forward, a position in which he earned a reputation as a prolific "goal-poacher", his wide range of skills made him a versatileforward, who also capable of playing in a more creative role as asecond striker. However, despite his ability and goalscoring record as a footballer, at times he was criticised by his Roma manager Fabio Capello for being a "selfish" player; he was also known to be injury-prone.[4][5][6][7][8][34][49][50][51][52] During the 1999–2000 season former Italy strikerPaolo Rossi likened Montella's playing style to his own, commenting "He's the striker who most reminds me of myself,."[53]
Montella signed a three-year contract with Roma as youth team coach for theGiovanissimi Nazionali (under-15 level).[54]
On 21 February 2011, he was appointed as interim head coach of the first team for the remainder of the season, taking over the role from resigning bossClaudio Ranieri.[55][56] On 23 February, in his first Serie A match in charge, Roma won away againstBologna, 1–0.[57] On 8 March, in hisChampions League managerial debut, Roma lost away toShakhtar Donetsk, 3–0.[58] Montella completed an eventful season for Roma, leading theGiallorossi to sixth place in the league table, and he was subsequently released, after the new club owners led by American businessmanThomas R. DiBenedetto decided to appointLuis Enrique as permanent head coach for the2011–12 season.
On 9 June 2011, and only a few days after being released by Roma, Montella was announced as new boss ofCatania, signing a two-year contract with the Eastern Sicilian club.[59] He led Catania to a mid-table placement, and ahead of Sicilian rivalsPalermo for the first time in eight years; by the end of season, he was heavily linked with a comeback at Roma and the vacant job at Fiorentina. Montella left Catania by mutual consent on 4 June 2012, after only one season in charge.[60]
On 11 June 2012, Fiorentina announced on their official website that Montella signed a two-year deal (later extended until June 2017) with the club.[61] Montella's arrival saw a massive upheaval of the squad, which saw 17 (includingBorja Valero andAlberto Aquilani) out of the 26 senior players being new to the club. Fiorentina finished the2012–13 Serie A in fourth place, missing out on a Champions League spot toMilan on the final day of the season.[62]
In his second season in charge, Montella led Fiorentina to the2014 Coppa Italia final, but were beaten 3–1 byNapoli,[63] while the team finished theleague season in fourth place once again. In his third season, Montella helped Fiorentina reach the semi-final of the2014–15 UEFA Europa League, where they were eliminated by defending champions and eventual winnersSevilla. Fiorentina finished theleague season in fourth place for the third consecutive season. On 8 June, he was sacked.[64]
On 15 November 2015, Sampdoria announced Montella as their new head coach.[65] On 28 June 2016, Montella left the club to join Milan.[66]
On 28 June 2016, Milan announced Montella as their new head coach, with a contract starting from 1 July. He signed a two-year deal, reportedly worth €2.3 million per year, while Sampdoria were paid €500,000 as a compensation to release him from his contract.[67][68] On 23 December, Montella led the "Rossoneri" to their first title since 2011, theSupercoppa Italiana, defeating Juventus 4–3 in a penalty shootout, after a 1–1 draw following extra time.[69][70] With a sixth-place finish in theleague his first season, Montella led Milan to qualify for the third round of2017–18 UEFA Europa League qualification phase, marking Milan's return to European competition for the first time since February 2014.[71] On 30 May 2017, he signed a new contract until 2019.[72]
Although much was expected of Milan after a €200m summer transfer campaign financed by the team's new owners, the first half of the2017–18 season was disappointing for the club; Montella drew criticism in the media for struggling to find a suitable formation for his players and a fixed starting eleven, and only won six out of the first 14 games in the league.[73][74][75] Following these poor results at the beginning of the2017–18 Serie A season, Montella was eventually sacked by Milan on 27 November 2017, following a 0–0 home draw againstTorino the day before;[76]Gennaro Gattuso was announced as Montella's replacement.[76][77]
On 28 December 2017, Spanish clubSevilla announced the appointment of Montella as the replacement of the recently sackedEduardo Berizzo, signing a contract which would last until mid-2019.[78]
During his tenure, Montella managed to guide Sevilla to a first-ever Champions League quarter-final, defeatingManchester United 2–1 on aggregate in the round of 16.[79] Sevilla were beaten byBayern Munich in the quarter-finals 2–1 on aggregate.[80] Montella also led Sevilla to the 2018Copa del Reyfinal, defeating teams such asAtlético Madrid andLéganes in the process,[81] though they suffered a 5–0 defeat toBarcelona.[82]
Despite being the finalists of theCopa Del Rey,Sevilla struggled with their league form, and on 28 April 2018, Montella was sacked, following a run of nine games without a victory.[83]
On 10 April 2019, Montella returned toFiorentina after the resignation ofStefano Pioli.[84] Following a 1–4 away defeat toRoma in Serie A on 20 December 2019, he was dismissed from his managerial post the day after.[85][86]
On 1 September 2021, Montella signed a two-year contract withAdana Demirspor, starting off on a new experience for himself inTurkey.[87] In hisfirst season, Adana Demirspor finished ninth in the league.
In hissecond season, Adana Demirspor finished the league in fourth place with a record of 20 wins, nine draws and seven losses in 36 matches, which was their best league position in their history that qualified them to first participation ever in European competitions, namely theConference League.[88]
On 12 June 2023, Adana Demirspor announced that they had parted ways with Montella by mutual consent at the end of the season.[89]
On 21 September 2023, Montella was unveiled as the new manager of theTurkey national football team.[90] On 12 October 2023, Montella managed his first official match in a 0–1 away victory toCroatia.[91] On 15 October 2023, he qualified the national team forUEFA Euro 2024 after a 4–0 win overLatvia.[92] In the opening match of the final tournament, Turkey defeatedGeorgia 3–1.[93] Turkey lost their second match 3–0 toPortugal, but won their final group match againstCzech Republic 2–1, advancing to the second round in second place in their group with six points.[94] In the round of 16, Turkey defeatedAustria 2–1 to advance to the quarter-finals of the tournament.[95] Turkey were eliminated from the tournament in the quarter-finals following a 2–1 defeat toNetherlands.[96]
Montella has featured inEA Sports'FIFA video game series; he was on the cover for the Italian edition ofFIFA 2000.[97]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Empoli | 1990–91 | Serie C1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 1991–92 | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | 7 | 4 | |||||
| 1992–93 | 13 | 6 | — | — | — | 13 | 6 | |||||
| 1993–94 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||||
| 1994–95 | 30 | 17 | — | — | — | 30 | 17 | |||||
| Total | 51 | 27 | — | — | — | 51 | 27 | |||||
| Genoa | 1995–96 | Serie B | 34 | 21 | 1 | 2 | — | 5[b] | 5 | 40 | 28 | |
| Sampdoria | 1996–97 | Serie A | 28 | 22 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 30 | 24 | ||
| 1997–98 | 33 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 2[c] | 0 | — | 39 | 21 | |||
| 1998–99 | 22 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 6[d] | 3 | — | 29 | 16 | |||
| Total | 83 | 54 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 3 | — | 98 | 61 | |||
| Roma | 1999–2000 | Serie A | 31 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 7[c] | 3 | — | 41 | 21 | |
| 2000–01 | 28 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 8[c] | 3 | — | 38 | 18 | |||
| 2001–02 | 19 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 6[e] | 1 | 1[f] | 1 | 26 | 15 | ||
| 2002–03 | 29 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 11[e] | 0 | — | 45 | 11 | |||
| 2003–04 | 11 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3[c] | 0 | — | 14 | 5 | |||
| 2004–05 | 37 | 21 | 6 | 1 | 3[e] | 1 | — | 46 | 23 | |||
| 2005–06 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3[c] | 1 | — | 16 | 2 | |||
| 2006–07 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 6 | ||
| 2008–09 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[e] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 0 | ||
| Total | 192 | 83 | 19 | 8 | 46 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 258 | 101 | ||
| Fulham (loan) | 2006–07 | Premier League | 10 | 3 | 5 | 3 | — | — | 15 | 6 | ||
| Sampdoria (loan) | 2007–08 | Serie A | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 5[c] | 1 | — | 18 | 5 | |
| Total | 383 | 192 | 32 | 17 | 59 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 480 | 228 | ||
| Italy[48] | ||||||||
| Year | Apps | Goals | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 2 | 0 | ||||||
| 2000 | 5 | 0 | ||||||
| 2001 | 4 | 1 | ||||||
| 2002 | 7 | 2 | ||||||
| 2003 | – | – | ||||||
| 2004 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| 2005 | 1 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 20 | 3 | ||||||
International goals
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 25 April 2001 | Stadio Renato Curi,Perugia, Italy |  South Africa | 1–0 | 1–0 | Friendly |
| 2. | 27 March 2002 | Elland Road,Leeds, England |  England | 1–1 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 3. | 2–1 |
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | Ref | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |||||
| Roma (interim) |  | 21 February 2011 | 1 June 2011 | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 21 | +1 | 043.75 | [100] |
| Catania | | 9 June 2011 | 5 June 2012 | 40 | 12 | 15 | 13 | 51 | 56 | −5 | 030.00 | [101] |
| Fiorentina | | 11 June 2012 | 8 June 2015 | 153 | 81 | 32 | 40 | 258 | 167 | +91 | 052.94 | [102] |
| Sampdoria | | 15 November 2015 | 28 June 2016 | 27 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 29 | 46 | −17 | 022.22 | [103] |
| Milan | | 28 June 2016 | 27 November 2017 | 64 | 33 | 13 | 18 | 107 | 74 | +33 | 051.56 | [104] |
| Sevilla |  | 28 December 2017 | 28 April 2018 | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 37 | 44 | −7 | 039.29 | [105] |
| Fiorentina | | 10 April 2019 | 21 December 2019 | 27 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 28 | 37 | −9 | 022.22 | [102] |
| Adana Demirspor |  | 1 September 2021 | 12 June 2023 | 76 | 38 | 17 | 21 | 154 | 103 | +51 | 050.00 | |
| Turkey | | 21 September 2023 | Present | 29 | 16 | 5 | 8 | 53 | 41 | +12 | 055.17 | |
| Total | 460 | 210 | 106 | 144 | 735 | 587 | +148 | 045.65 | ||||
Genoa
Italy[106]
Milan[106]
Orders
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