.jpg) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | (1982-08-05)5 August 1982 (age 43) | ||
| Place of birth | San Severo, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Position | Defensive midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Foggia | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2000–2003 | Foggia | 88 | (6) |
| 2003–2007 | Udinese | 52 | (0) |
| 2005–2007 | →Fiorentina (loan) | 44 | (0) |
| 2007–2008 | Fiorentina | 8 | (0) |
| 2008–2011 | Napoli | 106 | (4) |
| 2011–2012 | Juventus | 8 | (0) |
| 2012 | →Udinese (loan) | 15 | (1) |
| 2012–2015 | Bologna | 37 | (2) |
| 2015–2016 | Vicenza | 6 | (0) |
| 2016 | Reggiana | 6 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | Manfredonia | 25 | (1) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2017–2018 | Pisa | ||
| 2018 | Siracusa | ||
| 2020–2023 | Audace Cerignola | ||
| 2023–2024 | Avellino | ||
| 2024–2025 | Benevento | ||
| 2025 | Torres | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Michele Pazienza (Italian pronunciation:[miˈkɛːlepatˈtsjɛntsa]; born 5 August 1982) is an Italianfootball coach and a former player who played as adefensive midfielder.
Pazienza was born inSan Severo in theprovince of Foggia, and grew up inFoggia Calcio's youth team. He debuted with the first team inSerie C2 in 2000. Pazienza played with Foggia until 2003, scoring six goals in 88 appearances and helping the team reach the promotion play-offs in 2002 and promotion toSerie C1 in 2003.[1]
The following season Pazienza then transferred toUdinese, also making hisSerie A debut with the club.[1] He made 52 appearances in his two seasons with the club.
Pazienza left on loan toFiorentina for the2005–06 and2006–07 seasons[2] for a loan fee of €350,000 annually[3][4] and was then purchased outright by the club in June 2007[5] for an additional fee of €3.15 million (a misc. fee that costLa Viola an additional €160,000 was later shifted to other company);[6][7] he made 52 league appearances forla Viola in total.[1]
During the2008 winter transfer window, Pazienza was purchased byNapoli in a3+1⁄2-year contract[8] for a transfer fee of €4.25 million.[6][7][9] In total, he made 106 appearances for the club, scoring four goals.[1]
On 9 June 2011, Pazienza signed a three-year contract withJuventus on a free transfer.[5][10] After only making eight appearances underAntonio Conte, he moved on loan from Juventus back to Udinese on 31 January 2012, where he played the remainder of theseason, making 15 appearances and scoring a goal, for a total of 23 Serie A appearances that season.
On 30 August 2012, Pazienza was purchased byBologna[11] for €300,000[12] on a three-year contract,[13] worth €1,081,615 in the first season and €1,261,569 in the second and the third season respectively in gross.[14] The transfer also cost Bologna an additional €366,000 as other fees.[13] Pazienza was ranked joint-4th as the highest earner from the Bologna squad in the 2012–13 season.[15]
Pazienza made 37 league appearances for Bologna in the first two seasons. However, he did not play any game in his last year of contract in2014–15 season, when the club was relegated to Serie B.
On 14 July 2015, Pazienza signed for Serie B clubVicenza Calcio on a free transfer;[16] he was awarded the number 4 shirt.[17]
On 4 February 2016, he was transferred toLega Pro sideReggiana in a five-month contract.[18][19]
In the summer of 2016, along with other free agents, Pazienza obtained the license to be a youth team coach (UEFA B License).[20]
In August, Pazienza started to train withSerie D clubManfredonia.[21] He signed a contract on 24 September.
Although Pazienza primarily excelled as a ball winner and at breaking down opposition attacks, he was also capable of aiding his team offensively due to his stamina, work rate, dynamism, finesse, and ability to make attacking runs into the area; he was also able to aid his team creatively and was an effectiveassist provider.[22][23]
Pazienza was promoted to the head coach position atSerie C clubPisa from their Under-19 squad on 19 October 2017 following the firing ofCarmine Gautieri.[24] He was dismissed from Pisa on 26 March 2018.[25]
On 5 November 2018, he was appointed manager ofSiracusa.[26] He was fired by Siracusa on 15 December 2018.[27]
On 15 July 2020, Pazienza was named the new head coach ofSerie D clubAudace Cerignola.[28] Despite failing on promotion, he was confirmed also for the2021–22 Serie D campaign, during which he led Audace Cerignola to be crowned Group H champions, thus ensuring themselves a Serie C place for the first time in over 80 years in the club's history.[29]
After three seasons in charge of Audace Cerignola, he left the club by the end of the 2022–23 season.
On 13 September 2023, Pazienza returned to management as the new head coach of Serie C clubAvellino.[30] He was dismissed on 22 September 2024, together with the rest of the technical area staff, including sporting directorGiorgio Perinetti, following a negative start of the season.[31]
On 5 February 2025, Pazienza was announced as the new head coach of Serie C promotion hopefulsBenevento.[32] He was sacked on 11 March 2025, having only managed the club for five matches.[33]
On 18 June 2025, Pazienza was unveiled as the new head coach of Serie C clubTorres.[34] He was dismissed on 2 November 2025, after a negative start in the season that left Torres in the relegation playoff zone.[35]
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | ||||
| Pisa |  | 19 October 2017 | 26 March 2018 | 22 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 27 | 19 | +8 | 040.91 |
| Siracusa | | 5 November 2018 | 15 December 2018 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | −3 | 014.29 |
| Audace Cerignola | | 15 July 2020 | 21 June 2023 | 123 | 65 | 33 | 25 | 219 | 122 | +97 | 052.85 |
| Avellino | | 13 September 2023 | 22 September 2024 | 52 | 26 | 13 | 13 | 84 | 47 | +37 | 050.00 |
| Benevento | | 5 February 2025 | 12 March 2025 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 5 | −2 | 000.00 |
| Total | 209 | 101 | 61 | 47 | 337 | 200 | +137 | 048.33 | |||
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