Gian Piero Gasperini

Lore & Background

Gasperini entered the Juventus youth system at the age of 9; during his stay at the youth system, he was in the Primavera squad, that placed runner-up in 1976 behind Lazio. After having played a handful of Coppa Italia matches with the first team, he was loaned to Reggiana and then sold to Serie B club Palermo in 1978. He stayed five seasons at Palermo, all in Serie B, but reached a Coppa Italia final in 1979, then lost to Juventus. After two seasons with Cavese (Serie B) and Pistoiese (Serie C1), Gasperini moved to Pescara, where he finally gained his first opportunity to play in Serie A after the promotion in 1987. He made his Serie A debut in a home match against Pisa, ended in a 2–1 victory which featured a goal of his. In 1990, he left Pescara to join Salernitana, and retired in 1993 at the age of 35 after two seasons with Vis Pesaro.

Reader's Guide

Gasperini began his managerial career at Crotone, leading them to promotion to Serie B via the play-offs. He then managed Genoa, leading them to promotion to Serie A and a fifth-place finish in 2008–09. After a poor start in 2010–11, he was dismissed. He managed Inter Milan for three months in 2011, being sacked after five winless games. He had two brief spells at Palermo in 2012–13, then returned to Genoa in 2013. In 2016 he became manager of Atalanta, where he led the club to five Champions League qualifications and won the Europa League in 2024. He left Atalanta in June 2025 and was appointed as manager of Roma.

Did You Know?

• He led Atalanta to their first European trophy, winning the 2024 Europa League against Bayer Leverkusen.
• Gasperini was sacked by Inter Milan after just three months in charge, following a 3–1 defeat to Novara.