Gennaro Ruotolo

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Lore & Background

Ruotolo started his career with Sorrento in 1984, but is best known for having been a key player for Genoa for over a decade; he joined the Grifone in 1988 to left it only in 2002 to join Livorno of Serie C1. During his spell at Genoa he lifted the 1996 Anglo-Italian Cup. He played for Livorno until 2006, except for a four-months time at Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad (February–June 2003), being part of both rosters which gained promotion to Serie B and then Serie A, and playing two top division seasons with the amaranto. He left Livorno in 2006 to join newly promoted Serie C2 club Sorrento in a comeback to his first professional team. He left Sorrento in December 2007 by mutual consent and then joined amateur Promozione side Massa Lubrense for the remainder of the season. In his playing career, Ruotolo received three call-ups for the Italy national team, all in 1991, with a single appearance, a 2–0 home win against Denmark on 12 June. In July 2008, he returned to Livorno, this time as assistant to the newly appointed coach Leonardo Acori. On 23 May 2009 Ruotolo was appointed on an interim basis to replace Leonardo Acori at the helm of Livorno for the final Serie B league game and the following promotion play-offs. He debuted with a late 3–2 away win to Ascoli that left his side in third place at the end of the regular season. In the promotion play-offs, Livorno was coupled with Tuscan rivals Grosseto 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 against Brescia. In the finals, Ruotolo then managed to guide Livorno to defeat Brescia 5–2 on aggregate, thus marking an immediate Serie A return for the amaranto club. 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, and Vittorio 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 to Palermo. In January 2010 he was re-hired by Livorno chairman Aldo Spinelli, this time as new youth coach of the Primavera under-19 sq

In Their Own Story

The San Siro was a furnace. 15 February 2011, Milan against Tottenham in the Champions League. Gattuso, already wound tight, had been trading words with Tottenham coach Joe Jordan, who was outside his allowed technical area. The game was physical, raw. Then it happened: Gattuso pushed Jordan away by the throat during an incident on the sideline. After the final whistle, after Gattuso had shaken hands with the Tottenham players, video footage showed him confronting Jordan again. It was Gattuso at his most volcanic—the same fire that, years earlier in December 2005, had seen him seek out and taunt Schalke's Christian Poulsen after a 3–2 win, reacting to Poulsen's fierce marking of Kaká. But that same snarling intensity was also the engine of Milan's midfield. In the 2005 Champions League final, he ran until his lungs burned as Milan led Liverpool 3–0 at half-time, only to lose on penalties. Two years later, on 23 May 2007, he won the Champions League for the second time in his career when Milan beat Liverpool 2–1 in the final. The rage and the glory were two sides of the same coin.

Reader's Guide

Gennaro Ruotolo is a former midfielder who played for Sorrento, Genoa, Livorno, Al-Ittihad, and Massa Lubrense. He later managed Livorno (interim and permanent), Savona, Sorrento, Treviso, and Sangiovannese.

Did You Know?

• Ruotolo lifted the 1996 Anglo-Italian Cup with Genoa.
• He made one appearance for Italy, a 2–0 win against Denmark on 12 June 1991.
• He led Livorno to Serie A promotion in 2009 despite lacking UEFA Pro coaching badges.