Luciano Spalletti facts for kids
Spalletti in 2024
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Luciano Spalletti | ||
| Date of birth | 7 March 1959 | ||
| Place of birth | Certaldo, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1982–1985 | Castelfiorentino | 50 | (0) |
| 1985–1986 | Entella | 27 | (2) |
| 1986–1990 | Spezia | 120 | (7) |
| 1990–1991 | Viareggio | 29 | (1) |
| 1991–1993 | Empoli | 60 | (3) |
| Total | 236 | (13) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1993–1998 | Empoli | ||
| 1998–1999 | Sampdoria | ||
| 1999 | Venezia | ||
| 2001 | Udinese | ||
| 2001–2002 | Ancona | ||
| 2002–2005 | Udinese | ||
| 2005–2009 | Roma | ||
| 2009–2014 | Zenit Saint Petersburg | ||
| 2016–2017 | Roma | ||
| 2017–2019 | Inter Milan | ||
| 2021–2023 | Napoli | ||
| 2023–2025 | Italy | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Luciano Spalletti (born 7 March 1959) is a famous Italian football manager and former player. He was most recently the coach of the Italian national football team.
Spalletti began his coaching career with Empoli in 1993. He later coached several Italian clubs, including two periods with Roma. There, he won two Coppa Italia titles in a row.
From 2009 to 2014, Spalletti managed Zenit St. Petersburg in Russia. He led them to win two Russian Premier League titles. After coaching Inter Milan for two seasons, he joined Napoli in 2021. He famously won the Serie A title with Napoli in the 2022–23 season. He left Napoli in June 2023.
In August 2023, he became the coach of the Italy national football team. He helped Italy qualify for UEFA Euro 2024. The team was knocked out in the round of 16. He left his role as Italy coach in June 2025.
Contents
Playing Career
Luciano Spalletti was born in Certaldo, Italy. He started playing football as a semi-professional in his mid-20s. This was quite old for a first professional game.
He played for several teams in Italy's lower leagues, like Entella and Empoli. After almost ten years of playing, he stopped in 1993. He then stayed at Empoli to become a coach.
Coaching Career
Early Coaching Days
Spalletti's first big coaching job was at Empoli. He was the head coach from July 1993 to June 1998. He helped the team get promoted twice in a row, from Serie C1 all the way to the top league, Serie A.
After Empoli, Spalletti coached Sampdoria and Venezia. He also studied at the Italian Football Federation's coaching school. He graduated with top marks in 1999.
He had two periods as head coach at Udinese. The first was in 2001, and the second was from 2002 to 2005. Between these times, he coached Ancona.
At Udinese, Spalletti really started to show his skills. In the 2004–05 season, he led Udinese to finish fourth in Serie A. This was a big surprise and earned them a spot in the UEFA Champions League. Because of this success, Roma hired him in June 2005.
Time with Roma
Roma was a team that had struggled, with many coaches in one season. Spalletti's job was to bring order. In the 2005–06 season, he changed the team's playing style. He made them play more offensively, which means they focused more on attacking.
Roma moved up from 15th to 5th place in the league. They also reached the 2006 Coppa Italia Final, but lost to Inter Milan. However, because of a big football scandal in 2006, Roma qualified for the 2006–07 UEFA Champions League.
At the end of 2006, Spalletti was named the Serie A Coach of the Year. In the Champions League, Roma reached the quarter-finals. They also beat Inter Milan to win the 2007 Coppa Italia Final. This was Spalletti's first major trophy. Roma then beat Inter again to win the 2007 Supercoppa Italiana.
In the 2007–08 UEFA Champions League, Roma beat Real Madrid over two games. This was a historic win for an Italian team. However, they were again knocked out by Manchester United in the quarter-finals. Roma did win the 2008 Coppa Italia Final again, beating Inter Milan 2–1.
The 2008–09 season was tough for Roma. They finished sixth, qualifying for the UEFA Europa League. The next season started poorly, with two losses. Spalletti decided to resign on 1 September 2009.
Zenit Saint Petersburg Success
In December 2009, Spalletti became the manager of Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia. He signed a three-year contract. His goals were to win the Russian Premier League and the Russian Cup.
Zenit won the Russian Cup on 16 May 2010. They also set a new record for most points in the Russian Premier League. On 14 November, Zenit won the championship title. This was Spalletti's first league title as a coach.
Zenit also did well in the 2010–11 UEFA Europa League, reaching the round of 16. In March 2011, Zenit won the 2011 Russian Super Cup. In the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League, Zenit made it to the knockout phase for the first time ever.
In April 2012, Zenit won their second straight Premier League championship. After two seasons without winning any trophies, Spalletti was sacked on 10 March 2014.
Second Time at Roma
Spalletti returned to manage Roma on 13 January 2016. The team had been performing poorly. He helped Roma improve their results.
There was some public disagreement with legendary player Francesco Totti about playing time. However, Spalletti started using Totti as a substitute, and it worked well. Totti scored important goals. Spalletti led Roma from a mid-table position to finish third in Serie A. This earned them a spot in the Champions League play-offs.
On 30 May 2017, after finishing second in the 2016–17 season, Spalletti left Roma by agreement.
Inter Milan Challenge
On 9 June 2017, Spalletti was announced as the new manager of Inter Milan. He signed a two-year contract. He traveled to China to meet with the club's owners.
Inter won a friendly tournament in Singapore under Spalletti. He also won his first two league matches, including a 3–0 win over Fiorentina. On 3 December, Inter took first place in the league. They were the only Italian team still undefeated after 16 weeks.
On 20 May 2018, Inter beat Lazio to finish fourth in the league. This meant they qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in six years. In August 2018, Spalletti's contract was extended until 2021.
In the 2018–19 season, Inter again secured a Champions League spot on the last day. However, Spalletti was sacked on 30 May 2019.
Napoli's Historic Win
After two years away from coaching, Spalletti became the new head coach of Napoli on 29 May 2021. In his first season, he led Napoli to finish 3rd in Serie A. This secured Champions League qualification.
In the summer of 2022, many experienced players left Napoli. But the team brought in new talents like Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Kim Min-jae. Napoli started their Champions League season by beating Liverpool 4–1. They also crushed Ajax 6–1, which was Ajax's worst defeat in European games. Napoli finished first in their Champions League group.
On 23 October, Napoli beat Roma, marking their eleventh straight win across all games. This matched a club record from 1986. On 13 January 2023, Napoli beat Juventus 5–1. This was Juventus's worst Serie A defeat since 1993.
On 15 March, Napoli reached the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the first time ever. They were later knocked out by Milan. On 4 May, Spalletti led Napoli to win their third Serie A title. It was their first league title since 1990. After this huge success, he asked for a year off from Napoli, which the club agreed to.
Coaching Italy
On 18 August 2023, Spalletti was appointed manager of the Italy national team. This happened after the previous coach, Roberto Mancini, resigned. Spalletti's contract was until 2026. Italy had not qualified for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
On 9 September 2023, Spalletti coached his first match for Italy, a 1–1 draw against North Macedonia. On 20 November 2023, he helped Italy qualify for UEFA Euro 2024. They secured their spot after a draw against Ukraine.
In January 2024, Spalletti finished second for the Best FIFA Men's Coach award. At Euro 2024, Italy won against Albania, lost to Spain, and drew with Croatia. They advanced to the round of 16. Italy was eliminated after losing 2–0 to Switzerland. Spalletti took responsibility for the early exit.
On 8 June 2025, after a loss to Norway in a World Cup qualifier, Spalletti announced he had been sacked. He stayed in charge for one more game against Moldova.
Personal Life
Luciano Spalletti is married to Tamara and they have three children. He also owns a family farm in Tuscany, Italy.
Style of Management
Spalletti is known for his smart tactical ideas. When he was at Roma, he often used a 4–2–3–1 system. This formation used four defenders, two defensive midfielders, two wingers, one attacking midfielder, and one striker. Sometimes, the striker, like Francesco Totti, would play as a "false-9." This meant they dropped deeper to help create plays.
This system helped Roma set a Serie A record for most consecutive wins in 2006. Spalletti also used players in new ways, like Simone Perrotta as a "false attacking midfielder." This helped the team score many goals.
With Napoli, Spalletti used a 4–3–3 formation. He believes that football is about finding and using the spaces left by the other team. He said, "Systems no longer exist in football, it’s all about the spaces left by the opposition."
When he coached Italy, Spalletti focused on building a team with a positive spirit. He wanted players who could move fluidly, press opponents, and create chances. He often used a flexible 4–3–3 formation, which could change to 4–2–3–1 or even 3–4–2–1.
Managerial Statistics
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | Ref. | |||
| Empoli | 18 April 1994 | 14 June 1994 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 25.00 | |
| 1 July 1995 | 30 June 1998 | 128 | 57 | 37 | 34 | 163 | 127 | +36 | 44.53 | ||
| Sampdoria | 1 July 1998 | 14 December 1998 | 23 | 8 | 5 | 10 | 23 | 32 | −9 | 34.78 | |
| 1 February 1999 | 30 June 1999 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 21 | 20 | +1 | 40.00 | ||
| Venezia | 1 July 1999 | 31 October 1999 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 20.00 | |
| 29 November 1999 | 7 February 2000 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 22 | −8 | 30.77 | ||
| Udinese | 19 March 2001 | 30 June 2001 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 19 | −6 | 18.18 | |
| Ancona | 28 December 2001 | 30 June 2002 | 20 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 27 | 25 | +2 | 40.00 | |
| Udinese | 1 July 2002 | 6 June 2005 | 122 | 53 | 32 | 37 | 165 | 142 | +23 | 43.44 | |
| Roma | 17 June 2005 | 1 September 2009 | 224 | 122 | 53 | 49 | 414 | 262 | +152 | 54.46 | |
| Zenit Saint Petersburg | 11 December 2009 | 10 March 2014 | 184 | 105 | 47 | 32 | 325 | 176 | +149 | 57.07 | |
| Roma | 13 January 2016 | 30 May 2017 | 75 | 50 | 11 | 14 | 171 | 83 | +88 | 66.67 | |
| Inter Milan | 9 June 2017 | 30 May 2019 | 90 | 45 | 26 | 19 | 141 | 75 | +66 | 50.00 | |
| Napoli | 29 May 2021 | 1 July 2023 | 96 | 62 | 16 | 18 | 198 | 89 | +109 | 64.58 | |
| Italy | 1 September 2023 | 9 June 2025 | 24 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 40 | 29 | +11 | 50.00 | |
| Total | 1,043 | 538 | 254 | 251 | 1,730 | 1,123 | +607 | 51.58 | |||
Honours
Manager
Empoli
Roma
- Coppa Italia: 2006–07, 2007–08
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2007
Zenit Saint Petersburg
- Russian Premier League: 2010, 2011–12
- Russian Cup: 2009–10
- Russian Super Cup: 2011
Napoli
- Serie A: 2022–23
Individual
- Serie A Coach of the Year: 2006, 2007, 2023
- Panchina d'Oro: 2004–05, 2022–23
- Serie A Coach of the Month: September 2021, February 2022, October 2022, January 2023
- Serie A Coach of the Season: 2022–23
- Enzo Bearzot Award: 2023
- Italian Football Hall of Fame: 2023
See also
In Spanish: Luciano Spalletti para niños
- List of Inter Milan managers
- List of A.S. Roma managers
