Massimo Cellino facts for kids

Massimo Cellino (born 28 July 1956) is an Italian businessman. He is well-known for owning football clubs. He used to own the Italian club Cagliari and the English club Leeds United. Through his family company, Eleonora Sport Ltd, he was also the owner of the Italian club Brescia Calcio.

Massimo Cellino: Football Club Owner

His Time at Cagliari

Massimo Cellino was the chairman of the Italian football club Cagliari Calcio for 22 years. During his time as owner, he helped build a sports center for the club. This center was named after his father, Ercole.

Cellino was known for changing managers very often. He earned the nickname Il mangia-allenatori, which means "The Manager-Eater." He changed managers 36 times during his 22 years at Cagliari. He sold the club in June 2014 to another Italian businessman, Tommaso Giulini.

Leading Leeds United

In January 2014, Massimo Cellino became interested in buying the English club Leeds United. His team visited Leeds' stadium, Elland Road, and their training ground.

Taking Over Leeds United

On 7 February 2014, Cellino's family company, Eleonora Sport Ltd, agreed to buy 75% of Leeds United. This deal needed approval from the Football League. At first, the Football League said no to the deal. However, Cellino appealed, and on 5 April 2014, the decision was changed. Cellino became the new owner of Leeds United.

Cellino later said that if he had known how difficult the takeover would be, he might not have bought the club. He felt that the Football League made things very hard for him. He also said that the fans of Leeds were "tired" and that their support gave him a lot of responsibility.

Changes at the Club

After taking over, Cellino made many changes at Leeds United. He wanted to hire a "head coach" instead of a "manager." On 30 May 2014, the club's manager, Brian McDermott, left the club. On 16 June, Dave Hockaday became the new head coach. However, Hockaday was sacked just 70 days later.

In September 2014, Darko Milanič was appointed as the new head coach. But he was also dismissed quickly, after not winning any of his six games. In November 2014, Neil Redfearn became the new head coach.

Challenges and Sales

Massimo Cellino faced some challenges during his time at Leeds. In December 2014, the Football League asked him to step down from the club. This was because of issues related to tax in Italy. His appeal was rejected, and his ban was extended until May 2015.

Cellino returned to the club as chairman and president in May 2015. He held a press conference where he talked about the club's future. He also said he would sell the club if he felt he couldn't take it to the Premier League by the 2016-17 season.

He continued to make changes to the coaching staff. In May 2015, Uwe Rösler was appointed as head coach. In October 2015, Rösler was sacked and replaced by Steve Evans.

In October 2015, Cellino said he would sell Leeds United to a fans' group called 'Leeds Fans United'. He said, "100% I will sell to the fans, if they want to buy it and look after the club." However, a few days later, he changed his mind and said he would not sell to them.

In May 2016, Cellino said he regretted buying the club and would sell it if he received the right offer. On 31 May 2016, Steve Evans was sacked, becoming the sixth manager Cellino had dismissed in two years. In June 2016, Garry Monk was appointed as the new head coach.

On 8 September 2016, Cellino's company, Eleonora Sport Ltd, became the full owner of Leeds United. However, on 4 January 2017, Andrea Radrizzani bought a 50% share of the club from Cellino. On 23 May 2017, Radrizzani bought the remaining 50% shares, taking full ownership of Leeds United. Cellino thanked the fans and said, "if you can survive working with me, you can survive anything."

Owning Brescia

After leaving Leeds United, Cellino returned to Italy. He bought the Serie B club Brescia. He continued his pattern of changing managers frequently. In the 2017-18 season alone, he appointed four different managers for Brescia.

In June 2025, Brescia was relegated from Serie B. This happened after the club faced financial difficulties and was unable to pay some debts.

Personal Life and Interests

Massimo Cellino is married to Frances and they have three children. He owns homes in Leeds and Miami, Florida.

Cellino has some interesting beliefs. He does not like the number 17, which is considered unlucky in Italian culture. At Cagliari's stadium, he had the number 17 removed from seats and replaced with 16b. He also dislikes the color purple, which is also seen as unlucky in Italy. In May 2014, Leeds United even retired the number 17 shirt for a while because of Cellino's beliefs.

He also enjoys playing guitar in a cover band called Maurillos. In May 2014, he even joined the band The Pigeon Detectives on stage to play guitar for a song.