Vincenzo Montella facts for kids
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Montella as manager of Milan in 2016
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Vincenzo Montella | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 18 June 1974 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Pomigliano d'Arco, Italy | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Turkey (head coach) | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1990 | Empoli | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 1990–1995 | Empoli | 51 | (27) | |||||||||||||
| 1995–1996 | Genoa | 34 | (21) | |||||||||||||
| 1996–1999 | Sampdoria | 83 | (54) | |||||||||||||
| 1999–2009 | Roma | 192 | (83) | |||||||||||||
| 2007 | → Fulham (loan) | 10 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | → Sampdoria (loan) | 13 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 383 | (192) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2005 | Italy | 20 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2009–2011 | Roma U15 | |||||||||||||||
| 2011 | Roma (interim) | |||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Catania | |||||||||||||||
| 2012–2015 | Fiorentina | |||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Sampdoria | |||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Milan | |||||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Sevilla | |||||||||||||||
| 2019 | Fiorentina | |||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Adana Demirspor | |||||||||||||||
| 2023– | Turkey | |||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Vincenzo Montella (born 18 June 1974) is a famous Italian football manager and a former striker. He is currently the head coach of the Turkey national football team.
During his time as a player, Montella was known as "Aeroplanino," which means "Little Airplane." This nickname came from his smaller size and his special way of celebrating goals: he would spread his arms like airplane wings. He was a great goalscorer for Italian clubs like Empoli, Genoa, Sampdoria, and Roma. He also played for Fulham in England for a short time.
Montella is best remembered for his years with Roma, from 1999 to 2007. There, he helped the team win the Serie A title and the Supercoppa Italiana in the 2000–01 season. He also played in the 2003 Coppa Italia final with Roma. In 2013, he was honored by being added to the Roma Hall of Fame. For the Italian national team, he played 20 games and scored three goals between 1999 and 2005. He was part of the Italian team that reached the final of UEFA Euro 2000 and played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
After retiring as a player, Montella started his coaching career. He managed several clubs, including Catania, Fiorentina, Sampdoria, Milan, and Sevilla. In 2016, he won his first trophy as a coach, the Supercoppa Italiana, with Milan. Since September 2023, he has been the coach of the Turkish national team, leading them to qualify for UEFA Euro 2024.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Starting Out in Italy
Vincenzo Montella began his football journey in 1990 with Empoli, playing in Italy's lower leagues. In 1995, he moved to Serie B club Genoa. He had a fantastic season there, scoring 21 goals. He also helped Genoa win the Anglo-Italian Cup.
After his success at Genoa, Montella joined Sampdoria in Serie A, Italy's top league. He played there for three years until 1999. After Sampdoria was relegated, he made a big move to Roma.
Time at Roma
Montella joined Roma in 1999. Even though the new coach, Fabio Capello, preferred taller strikers, Montella still scored 18 goals in his first season. He was Roma's top scorer that year. The next year, Roma signed Gabriel Batistuta, another great striker.
Montella often started games from the bench, but he was a key player for Roma. He helped them win their third Scudetto (the Italian league title) in the 2000–01 season. He scored important goals, including one in the 3–1 win against Parma that secured the title.
Montella became a fan favorite, especially for his amazing performances in the Rome derby against Lazio. In one famous match on 10 March 2002, he scored four goals in a 5–1 victory. This is still a record for goals scored by one player in a Rome derby.
He played his last game for Roma on 23 December 2006. In total, Montella played 215 matches for Roma over eight years, scoring 94 goals. This made him one of the club's top goalscorers ever.
Loan to Fulham
In January 2007, Montella moved to England on a six-month loan to Fulham. He quickly became popular with the fans. He scored two goals in his first home game against Leicester City in the FA Cup.
He also scored his first Premier League goal against Tottenham Hotspur. Montella's goals, like one against Blackburn Rovers, helped Fulham avoid being relegated from the Premier League. His loan ended in May 2007.
Loan to Sampdoria and Retirement
After his time at Fulham, Montella was loaned to Sampdoria for the 2007–08 season. He later returned to Roma for the 2008–09 season, but mostly made substitute appearances.
On 2 July 2009, Vincenzo Montella announced that he was retiring from professional football as a player.
International Career
Montella first played for the Italian national team on 5 June 1999, in a match against Wales. He was part of the Italian squad for UEFA Euro 2000, where Italy reached the final. Although he didn't score in the tournament, he provided an assist in a group match against Sweden. Italy lost the final to France in extra time.
He scored his first goal for Italy on 25 April 2001, in a friendly match against South Africa. On 27 March 2002, he scored two goals against England in a friendly game, helping Italy win 2–1.
Montella was also chosen for the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In Italy's final group match against Mexico, he had a goal disallowed but then set up Alessandro Del Piero's equalizer. Italy was later knocked out in the Round of 16 by co-hosts South Korea. In total, Montella played 20 games for Italy and scored three goals.
Playing Style
Vincenzo Montella was known as "L'Aeroplanino" ("The Little Airplane") because of his height and his famous goal celebration. He was a quick, smart, and effective striker who was good with his left foot. He had great speed, good technique, and a sharp eye for scoring goals. He could shoot well with both feet.
People also described him as a "fine all-around player" with excellent passing and dribbling skills. While he mainly played as a centre-forward, he was also versatile enough to play in a more creative role as a second striker. He was known for being a "goal-poacher," meaning he was very good at finding chances to score.
Coaching Career
Starting at Roma
After retiring, Montella became a youth team coach for Roma's under-15 team. On 21 February 2011, he was appointed as the interim head coach for Roma's main team. In his first Serie A match as coach, Roma won 1–0 against Bologna. He led Roma to a sixth-place finish in the league that season.
Catania and Fiorentina
In June 2011, Montella became the new coach of Catania. He led them to a good mid-table finish in the league. After one season, he left Catania in June 2012.
On 11 June 2012, Montella signed a contract with Fiorentina. He made many changes to the team. In his first season, Fiorentina finished fourth in 2012–13 Serie A, just missing out on a spot in the UEFA Champions League.
In his second season, Montella led Fiorentina to the 2014 Coppa Italia final, but they lost to Napoli. The team finished fourth in the league again. In his third season, Fiorentina reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Europa League in 2015. They finished fourth in the league for the third season in a row. He was sacked by Fiorentina in June 2015.
Sampdoria and Milan
On 15 November 2015, Montella was announced as the new head coach for Sampdoria. He stayed there until June 2016.
On 28 June 2016, Milan announced Montella as their new head coach. On 23 December, Montella led Milan to win their first title since 2011: the Supercoppa Italiana. They beat Juventus in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw. In his first season, Milan finished sixth in the league, which meant they qualified for European competition again. However, after a difficult start to the 2017–18 Serie A season, Montella was sacked by Milan on 27 November 2017.
Sevilla and Return to Fiorentina
On 28 December 2017, Montella became the manager of Spanish club Sevilla. He guided Sevilla to their first-ever UEFA Champions League quarter-final, beating Manchester United along the way. They were eventually knocked out by Bayern Munich. Montella also led Sevilla to the Copa del Rey final in 2018, but they lost to Barcelona.
Despite these cup successes, Sevilla struggled in the league. Montella was sacked on 28 April 2018, after a long run without a victory. On 10 April 2019, Montella returned to Fiorentina for a second time. This spell lasted over eight months, and he was dismissed on 21 December 2019.
Adana Demirspor and Turkey National Team
On 1 September 2021, Montella started a new adventure in Turkey, signing a two-year contract with Adana Demirspor. In his first season, the team finished ninth in the league. In his second season, 2022–23, Adana Demirspor finished fourth in the league. This was their best league position ever and qualified them for European competitions for the first time.
On 21 September 2023, Montella was announced as the new manager of the Turkey national football team. He quickly made an impact, leading Turkey to qualify for UEFA Euro 2024 on 15 October 2023, after a 4–0 win over Latvia. At Euro 2024, Turkey won their first match against Georgia 3–1. They lost to Portugal but then beat Czech Republic 2–1 to finish second in their group. In the Round of 16, Turkey defeated Austria 2–1, reaching the quarter-finals. They were eventually eliminated by Netherlands with a 2–1 defeat.
Honours
Player
Genoa
- Anglo-Italian Cup: 1995–96
Roma
- Serie A: 2000–01
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2001
Italy
- UEFA European Championship runner-up: 2000
Manager
Milan
- Supercoppa Italiana: 2016
Individual Awards
- Enzo Bearzot Award: 2013
- AS Roma Hall of Fame: 2013
- USSI EuroMed - Sustainability & Excellence Award: 2023
See also
In Spanish: Vincenzo Montella para niños
