Walter Mazzarri
Encyclopedia
Walter Mazzarri is a retired Italian
footballer and the current manager of S.S.C. Napoli
.
and a product of Fiorentina
's youth system, made his professional debut in 1981 for Pescara
of Serie B
, and played a short Serie A
stint in Cagliari
the following season, before being sold to Reggiana
. He had his longest time in a team where at Empoli
, participating to the first Serie A promotion for the Tuscan side. After several experiences mostly with minor teams, including a two-year stint with Acireale where he was part of the team who won a historical first promotion to Serie B, and then playing in the Italian second tier in 1993–94, Mazzarri ended his playing career in 1995 with Sassari Torres
.
's assistant coach for Napoli
in 1998. His first first team experience came in 2001/2002 for Sicilian
Serie C2
team Acireale
, where he already worked as a footballer from 1992 to 1994. Successively, he returned in his native Tuscany
to coach Pistoiese
of Serie C1 in 2002/2003 and Livorno
of Serie B
in 2003/2004, bringing the amaranto led by Cristiano Lucarelli
back in Serie A
. He served as coach of Reggina
from 2004 to 2007, leading the Calabria
n side to three consecutive savings, the latter being particularly impressive, as obtained in the final Serie A day of the season despite a 11 points deduction. On May 31, 2007 he was announced as new Sampdoria
coach.
He served as Sampdoria boss for two seasons, in a team that enjoyed a considerable improvement in results also thanks to the likes of new signing Antonio Cassano
, who publicly praised Mazzarri's coaching abilities. Sampdoria's 2007–08 campaign ended in an impressive sixth place which ensured qualification to the UEFA Cup
. Mazzarri's Serie A fortunes with Sampdoria slightly declined in 2008–09, as the blucerchiati ended their campaign in 13th place; despite this, he managed to guide his team into the Coppa Italia Final
, notably defeating Italian champions Inter
3–1 on aggregate in the semifinals, before being defeated on penalty shootouts by Lazio
in a one-legged final. Mazzarri left Sampdoria by mutual consent at the end of the 2008–09 season.
On 6 October 2009 he was appointed as the new manager of Napoli
, replacing Roberto Donadoni
. He led Napoli to 6th place in the Serie A, being rewarded from chairman De Laurentis on 22 May 2010 with a contract that runs until June 2013.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
footballer and the current manager of S.S.C. Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
.
Playing career
Mazzarri, a midfielderMidfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
and a product of Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina
ACF Fiorentina, commonly referred to as simply Fiorentina, is a professional Italian football club from Florence, Tuscany. Founded by a merger in 1926, Fiorentina have played at the top level of Italian football for the majority of their existence; only four clubs have played in more Serie A...
's youth system, made his professional debut in 1981 for Pescara
Pescara Calcio
Delfino Pescara 1936 is an Italian football club based in Pescara, Abruzzo.The club was formed in 1936 and currently plays in Italian Serie B. Pescara has competed in 5 seasons in Serie A...
of Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
, and played a short Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
stint in Cagliari
Cagliari Calcio
Cagliari Calcio is an Italian football club based in Cagliari, Sardinia. The club was formed in 1920 and currently plays in Italian Serie A, having spent a large part of recent years mainly in Serie A and Serie B....
the following season, before being sold to Reggiana
A.C. Reggiana 1919
Associazione Calcio Reggiana 1919 is an Italian association football club, based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1919 as A.C. Reggiana and refounded in July 2005 as Reggio Emilia F.C., but it was renamed A.C. Reggiana 1919 soon after the start of the 2005–06 season. The...
. He had his longest time in a team where at Empoli
Empoli F.C.
Empoli Football Club is an Italian association football club located in Empoli, Tuscany, founded in 1920 and played its first official match in 1921.In recent years, the club has all too often been bouncing between Italy's two top divisions...
, participating to the first Serie A promotion for the Tuscan side. After several experiences mostly with minor teams, including a two-year stint with Acireale where he was part of the team who won a historical first promotion to Serie B, and then playing in the Italian second tier in 1993–94, Mazzarri ended his playing career in 1995 with Sassari Torres
Sassari Torres 1903
Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Società di Educazione Fisica Torres 1903 is an Italian association football club, based in Sassari, Sardinia...
.
Managing career
Mazzarri started his managing career as Renzo UlivieriRenzo Ulivieri
Renzo Ulivieri is an Italian association football manager. He is the current chairman of the Associazione Italiana Allenatori Calcio .-Career:...
's assistant coach for Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
in 1998. His first first team experience came in 2001/2002 for Sicilian
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
Serie C2
Serie C
The Lega Italiana Calcio Professionistico , commonly known as Lega Pro , is the governing body that runs the third and fourth highest football divisions in Italy, the Prima Divisione and Seconda Divisione respectively. It also includes the sole professional club of San Marino...
team Acireale
A.S. Acireale
Società Sportiva Dilettantistica Acireale Calcio 1946 is an Italian association football club, based in Acireale, Sicily. The club have spent most of their history in Serie C, although they have played for two seasons in Serie B.-History:...
, where he already worked as a footballer from 1992 to 1994. Successively, he returned in his native Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
to coach Pistoiese
A.C. Pistoiese
Unione Sportiva Pistoiese 1921 is an Italian association football club, based in Pistoia, Tuscany.At the end of the 2010-11 Eccellenza season, Pistoiese was promoted to Serie D....
of Serie C1 in 2002/2003 and Livorno
A.S. Livorno Calcio
Associazione Sportiva Livorno Calcio is an Italian football club based in Livorno, Tuscany. The club was formed in 1915 and currently plays in Italian Serie B. The team's colors are dark red or maroon...
of Serie B
Serie B
Serie B, currently named Serie bwin due to sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It is contested by 22 teams and organized by the Lega Serie B since July 2010, after the split of Lega Calcio that previously took care of both the...
in 2003/2004, bringing the amaranto led by Cristiano Lucarelli
Cristiano Lucarelli
He is a staunch admirer of Che Guevara, whose face is frequently displayed on Livorno fans' banners and T-shirts during matches. This first came to the fore in 1997, when, after scoring for Italy's Under-21 side, he celebrated by pulling his jersey over his face to reveal a shirt bearing the...
back in Serie A
Serie A
Serie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
. He served as coach of Reggina
Reggina Calcio
Reggina Calcio are an Italian association football club, the main club of the city of Reggio Calabria. Founded in 1914, they currently play in the Italian Serie B, and play their home matches at the 27,763 seater Stadio Oreste Granillo...
from 2004 to 2007, leading the Calabria
Calabria
Calabria , in antiquity known as Bruttium, is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of the Italian Peninsula. The capital city of Calabria is Catanzaro....
n side to three consecutive savings, the latter being particularly impressive, as obtained in the final Serie A day of the season despite a 11 points deduction. On May 31, 2007 he was announced as new Sampdoria
U.C. Sampdoria
Unione Calcio Sampdoria is an Italian association football club based in Genoa. The club was formed in 1946 from the merger of two existing sports clubs whose roots can be traced back to the 1890s, Sampierdarenese and Andrea Doria...
coach.
He served as Sampdoria boss for two seasons, in a team that enjoyed a considerable improvement in results also thanks to the likes of new signing Antonio Cassano
Antonio Cassano
Antonio Cassano is an Italian footballer who plays for Serie A club Milan as a striker. Nicknamed Il Gioiello di Bari Vecchia , he is known for his short temper as much as his ability on the pitch, which led to the coining of the neologism Cassanata by his former coach, Fabio Capello, in November...
, who publicly praised Mazzarri's coaching abilities. Sampdoria's 2007–08 campaign ended in an impressive sixth place which ensured qualification to the UEFA Cup
UEFA Cup 2008–09
The UEFA Cup 2008–09 was the 38th edition of the UEFA Cup football tournament. The final was played at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, home ground of Fenerbahçe, in Istanbul, Turkey, on 20 May 2009. This season was the final one to use the UEFA Cup format; starting in 2009, the event is known as the...
. Mazzarri's Serie A fortunes with Sampdoria slightly declined in 2008–09, as the blucerchiati ended their campaign in 13th place; despite this, he managed to guide his team into the Coppa Italia Final
2009 Coppa Italia Final
-Post-match:After the match, some Lazio players wore a T-shirt to joke A.S. Roma rivals with written on it Io campione, tu zero titoli , quoting a sentence said by José Mourinho who had, earlier in the season, correctly predicted that Milan, Juve and Roma would have completed the season with no...
, notably defeating Italian champions Inter
F.C. Internazionale Milano
Football Club Internazionale Milano, often referred to as Internazionale or simply Inter, is a professional Italian football club based in Milan, Italy. Outside Italy, the club is often called Inter Milan. They are the reigning FIFA Club World champions and Coppa Italia holders.Inter have always...
3–1 on aggregate in the semifinals, before being defeated on penalty shootouts by Lazio
S.S. Lazio
Società Sportiva Lazio, commonly referred to as Lazio, is a professional Italian football club based in Rome. The team, founded in 1900, play in the Serie A and have spent most of their history in the top tier of Italian football...
in a one-legged final. Mazzarri left Sampdoria by mutual consent at the end of the 2008–09 season.
On 6 October 2009 he was appointed as the new manager of Napoli
S.S.C. Napoli
Società Sportiva Calcio Napoli, commonly referred to as Napoli, is a professional Italian football club based in Naples and founded in 1926. The club has spent most of its history in Serie A, where it currently plays its 2011–12 season....
, replacing Roberto Donadoni
Roberto Donadoni
Roberto Donadoni is an Italian football manager and former player, last in charge of Serie A club Cagliari.An attacking midfielder or winger known for pace and technique, he was a pillar of the powerhouse AC Milan teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s and one of the pioneers of Major League...
. He led Napoli to 6th place in the Serie A, being rewarded from chairman De Laurentis on 22 May 2010 with a contract that runs until June 2013.