Spalletti named Serie A coach of the year

Luciano Spalletti has been named Serie A Coach of the Season after leading Napoli to their first Scudetto title in 33 years, and the first of his career too.

The tactician will receive the trophy during the warm-up for Napoli’s final game of the season against Sampdoria at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this weekend.

The award was voted for by a jury of editors from the Italian sporting press, choosing their candidate based on not just results and quality of football, but also fair play behaviour during matches. Luciano Spalletti’s season in charge of Napoli has been simply extraordinary, said Lega Serie A chief Luigi De Siervo. The Azzurri made their mark from day one not just for their results, but also the spectacular style of football, which was appreciated on the international stage too.

The 64-year-old tactician has decided he wants to take a Sabbatical after the Scudetto triumph, so Napoli need to find a new coach to lead them into the 2023-24 campaign. This was his first Scudetto and Spalletti got a tattoo on his arm to represent the victory. He was already named Serie A Coach of the Year in both 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons.