Earlier this month, Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Carlo Tavecchio confirmed the appointment of Giampiero Ventura as the country’s new national team coach.
By opting for the 68-year-old Ventura, who recently married long-time companion Luciana Lacriola, 40, in Bari, the FIGC chief has taken a different route compared to his decision to go for Antonio Conte less than two years ago.
In the wake of Italy’s early exit from the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil – the Azzurri had also failed to make it past the group stages in the competition in South Africa four years earlier – Tavecchio had pledged to engage a top-notch coach if he was elected federation president.
Having led Juventus to three straight league titles between 2011 and 2014, Conte had built a reputation as the best Italian coach around at the time.
Tavecchio eventually got his man thanks to sportswear firm Puma, Italy’s kit suppliers, who agreed to pay more than half of Conte’s estimated €4.6m-a-year salary.
Conte, 46, is at the pinnacle of his career and the move to London club Chelsea in the English Premier League this summer continues to up his stakes on the international scene.
Ventura’s profile is nowhere near that of Conte and the fact that he has accepted a €1.3m yearly wage from the FIGC is ample proof of that.
The former Torino coach, who has signed a two-year contract, has no international experience and was a modest player in the third division in his heyday.
Ventura made his international debut only two years ago, leading Torino to the round of 16 in the UEFA Europa League.
In his coaching career, spanning almost three decades, Ventura has been in charge of several teams including Lecce, Cagliari, Sampdoria, Udinese, Napoli, Messina, Verona, Pisa, Bari, where incidentally he replaced Conte in 2009, and, most recently, Torino.
Ventura led the Maroons to an immediate promotion to the Serie A in 2012.
While at Torino, he launched the careers of a few notable players including Alessio Cerci, Ciro Immobile and Matteo Darmian as the club made their return to European club football after two decades and a first successin the derby against the more illustrious Juventus since 1994/95.
Last season, Torino finished in a mid-table position despite spending in the region of €30 million on new players in the two transfer windows.
Remarkably, Ventura’s lack of experience with big clubs is not a cause of concern for Tavecchio.
“I stuck to my decision which I reached a few months ago,” he was quoted as saying when Ventura was unveiled as new Azzurri boss.
“I chose Ventura because he’s a footballing scholar and he has taught many coaches his innovative methods. So, he’s a good choice for the job.”
A few sides coached by Ventura, particularly Bari and Torino, played some of the most refreshing and eye-pleasing football in the Serie A despite not having top-quality players within their ranks.
Besides Cerci, Immobile and Darmian, he was also responsible for grooming the talents of players like Leonardo Bonucci, Kamil Glik and others.
However, many reckon a coach with a better know-how of international football would have been more suited to the cause as Italy continue the rebuilding programme launched by Conte two years ago.
In the route for qualification to the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Italy will play Spain, Albania, Israel, Macedonia and Liechtenstein.