Gennaro Gattuso

Gennaro Ivan Gattuso (born 9 January 1978) is an Italian professional football coach and former player, who most recently was the manager of Ligue 1 club Marseille.

As a player, he mainly played in the centre as a defensive midfielder, although he was also capable of playing on the wing.

Gattuso made his debut for Rangers, coming on as an 81st-minute substitute, in a 3–1 win against Hearts in the opening game of the season.

He scored his first goal for the club against RC Strasbourg in the first round of the UEFA Cup, as Rangers failed to overcome the deficit, losing 4–2 on aggregate.

He started his career with Umbrian side Perugia, but transferred in July 1997, at the age of 19, to the Scottish team Rangers.

The move was controversial; Perugia, unsuccessfully, accused Rangers of signing Gattuso illegally that they took their case to FIFA.

Gattuso revealed that he initially refused to join Rangers but accepted the move after his father persuaded him to move.

Gattuso received a red card for the first time in his professional career over a second bookable offence, in a 5–2 win against Hearts on 20 December 1997.

At the end of the 1997–98 season, he had made forty appearances and scoring four times in all competitions.

He later scored two more goals for the club, including a brace against Hearts on 25 April 1998.

This led him to being described as an "unsung heroes" by the club’s chairman David Murray, who he felt "has surpassed expectations by playing so many games aged 19".

In the Scottish Cup final, Gattuso played the whole game, as Rangers lost 2–1 against Hearts.

Walter Smith, who brought Gattuso to Glasgow, left the club in 1998.

Smith's successor, Dick Advocaat, did not favour Gattuso and played him out-of-position as a right-back.

Despite this, he was able to score in the UEFA Cup 4–2 win against Beitar Jerusalem.

The Italian was sold in October 1998 to then-recently-promoted Serie A club Salernitana for £4 million.

Prior to joining Salernitana, Gattuso turned down a move to Juventus.

Gattuso was bought by AC Milan for €8 million from Salernitana in the summer of 1999.

He made his debut with the club on 15 September 1999, in a 0–0 away draw with Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League; he soon broke into the starting line-up that season, also playing his first Milan-derby match on 24 October 1999, in which he stood out and immediately endeared himself with the Milan fans for the maturity and tenacity he demonstrated when facing Inter striker Ronaldo, who was widely regarded as the best player in the world at the time.

At international level, he played for the Italy national football team at the 2000 Summer Olympics, three FIFA World Cups, two UEFA European Championships, and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

He initially played for Perugia, Salernitana, and Rangers, though he is mostly remembered for his time with AC Milan in Serie A, where he won the Champions League, in 2002–03 and 2006–07, the Coppa Italia in 2002–03, and also the Serie A title in 2003–04 and 2010–11.

In addition to these titles, he won two Italian Supercups, two UEFA Supercups, and a FIFA Club World Cup.

During his time at the club, Gattuso's work-rate and versatility as a ball-winner later allowed Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti to place midfield playmaker Andrea Pirlo alongside him in a more creative, attacking position, while Gattuso supported him in a deeper role, as a defensive midfielder; this midfield partnership was pivotal to Milan's domestic and international successes under Ancelotti, which included the Coppa Italia, the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup in 2003, as well as the Serie A title and the Supercoppa Italiana in 2004.

Gattuso signed a contract extension with Milan in June 2003 and in October 2004.

During this period, Gattuso also reached the 2005 UEFA Champions League Final with Milan, only to be defeated by Liverpool on penalties, after initially leading 3–0 at half-time.

Gattuso's talismanic midfield partnership with playmaker Andrea Pirlo, both at club and international level, played a key role in Italy's World Cup victory in 2006, as well as Milan's domestic, European, and international successes during the mid-2000s.

Despite not being blessed with notable technical skills, Gattuso's pace, strength, and work-rate complemented and supported Pirlo's composed, creative playing style, while his energy, aggression, and hard-tackling style of play enabled him to make a name for himself as one of the best players in the world in his position.

In addition to his ball-winning abilities, Gattuso was renowned for his competitive nature and leadership qualities throughout his career, often wearing the captain's armband for Milan following Paolo Maldini's retirement.

Gattuso's coaching career began as player-coach of his final club, Sion of the Swiss Super League, and he also had short spells in charge of Palermo and OFI Crete.

Gattuso played his 300th game for the club in a goalless Champions League draw against Lille on 26 September 2006, and he extended his current deal with Milan until 2011 on 1 February 2007.

On 23 May 2007, Gattuso won the Champions League for the second time in his career when Milan beat Liverpool 2–1 in the final.

After winning the FIFA Club World Cup, on 27 December 2007, Gattuso trained with his former club Rangers to regain fitness during the Serie A winter break whilst his wife was visiting family in Scotland over Christmas.

The following December, Gattuso suffered a torn Anterior cruciate ligament early on in the 1–0 league win against Catania.

Despite the injury, however, Gattuso played the entire 90 minutes before being diagnosed by the club doctors after the match.

He underwent surgery to repair the damage on 19 December 2008 in Antwerp, Belgium.

He was expected to miss up to six months of action but managed to return to the Milan bench on 10 May against Juventus, a month ahead of schedule.

On 22 August 2009, he made his 400th appearance with Milan in the opening match of the 2009–10 Serie A season against Siena, wearing the captain's armband.

In June 2016, he led Pisa to Serie B promotion.

He later coached both the youth side and the first team of his former club Milan between 2017 and 2019, before being appointed as manager of Napoli later that year, where he won his first title as a coach, the 2019–20 Coppa Italia.

Gattuso was born in Corigliano Calabro, Italy.