Antonio Conte: A Journey from Lecce to Napoli's Bench

Born in Lecce in July 1969, Antonio Conte is a man from the South, who grew up in the South and in the South became a footballer. The coach who has just signed for the Napoli bench, with the blues will return "home" or at least close to home. The official signing with the blues has revitalized the Neapolitan fans: Conte has signed a contract with Aurelio De Laurentiis' club until 2027, coming after the terrible season experienced by Kvaratskhelia and his teammates, a bitter disappointment after the championship. Cosimino, a former footballer, manages to make him and his brother Gianluca fall in love. His first club is called "Juventina Lecce", evidently a sign of destiny. At 13, he enters the youth ranks of Lecce and it is with the giallorossi colors that he will make the whole journey up to professional football. He debuts in Serie A in 1986 with Eugenio Fascetti as coach. Then with Carlo Mazzone, he refines his skills on the field, proving himself always among the team's top players. His first goal in Serie A comes in November 1989 against Napoli. In 1991, he convinces the scouts of Juventus and is purchased by the Bianconeri club managed by Giovanni Trapattoni. Juve secures him for 7 billion lire. His time with Juventus will be a long and successful career: he wins the league five times, a UEFA Cup in 1993, a Coppa Italia in 1995, four times the Supercoppa Italiana and above all the Champions League in 1996. He remains a starter and a point of reference for his team until 2001 despite the changing of various coaches. He will retire definitively in 2004 with almost 300 appearances in a Juve shirt. He is called up for the first time by Arrigo Sacchi in 1994, with the Italian national team jersey however he will not achieve victory: a second place at the 1994 World Cup in the USA and another second place at the 2000 European Championship. He will never be called up by Ct Maldini for Euro 1996 and especially for the 1998 World Cup mainly due to an injury that made him miss the '96 European expedition in England. After retirement, he begins the long coaching career: he starts at Siena as an assistant the year after retirement, then the experiences on his own at Arezzo and Bari - he achieves promotion to Serie A in 2009 - and Atalanta. The first step towards the turning point. Which arrives at Siena: in 2010 he returns to the bench he had already known as an assistant and leads the Tuscan team to promotion to Serie A which will earn him the call from his Juventus. In the summer of 2011, he takes over from Luigi Delneri on the bench and his 7th place bringing the Bianconeri back to the championship for three consecutive seasons. The last is the most incredible season with the record of 102 points in the league still today never beaten by other teams. Other three clubs he will know: in 2016 he lands at Chelsea in England and will win the Premier League at the first attempt, in 2019 he arrives at Inter and will win the championship in the second of the two Nerazzurri years. In 2022 he had tried the English adventure again with Tottenham taken mid-season, but it does not go well. He will only earn a 4th and a 5th place in the two seasons as Spurs coach. In August 2014, he finds an agreement with the FIGC to lead the national team in view of the 2016 Euros, for which he qualifies without problems. He will lead the Italian national team to overcome the group stage, to beat Spain 2-0 in the round of 16, only to give way to Germany in the quarter-finals of the tournament on penalties. That defeat will end his experience as Italy's coach. Perhaps one of the strongest factors for the choice of Napoli was the family from which he had moved away in the last year and a half in London leading Tottenham. Since 2013 he has been married to Elisabetta Muscarello. The two met when they were very young in Puglia, before his transfer as a footballer to Juventus. The two have had a daughter, Vittoria, after the wedding. Conte has always stated that within the domestic walls the real leader is Elisabetta, contrary to what one would see on the bench. Over the years, the staff that has followed Antonio Conte on the bench has changed and has certainly evolved. From the first Bari to today, however, the coach has kept his brother Gianluca with him, graduated in Sports Science at the University of Foggia and also a former footballer: he played in Lecce with Mazzone. Today he is the match analyst of the blue team. With him in Napoli will be the inseparable assistant coach Stellini, Lele Oriali and most likely Elvis Abbruscato.