Giampaolo: Juventus told me ‘there was a 99% chance’ to be the new coach | OneFootball

Lecce coach Marco Giampaolo reveals he was so close to being appointed by Juventus in 2009 that Bianconeri directors called him to say there was a ‘99% chance’ he’d be appointed.

Lecce boss Giampaolo said in an interview with La Stampa (via TMW) that he was close to becoming the new Juventus coach in 2009.

“The directors Secco, Castagnini, and Blanc called me. I remember going to Turin for dinner at Blanc’s house; then I left to return home to Giulianova at night,” he said.

“During the journey, they called me back to say that there was a 99% chance I would be the new Juventus coach and that it just needed to be ratified by the board of directors or something like that.

“You can imagine. I was 40 years old. Who would have thought about coaching Juventus? How many people get to sit on that bench in a hundred years?

Sampdoria’s head coach Marco Giampaolo reacts prior to the Italian Serie A soccer match Sampdoria vs Salernitana at Luigi Ferraris stadium in Genoa, Italy, 16 april 2022. EPA-EFE/LUCA ZENNARO

“Unfortunately, after a couple of days, they told me that bigger decisions were at play, that it wasn’t just up to them, and they ended up choosing Ferrara.”

Giampaolo has coached several Serie A clubs in his career, including Milan, Cagliari, Torino, Empoli and Sampdoria.

He replaced Luca Gotti at Lecce this season and has managed to keep the Giallorossi outside the drop zone. GamStop bookies for UK players suggest Giampaolo’s side have a fair chance of avoiding relegation this term, despite the sale of their best player, Patrick Dorgu, to Manchester United in the January transfer window.

Lecce won four games from 12 under Giampaolo, drawing three matches and losing five. The Puglia-based team has scored 13 goals and conceded 20 with the 57-year-old in charge.

His most prestigious appointment came in 2019, when he became the Milan head coach. However, Giampaolo only remained at the helm for seven games, winning just three and losing four times.

“There are no magicians. In football, many things need to come together, even the stars have to align. I see it that way,” he continued.

“Sometimes, it would simply be enough, so to speak, to be in the right place at the right time, with the right team, the right sporting director, and most importantly, you have to be the right person yourself. My career has been a rollercoaster. But I’m proud to say that I’ve always managed to get back up and had the strength, at different times, to start over. And that’s not so easy.”

Lecce sit 14th in the Serie A table, four above the relegation zone. Their next league game is against direct rivals Monza, who sit at the bottom of the standings and have re-hired Alessandro Nesta after sacking Salvatore Bocchetti this week.