Andrea Pirlo has been dismissed as the head coach of Sampdoria, the Serie B club announced on Thursday.
Pirlo, who took over the club in June 2023 with the ambition of restoring them to Serie A after their relegation, faced an early exit after just over a season.
Sampdoria’s poor start to the current campaign, marked by a draw and two consecutive defeats, left them languishing in the second-to-last spot on the table.
This disappointing run of form ultimately led to Pirlo’s dismissal.
Pirlo, a 2006 World Cup winner with Italy and widely celebrated for his visionary passing abilities on the field—earning him the nickname “the maestro”—has had a brief and turbulent managerial career.
His tenure at Juventus in the 2020-21 season was his first major coaching role after a short stint with their under-23 team. However, that spell lasted only a year.
Following his departure from Juventus, Pirlo ventured into Turkish football, taking the reins at Fatih Karagümrük in 2022. Despite the promise he showed, his time there also ended after a year.
At Sampdoria, Pirlo was tasked with the difficult challenge of reversing the club’s fortunes after their relegation from Italy’s top tier.
Although there were hopes of a swift return to Serie A, the team finished a disappointing seventh in Serie B, which only earned them a spot in the promotion playoffs.
Their journey was cut short when they were eliminated by Palermo in the preliminary round, sealing Pirlo’s fate at the club.
As a player, Pirlo enjoyed a decorated career, winning six Serie A titles—four with Juventus and two with AC Milan.
He also lifted the Champions League trophy twice with Milan, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation.
