Michele Santoni

Michele Santoni (born 18 May 1980) is an Italian-Dutch football manager who manages Serie C Group A club Triestina.

Michele Santoni
Santoni in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth (1980-05-18) 18 May 1980 (age 44)
Place of birthArco, Italy
Team information
Current team
Triestina (head coach)
Managerial career
YearsTeam
2008–2009Haarlem
2009–2014Ajax (video analyst)
2014Livorno (assistant)
2014–2015Cesena (assistant)
2015–2016Lazio (youth)
2016Inter (video analyst)
2018–2019Almere City
2020ADO Den Haag (assistant)
2021–2024FC Dordrecht
2024–Triestina

Career

In 2008, Santoni was appointed youth manager of the Dutch second division side Haarlem, where he said, "In the Netherlands, it is structure, structure, structure, structure." [1]

In 2009, he was appointed video analyst of Ajax, the most successful club in the Netherlands.

In 2014, Santoni was appointed assistant of Italian Serie A outfit Livorno, where he said, "In Italy, there is much more improvisation; it goes by feel." [1] After that, he was appointed youth manager of Lazio in the Italian Serie A, where he said, "Lazio's facilities were a disaster. We only had one artificial grass pitch and no hot water. Politics also plays a major role there, as a result of which the youth academy is not 100 percent about talent development. Then that player had to be added because his father sponsors the club, and then another player from a big agent came in just to keep that agent happy. Typically Italian", before being appointed video analyst of Inter, one of Italy's most successful teams.[1]

In 2018, Santoni was appointed manager of Almere City in the Dutch second division. After that, he was appointed assistant of Dutch side ADO Den Haag.

In 2021, he was appointed manager of FC Dordrecht in the Netherlands.[2] After three years in the Dutch second division, Santoni departed in May 2024 to become the new head coach of Italian Serie C club Triestina on a two-year contract.[3]

Personal life

Born in Arco, Trentino, Santoni is the son of an Italian father and a Dutch mother and is fluent in Italian, Dutch and English.[4]

References