Maurizio Sarri: From banking to Juventus

Maurizio Sarri has been a top-flight manager for almost a decade now. He may not have been a great player, but he has left his mark as a coach. The Italian has always been determined to stay connected to the game, that is why he left behind his 'wealthy' Bank occupation to coach the Italian side, A.C. Sansovino. It was then that Sarri decided to invest all his time into football and said 'One job that I would do for free'.When one looks back at Sarri's past, this is nothing short of a fairytale and a story that will make the script of a blockbuster movie.

Despite his professional demands, his love for football is something that stayed with him as he continued to coach teams as a part-time job. Over the years, he decided to make it is a full-time career and began his journey from the eight-division of Italian football around 31 years ago. Now, Sarri is considered as one of the top coaches the game has ever seen but the Italian has had to work his way from the bottom and has done an admirable job in becoming a top coach.

Early Life

Maurizio Sarri was born in the Bagnoli district of Naples to workers at Italsider. He was raised in Castro (province of Bergamo) and then in Faella (municipality of Castelfranco Piandiscò, in the province of Arezzo), where he divided his time as an amateur footballer and banker for Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena in Tuscany. His work as a banker saw him travel Europe, working in London, Zürich and Luxembourg. A centre back, he completed the Italian Liceo classico in Figline Valdarno, having David Ermini as his deskmate.

Sarri played only at an amateur level, in Figline's local team, having failed trials with Torino and Fiorentina.

Sarri used to work in the bank in the morning, and trained and played in games in the afternoon and evening. In 1990, aged 30, he transitioned into coaching, following the same schedule he adhered to for his entire work life. After gaining employment with minor side Tegoleto, he decided to quit his job to devote himself exclusively to his coaching career.

Coaching Career

Maurzio Sarri started professional football coaching almost 31 years ago as a part-time having a job at bank as well. He became head coach of Stia football club in 1990. For 10 years, he coached different football clubs in part-time, while he was working at a bank in Napoli. In 2000, he left his 'wealthy' Bank occupation to coach the Italian side, A.C. Sansovino. It was then that Sarri decided to invest all his time into football and said 'One job that I would do for free'. He obtained all the experience in football management and is viewed as a manager who paid attention to mere details. Known as 'Mister 33' by the fans, which meant he had no less than 33 attacking play style particularly for set-pieces, the Italian football was witnessing something extraordinary. 

Sarri moved to Sangiovese in 2003, then to his first Serie B job at Pescara in 2005 before moving to Arezzo the very next year, to replace Antonio Conte. Sarri was juggled among the jobs at the 2nd and 3rd tier in the early 2000s before he was called up by the Serie B club Empoli. He first gained limelight in the year 2014 when he led Empoli to promotion after six years away from the top division. Sarri earned a lot more recognition in the following year as Empoli managed to avoid relegation from the Serie A. Sarri was now a top-flight manager, and he was then approached by Napoli in 2015.

The offer was accepted by the Italian then as he replaced Rafa Benitez.

Napoli

Replacing Benitez at the club, various pundits, fans, and legends including the great Diego Maradona were opposing the idea of Sarri as the head coach at Napoli. But the football that Sarri made his players play at Napoli was considered to be one of the most beautiful ways to ever play the game and was praised by every top-flight manager. 

Napoli finished 2nd in the league with 82 points (better than Rafa Benitez's stats).In the next two seasons, Napoli came 2nd and 3rd with 91 and 86 points respectively showing signs of a side who could easily be the League title winners. Napoli was a treat for the eyes, and it had great numbers to back their style. With his style of play, he transformed Napoli into one of the sides to look out for in Europe.

Chelsea

Ultimately, Sarri's big moment came when he joined Chelsea and replaced Antonio Conte. getting a good start to the season, Sarri had his hopes high. Halfway through the season, Chelsea under Sarri was working just right. With a mixture of attacking football and positional play, Sarri was implementing modern football ideas. Taking a total of 15 shots per game on average (35% on target) and an average of 61% possession rate, Chelsea was looked at as a commendable side with all the attributes of the game working right.

Despite the criticism levied at him, the former Napoli coach was able to rise out of the storm and guide Chelsea to a third-place finish in the Premier League and ensure the club returns to the Champions League next season. On top of which, Sarri led Chelsea to victory in the UEFA Europa League.

Juventus

On 16 June 2019, Juventus announced the signing of Sarri on a three-year contract. Under Sarri's management. Juventus secured a ninth straight Serie A title with a 2–0 home win over Sampdoria. The result saw Sarri win his first major trophy in Italian football, also saw him become the oldest manager to win the Serie A at the age of 61 years, 198 days. On 8 August 2020, one day after Juventus were eliminated from the 2019–20 UEFA Champions League in the round of 16 by Lyon, Sarri was sacked by the club.

The UEFA Europea League triumph was the first major silverware that Sarri won in his career. Sarri has only won two major silverware in his coaching career. The viral photo of the Italian looking at his winner's medal is certainly one of the most heart-warming moments the sport has seen in recent times. That image was a symbolism of years of hard work paying fruit. That Sarri is now a winner of a major European trophy will give hope to every player and coach playing football in the lower divisions that they can make it to the top. Beyond football, it shows every person to follow their passions and dreams big.

Left his banking job and started working as a coach at the age of 40. Started from the very bottom and made his way up to the Top! From the 8th division of Italy to Serie-A. From Serie-A to Premier League to Europa League Champion to Serie A champion! This man is an inspiration to those who dare to dream!