From coffee seller to coach of the Italian champions. Who is Francesco Calzona

Yesterday, Napoli officially announced the resignation of the club legend Walter Mazzarri, and surprisingly appointed the head coach of the Slovak national team, Francesco Calzona, as his replacement.

When Calzona was 30, he engaged in a coffee-selling business and played at the amateur level for a sixth-tier club, Tegoleto. Prior to that, Calzona played three seasons in Serie B for Arezzo, marking his most significant achievement as a player.

However, the folks at Tegoleto recognized coaching potential in Calzona and offered him the role of a player-coach. He declined at that time, as his priority was the coffee business. Instead, Calzona recommended his good friend and acquaintance to Tegoleto. That friend was Maurizio Sarri.

For Sarri, it was his first experience as a head coach, and later he offered Calzona to become his assistant. Together with Sarri, they worked at Perugia, Alessandria, Sorrento, Empoli, and for three years at Napoli. After Sarri's departure from Napoli, Calzona stayed in Italy, first assisting Eusebio Di Francesco at Cagliari, and then returning to Naples as an assistant to Luciano Spalletti.

However, in the last season, which concluded with Napoli's historic Scudetto win, Calzona was no longer with the club. In the summer of 2022, he received an unexpected offer to lead the Slovak national team. The Italian's candidacy was recommended to the local federation by the legendary Marek Hamsik, who holds records for appearances for both Napoli and the Slovak national team. Hamsik was well-acquainted with Calzona from Napoli and believed in him.

As it turned out, Calzona became a real find for the Slovak national team. In the qualification for the 2024 European Championship, Slovakia lost twice to Portugal but finished in second place, ahead of Iceland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luxembourg, and Liechtenstein.

In Euro 2024, the Slovak national team will compete in a group with Belgium, Romania, and the winner of the League B play-offs (Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, or Ukraine).

Now, the 55-year-old coach is returning to Napoli for the third time, but this time as the head coach, not an assistant.

Interestingly, Calzona will continue to juggle his roles with the Slovak national team and Napoli at least until the end of the European Championship.

His debut as the head coach of Napoli will be in the Champions League Round of 16 match against Barcelona, scheduled for tomorrow, February 21.