Pirlo sacked as Sampdoria manager after 1 season

Andrea Pirlo has been sacked as manager of Sampdoria after just over a season in charge, the Serie B club said on Thursday.

Sampdoria started the season with one draw and two losses, leaving them second-bottom in the table.

Pirlo, who won the World Cup as a player with Italy in 2006, had a one-year spell as Juventus coach in 2020-21, after he briefly coached their under-23 team.

After leaving Juventus, Pirlo took charge of Turkish club Fatih Karagümrük in 2022, but again spent only one year at the helm.

The 45-year-old was appointed Sampdoria manager in June 2023 with the task of guiding the club back to Serie A following their relegation from Italy’s top flight the previous season.

However, Sampdoria finished seventh in the Serie B standings before being knocked out by Palermo in the preliminary round of the promotion playoffs.

Nicknamed “the maestro” for his passing skills, Pirlo also won Serie A six times as a player — twice with AC Milan and four times with Juventus. He won the Champions League twice with Milan.

Information from Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.