Giancarlo Italiano

Giancarlo Italiano
Italiano in 2025.
Personal information
Date of birth (1983-01-31) 31 January 1983
Place of birth Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Managerial career
Years Team
2015–2016 Blacktown City (sporting director)
2017–2019 Sydney FC NPL
2019–2020 Wellington Phoenix (chief analyst)
2019–2023 Wellington Phoenix (assistant)
2023–2026 Wellington Phoenix

Giancarlo Italiano (Italian: [dʒanˈkarlo itaˈljano]; born 31 January 1983) is an Australian association football manager. He most recently managed A-League Men club Wellington Phoenix.

Career

Early career

Italiano started his coaching career at NSW NPL club Blacktown City where he held the position of sporting director, during which the club won the 2015 National Premier League NSW season and the National Premier League Finals.[1][2] Following this success he joined A-League Men club Sydney FC where he would work alongside Graham Arnold, Steve Corica, and Ufuk Talay whilst working with the Sydney FC academy set up.[3]

When Talay departed Sydney FC in 2019 to become manager of New Zealand A-League Men side Wellington Phoenix, Italiano was one of the first people that Talay sought to bring across the Tasman, which Italiano was initially hesitant to do.[1]

Wellington Phoenix

Italiano would join the Wellington based club as an analyst, before working closely with Talay, as he was announced to be an assistant coach for the Phoenix.[4] As Italiano progressed through the club's coaching hierarchy, he completed his AFC Professional Coaching Diploma, a pre-requisite for managers to earn before they can become the head manager of a club in the Asian Football Confederation.[5]

Whilst assistant to Talay, Italiano made his debut as caretaker manager for the Phoenix during the COVID-19 disrupted 2021-22 A-League Men season when Talay caught the virus. Italiano took the reins for two matches against Perth Glory and Brisbane Roar,[6] with Wellington winning both matches.

In 2023 after Talay announced he would vacate the position of manager at season's end,[7] Italiano was announced to be Talay's successor, signing a 2-year contract extension[8] He became the club's sixth manager since the team's inception in 2007, and the first A-League Men's manager not to have had a professional playing career prior to taking up management.[3]

Italiano's first signing for the 2023–24 season was former Western Sydney Wanderers and Newcastle Jets player Mohamed Al-Taay, who had played under Italiano at Blacktown City.[9] In Italiano's first season in charge, he guided the Phoenix to their highest league finish in club history, placing second with 15 wins and only four losses during the 2023–24 season.[10] The Phoenix went on to lose 2–1 on aggregate to Melbourne Victory in the semi-finals at Sky Stadium.[11]

During Italiano's second season in charge, Wellington Phoenix struggled to replicate the success of the previous campaign, experiencing a downturn in form following their record-setting 2023–24 season. The club lost all three New Zealand derby's to Auckland FC in their maiden season, including a 6–1 defeat.[12] The Phoenix finished the 2024–25 season in 11th place, seven points clear of the wooden spoon.[13] Despite the poor campaign, Italiano was handed a one-year contract extension during the season, with the director of football Shaun Gill stating that "It seems a lot of people in the sporting world have short memories," noting that he still held the highest win percentage in the club's history at the time.[14]

On 21 February 2026, following a 5–0 home defeat to Auckland FC in the third derby of the 2025–26 season, Italiano resigned as head coach immediately after the match. He announced his decision during the post-match press conference, claiming responsibility for the result and that it was "unacceptable" with the season still in progress. The club confirmed his departure shortly afterwards.[15]

Personal life

Italiano graduated from Rosebank College in 1996,[16] and graduated from the University of Notre Dame Australia in 2021 with a Bachelor of Laws.[17][18]

Born in Australia, Italiano's heritage is Peruvian and Italian.[19] He supports Sampdoria in Serie A, and Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.[20]

Italiano possesses a number of superstitions as manager: he does not watch penalties being taken because he thinks it is bad luck, he throws away his shirt whenever his team loses, he has to shake everyone’s hand whenever he enters a room, and he thinks it is bad luck to wish him good luck before a game and prefers well-wishers to say “go well” instead.[21]

Managerial statistics

As of 21 February 2026[22][23]
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team Nat. From To Record Ref.
G W D L GF GA GD Win %
Wellington Phoenix 1 July 2023 21 February 2026 80 29 21 30 103 119 −16 036.25
Career Total 80 29 21 30 103 119 −16 036.25

Honours

Individual

References

  1. ^ a b Houghton, Nick (16 December 2020). "Hard work pays off for Wellington Phoenix coach Italiano". SBS. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  2. ^ "ITALIANO RE-SIGNS WITH WELLINGTON PHOENIX AS ASSISTANT COACH". 16 July 2021. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b Comito, Matt (18 April 2023). "Phoenix announce Talay replacement: 'We didn't need to look outside the club'". Keep Up. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  4. ^ "How a self-described 'nobody' finally got his pro' coaching licence". Friends Of Football NZ. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Phoenix appoint Giancarlo Italiano as men's new A-League head coach". Friends Of Football NZ. 18 April 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  6. ^ "'Chiefy' to step up as Ufuk Talay tests positive for Covid-19". NZ Sportswire. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Talay to depart Phoenix at season's end, new coach announced next week". Keep Up. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  8. ^ Reid, Felicity (18 April 2023). "Wellington Phoenix signs Giancarlo Italiano as head coach". Radio New Zealand. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  9. ^ "Wellington Phoenix lock in new midfielder". 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Club in focus: Wellington Phoenix FC". Australia Cup. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  11. ^ "Isuzu UTE A-League Semi-Final Second Leg Match Review". Wellington Phoenix. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  12. ^ "Auckland FC crush Phoenix 6-1 in NZ derby". A-Leagues. 22 February 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  13. ^ "A-League Men 2024–25 Ladder". A-Leagues. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  14. ^ Phoenix, Wellington (24 April 2025). "'Italiano In' - Chief to stay on as head coach". Wellington Phoenix. Retrieved 16 March 2026.
  15. ^ Edsell, Rudi (21 February 2026). "Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano steps down after crushing NZ Derby loss".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Giancarlo Italiano (Giancarlo Maisano), a 1996 Rosebank alumni, has been appointed as head coach for A-League team Wellington Phoenix for the next two A-League seasons". LinkedIn. Rosebank College Five Dock. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  17. ^ "Graduation – Sydney Campus". The University of Notre Dame Australia. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  18. ^ "Conferral of Qualifications – Sydney Campus". The University of Notre Dame Australia. Archived from the original on 18 May 2024. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  19. ^ Rollo, Phillip (22 April 2023). "The rise of Giancarlo Italiano, Wellington Phoenix's 'accidental' coach". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  20. ^ Rollo, Phillip (22 April 2023). "The rise of Giancarlo Italiano, Wellington Phoenix's 'accidental' coach". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  21. ^ Rollo, Phillip. "Wellington Phoenix coach Giancarlo Italiano won't watch if semifinal is decided by shootout". The Post. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
  22. ^ "Giancarlo Italiano". ALeagueStats. Retrieved 3 January 2026.
  23. ^ "Giancarlo Italiano". FotMob. Retrieved 21 July 2025.
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