The 'Maestrelli' Gala

A great event that every year attracts the best of the Italian football and international in the elegant and confirmed location of Le Panteraie in Montecatini. The 40th edition of the Maestrelli Trophy did not disappoint expectations and saw the presence of true pillars of football of today and the past. An evening in memory of Tommaso Maestrelli, coach of Lazio, champion of Italy in 1974, attended by a parterre de roi of the highest level.

Starting from the one who was awarded by the jury as the best coach, namely Claudio Ranieri, Roma coach since last November who in recent months has contributed to lifting the Giallorossi team after a nightmare start to the season. At the beginning of the evening there was also a video conference with Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid coach, who received the Maestrelli award as best international coach. Many topics were touched upon by "Carletto", one of the most successful coaches in the history of this sport, during his speech, from the moment of the Blancos to the state of health of Italian football. The evening was hosted by journalists Enzo Bucchioni and Barbara Scarpettini, assisted by impersonator Gianfranco Butinar, who entertained those present between one course and another with his most famous comedy sketches.

The reins of the organization were instead entrusted to a highly experienced manager and well-known in Valdinievole as Fabrizio Giovannini, who found in Enzo Banti, another long-time sports manager, a very precious shoulder to lean on. During the event, Pistoiese also found an important space and in particular the president Sergio Iorio, present at the Maestrelli together with the sports director Taibi and the CEO Fondatori. The number one of the Olandesina was awarded for the decisive role he had last spring in the restart of football in Pistoia after the failure of the previous management branded De Simone.

As for the other guests, among the most illustrious awardees there is also Giovanni Manna, sporting director of Napoli, Alberto Zaccheroni, a highly experienced coach with an important past on the bench of the Japanese national team and Pino Vitale, former sporting director born in Florence and with many experiences in many Tuscan realities. Then there is also space for the refereeing class with the emerging referee Simone Sozza, but also for representatives of football from the past, such as the former Torino striker "Paolino" Pulici, and from the future, with the young Empoli defender Lorenzo Tosto. In terms of management, awards also for the sports director Giorgio Perinetti and for Fabrizio Del Rosso, historic assistant to Marco Baroni, currently at Lazio. And then, last but not least, Paolo Condò, commentator for Sky Sport and the only Italian journalist on the jury for the awarding of the Golden Ball.

Michele Flori