AC Milan announced, in a press release, the arrival of Paulo Fonseca as coach, following the departure of Stefano Pioli, after five years and loyal service.
After a disappointing season in which the Rossoneri finished 19 points behind championship winners Inter, AC Milan are ready to write a new chapter under Paulo Fonseca. The Portuguese, who arrived from Lille, signed a three-year contract at San Siro.
It is a return to Serie A for the 51-year-old tactician after a two-year spell at Roma. Fonesca has reportedly rejected a more lucrative offer from Marseille to stay in Ligue 1 in order to join the Italian giants.
Paulo Fonseca began his coaching career in 2005 within Estrela da Amadora’s youth system before moving on to positions in the lower echelons of Portuguese professional football. He made his first appearance in a first division dugout with Paços de Ferreira, with whom he qualified for the Champions League play-offs. He joined Porto in 2013 and won the Supertaça, his first silver medal as a coach.
After a spell at Braga, who he guided to a Taça de Portugal title, he joined Shakhtar Donetsk where he won seven trophies and finished with a record 103 victories in 139 matches. In 2019, he made his first appearance in Italian football by joining AS Roma, with whom he reached the semi-final of the Europa League in 2021. Coach of LOSC since the summer of 2022, Fonseca concluded his stint in France after two seasons, during which he twice contributed to Lille’s qualification for European competitions.
