Paolo Nicolato is the new Head Coach of the Under-21 National Team: following his positive experiences coaching Italy’s Under-19s and Under-20s, with whom he finished runner-up at the 2018 European Championship and fourth at the 2019 World Cup respectively, the coach from Lonigo will now take charge of the Azzurrini, who will kick off their Euro 2021 qualifying campaign in September.

FIGC President Gabriele Gravina had the following to say: “While working for our National Youth Teams, Nicolato has demonstrated that he possesses the relevant technical knowledge and has a profile that corresponds to our football vision. We agreed to focus on a figure who has experience working with Azzurri sides so as to give continuity to the technical projects we’ve put in place and to ensure maximum synergy between the Under-21s and senior side.”

“I feel great personal satisfaction,” said the new Under-21 Head Coach Paolo Nicolato. I’d like to thank the FIGC President for the faith he’s shown in me. I’ll immediately put myself at the disposal of Head Coach Mancini and the National Youth Team Coordinator Viscidi to define the synergistic relationship between the Under-21 side and the senior team.”

Nicolato, whose first game will be against Luxembourg on 10 September (where the match will take place is still to be confirmed), will officially be presented as the new Head Coach of the Under-21 National Team on 12 July.

PAOLO NICOLATO

Born in Lonigo in the province of Vicenza on 21 December 1966, Paolo Nicolato was a centre-forward in amateur football before dedicating himself to a coaching career that began in 1987. He started out as the assistant coach of Maddalena Mazza Grand Prix in Verona with their Giovanissimi Regionali side. After training San Martino and Bussolengo in Women’s Serie D between 1988 and 1993, he acquired his licence as a second category coach. Between 1994 and 2004, he coached the Chievo youth sides before moving up to their Under-19 side for the 2012-13 season. He was then assistant coach for Chievo in the 2012-13 Serie A season alongside Corini before returning to the U-19 side, leading them to the 2013-14 Primavera title.

The following year he took charge of Lumezzane in Lega Pro but was sacked after twelve games. He was then reappointed a few months later, finishing the season with a win in the relegation playoff against Pro Patria to stay up. In August 2016, the FIGC appointed him Coach of the Under-18 National Team. The following year, he moved up to the Under-19 side and took them o the European Championship final where they lost in extra-time to Portugal. In the season just gone, he was in charge of the Under-20 National Team a the World Cup where the Azzurrini finished fourth after narrowly losing the semi-final to Ukraine with VAR disallowing a goal that would have made it 1-1 in stoppage time. “It was a mistake, not an injustice,” was Nicolato’s comment after the whistle as he looked to play down the controversy.