Since 2025 ended with a reunion, Daniele De Rossi’s return to Roma as manager of Genoa, it’s fitting that we’re beginning 2026 the same way. Gian Piero Gasperini’s nine-year run with Atalanta was nothing short of miraculous; it’s not often that you see a football manager with a singular vision being afforded the runway to get his project off the ground. But Gasperini did exactly that, lifting Atalanta from an afterthought to a top of the table contender to Europa League champions, prompting Roma to hand
him the reins last summer.
And while his return may lack the two-decades-long significance (and sheer weirdness) of seeing a local boy turned captain turned legend returning as an opposing manager, there are sure to be some conflicted feelings in Bergamo today when Gasperini leads the Giallorossi out of the tunnel.
