Francesco Farioli, one of European football's rapidly ascending coaching talents, is set to manage his first Champions League match when his Porto side hosts Manchester City. The 37-year-old Italian guided Porto to the Portuguese league title in his first season with the club.
Farioli's ascent has been swift. His journey into management began in Turkey in 2021, leading Fatih Karagumruk and then Alanyaspor. He subsequently managed Nice in France and Ajax in the Netherlands. His tenure at Ajax concluded with disappointment as the club narrowly missed out on the Eredivisie title on the final day of the season, a situation he attributed partly to insufficient squad strengthening during the January transfer window.
"I am used to entering uncomfortable situations where there is a lack of direction and things are not in place," Farioli told BBC Sport. "I was looking for a club with a similar spirit, not for revenge, but one that wanted to put things right."
He found that at Porto, a club that had finished third the season before his arrival. Farioli felt the club shared "the same pain" and "the same ambition to do something special." The alignment of visions was confirmed when he met with Porto president Andre Villas-Boas, a former manager himself, in Como, Italy.
Farioli's coaching philosophy was shaped in Italy, where he worked under Roberto de Zerbi at Benevento starting in 2017, initially as a goalkeeping coach. De Zerbi later brought him to Sassuolo. This experience, combined with his time in Turkey and his spells in France and the Netherlands, has prepared him for high-pressure environments.
Porto, a club with a rich Champions League history, including winning the trophy in 2004 under Jose Mourinho, secured the Portuguese Super Cup last month. They now turn their attention to facing Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, aiming to cause an upset in Europe's top club competition.