Massimo Carrera is a name that is well known in most of Italy, but still relatively unknown across Europe. The well traveled Italian defender gained much of his playing reputation under Giovanni Trapattoni and Marcello Lippi in the 90s with Juventus, where he would also meet Antonio Conte. As an important part of the Bianconeri machine, Carrera helped Juve lift the Scudetto, Coppa Italia, UEFA Cup and Supercup during his time with the club. Nicknamed ‘la bandera’, the player eventually moved on from Juve to play for Atalanta and Napoli among other smaller clubs.

Carrera’s coaching tenure began in 2009 when he joined Juve’s youth team staff, a place where he stayed for two years before being named a full assistant in 2011 under new coach and former teammate Antonio Conte. It would not be long before Carrera was forced into a more prominent role, after Conte and first assistant Angelo Alessio were handed sideline bans. In their place, Carrera served as Juventus caretaker, leading the team to 7 wins and 3 draws in his 10 matches in charge. Following Conte’s departure from Juve to the Italian national team, Carrera stayed with his ex teammate, again in an assistant role for the Azzurri.

Finally, in 2016 an approach from Russia via Spartak Moscow handed Carrera his first opportunity as a full time head coach. In his first season with the Russian giants, the Italian tactician led Spartak to its first Russian league title since 2001. Now with the upcoming Champions League draw having been unveiled, Carrera has learned his opponents in this year’s group stages, with Sevilla, Maribor, and Liverpool on his fixture list. It will be yet another challenge for the traveled Italian tactician, as he hopes to lead Spartak deep into European competition while maintaining their status in Russia. And this all comes with increased attention considering he coaches in the country that hosts next summer’s World Cup.

@davidbaleno