Massimo Cellino explains in his personal inimitable model what went proper and really flawed in his tenure at Cagliari, Leeds United, and Brescia, criticising Max Allegri. ‘Leeds have been dropping £100,000 per day, I cleaned all their money owed.’
The 68-year-old has for many years been a fixture in Italian soccer, ever since he first took cost of Cagliari in 1992.
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He bought the Sardinians in 2014, when he invested in Leeds United as a substitute, however and his return to Italy for Brescia.
That led to ignominy with the , although Cellino insists he was the “sufferer” of fraud fairly than the perpetrator of it.
Cellino a key determine at Cagliari, Leeds United and Brescia
BRESCIA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 09: Brescia Calcio President Massimo Cellino seems on throughout the Serie A match between Brescia Calcio and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Mario Rigamonti on February 9, 2020 in Brescia, Italy. (Photograph by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Pictures)
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“I arrived at Leeds and located a membership that was dropping £100,000 per day,”
“I couldn’t sleep at evening as a result of I used to be obsessive about this. In a yr, I dragged it all the way down to losses of £7m, then a yr later we broke even, the third we have been working a revenue. I cleaned every part, I paid off all of the Leeds money owed.
“I then bought the membership for rather less than I had paid to purchase it. English soccer was too pricey a desk for me, I didn’t have the funds to compete. I risked doing myself actual hurt there.”
As an alternative, Cellino returned to Italy for Brescia, and his typical weaknesses of sacking coaches, making adjustments, and being obsessive about superstition, all got here to a head.
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“I used to be satisfied that Brescia was way more organised and thought I’d solely be there for someday a month. As an alternative, I realised there have been way more money owed than I’d been instructed, they requested €12m in excellent taxes the day after I arrived.
“I managed to get them into Serie A, then COVID hit, however above all there was a lot nastiness and maliciousness, I can not perceive why. The place itself is evil.
“If a membership had simply 10 years in Serie A over 115 years of historical past, they can not solely blame Massimo Cellino. There’s evil there. Brescia was based on July 17. If I’d have identified that, I’d by no means have purchased it!”
Cellino’s superstition in regards to the Quantity 17 famously stretched to the actual fact he ordered there be no seats marked 17 in his stadiums.
MILAN, ITALY – AUGUST 23: AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri seems on throughout the Serie A match between AC Milan and US Cremonese at Giuseppe Meazza Stadium on August 23, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photograph by Marco Luzzani/Getty Pictures)
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His perception in ‘evil’ at Brescia even noticed him complain that his determination to construct a chapel on the coaching floor prompted “evil to assault those that do one thing vital for the Church.”
Present Milan coach Allegri made his mark for the primary time at Cagliari, however Cellino was essential of the tactician.
“He’s nonetheless among the best on the earth, however he’s very provincial, so he by no means wished to be taught English, by no means challenged himself outdoors Italy. He all the time selected the simplest path.”