Hungary national team head coach Marco Rossi believes he may never get the chance to manage in Serie A.
But the 54-year-old isn't upset, far from it…
After conquering the Hungarian domestic league with Budapest Honved, Rossi has now taken Hungary to the top of Group E in Euro2020 qualifying, picking up huge wins over Croatia and Wales along the way.
And in an exclusive interview with Tribalfootball, Rossi says he now has respect and recognition, two things he lacked when coaching in Italy.
The former Sampdoria defender earned a start in management back in 2004 with AC Lumezzane, where he managed for two seasons before joining Pro Patria Calcio.
Spells at Spezia, Scafatest and Cavese followed before Rossi made the decision to leave Italy by joining Honved in 2012.
He resigned from the capital club in April 2014 before returning in February 2015, eventually leaving once again after winning the club's first league title in 24 years.
"In Hungary, at the beginning and in particular from the fans of Honved, I immediately felt respect," Rossi said.
"Then with work and results also came consideration and esteem which in many cases besides professional, is also human.
"All aspects that unfortunately, in Italy, as a coach, I have not found."
Rossi cut his teeth in the lower rungs of Italian football alongside Maurizio Sarri and Max Allegri.
Both managers went on to manage in Serie A, with Sarri excelling at Napoli before joining Chelsea in the summer of 2018.
Allegri was replaced by Sarri at Juventus after the 51-year-old decided to take a break from football following five straight Scudetto wins.
Despite feeling he wasn't given a chance to succeed in Italy, Rossi now feels at home in Hungary.
"In truth, against Sarri's Sangiovannese, I lost and equalised. Allegri lost against me with SPAL and then with Grosseto," Rossi continued.
"He was also exonerated by Camilli after the defeat of Busto Arsizio, then evidently our careers took a different turn .. I would have expected, following some unexpected salvation, as in Lumezzane or Busto Arsizio, a call from a director or a president, even just to have a chat.
"It didn't happen then, it hasn't happened now that I've been abroad for seven years, I believe it will never happen. But it's not a problem: in Hungary I feel at home!"
Given his success away from Italy, Rossi has urged his compatriots to open their perspectives about coaching football outside of their comfort zone.
"I think I can advise my colleagues working in the smaller series, in Italy, to study English and Spanish and to open up to new experiences in the true sense of the word.
"Abroad even if you are not Conte or Ancelotti, you can work, you can create a space, provided that all the motivation is about passion and not money."
