⚽️🇮🇹 Roberto Baggio Lights Up New York!
In this week’s Italian soccer digest, we're looking at a very special visit from a Serie A icon, we're checking in on the latest managerial appointments, and much more.
🗽 Baggio in the Bronx: Serie A icon meets NYC’s next generation
Imagine being a youth soccer player and having one of the greatest icons of the sport show up to one of your training sessions. That’s exactly what happened in New York City this week, when Lega Serie A Ambassador Roberto Baggio surprised youth players in the Street Soccer USA program in the Bronx.
👏 Baggio - who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players ever to grace the game - visited Serie A’s New York offices on Monday before attending a community event for Street Soccer USA, a nonprofit organization that uses soccer as a vehicle for social change, supporting underserved youth, and promoting equity through sport.
🍽️ “Watching these kids play with joy and freedom reminded me of why I fell in love with the game in the first place,” Baggio said. “Street Soccer USA is clearly doing incredible work, and I’m honored to be part of this experience. Initiatives like this, supported by Lega Serie A, show how soccer can truly make a difference in people’s lives.”
👉 Lega Serie A’s North American community outreach program, “Serie A Calcio in the Community”, regularly partners with nonprofit organizations like Street Soccer USA, which operates in more than 20 cities across the United States.
🇮🇹 Baggio won the Ballon d’Or and represented clubs including Fiorentina, Juventus, Milan, Bologna, and Inter during a remarkable career that spanned nearly two decades.
🌎 The forward known as Il Divin Codino ("The Divine Ponytail") also led the Italy national team to the 1994 World Cup Final, held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
📰 Want to learn more about Baggio? Check out James Horncastle’s excellent story in The Athletic, in which Pep Guardiola says Baggio is the best player he ever shared a field with, and the Italian superstar recalls the recent emotional moment he gave Lionel Messi one of his 1994 World Cup jerseys.
🆕 Lecce, Cremonese, and Pisa announce new coaches
The managerial carousel has continued to spin in Italy over the last week, with several clubs unveiling their new mister for the 2025/26 season.
💥 Pisa has announced Alberto Gilardino as its new head coach on a two-year contract. He replaces his fellow World Cup winner Filippo Inzaghi, who has moved to Serie B side Palermo.
😲 By the way - Pippo’s unveiling at Palermo looked pretty spectacular!
👍 Yesterday, newly promoted Cremonese announced Davide Nicola as its new coach. The former Genoa defender was in charge at Cagliari last season and guided the Sardinian side to safety.
👉 Cremonese, based in the Lombardy region, won the Serie B promotion playoffs last season and are returning to the top flight after being relegated in 2023.
🫡 Lecce has rehired Eusebio Di Francesco to lead them into the new season. The 55-year-old previously coached the Giallorossi in 2011 and spent last season in charge of Venezia.
🇺🇸 Juventus and Inter’s American summer
Both Serie A representatives reached the knockout stages of the FIFA Club World Cup, but Juventus and Inter saw their respective journeys at the U.S.-based tournament come to an end this week.
👉 Under new coach Cristian Chivu, Inter booked a memorable win over Argentine giants River Plate but concluded their American trip against Brazilian side Fluminense in sweltering conditions in Charlotte on Monday.
🏈 Inter’s trip took them from coast to coast and included some activities they would seldom get to experience in Italy, such as a training session with a very different kind of ball…
👉 After playing in D.C., Philadelphia, and Orlando, Juve were eliminated in Miami by Real Madrid, who are the most successful team in FIFA Club World Cup history.
💫 Kenan Yıldız was a clear standout performer for the Bianconeri, having scored a Goal of the Tournament contender against Wydad.
🤳 We caught up with the Juventus Toronto fan club president, John Groe, who explained how special it has been to see Igor Tudor’s team on this side of the Atlantic:
👕 Parma drops stunning retro third kit
Parma’s new third-choice kit will evoke joy in Calcio Weekly readers of a certain vintage, who may remember the design from the Crociati’s mid-90s pomp.
🫶 The new design pays homage to the Parma shirt of the 1995/96 season, which was worn by some true legends of the game, including Gianfranco Zola, Fabio Cannavaro, Thomas Brolin, the aforementioned Filippo Inzaghi, and Faustino Asprilla.
🔥 That Parma team was truly stacked!
😎 In other kit news, Bologna has unveiled its stunning new home strip for the 2025/26 season.
👶 Atalanta will wear New Balance threads this season and has reminded us that they have sent a shirt to every newborn baby in the local area for the past 15 years.
👹 And this morning, Milan unveiled its devilish new away kit, which features a Diavoletto crest - it’s one of the Rossoneri’s most iconic symbols and was first introduced in the 1980s.
✍️ Como strengthens with teenage winger Jesús Rodríguez
On Wednesday, Como showed further signs of its ambitions for the forthcoming season with the signing of prodigious Spanish winger Jesús Rodríguez from Real Betis.
🤝 The 19-year-old enjoyed a breakout season in La Liga in 2024/25, where he helped guide Betis to the Europa Conference League Final.
🗣️ “Jesús is exactly the type of player we need at Como — fearless, direct, and full of energy,” said coach Cesc Fabregas. “Jesús already has top-level experience for someone so young, and I can’t wait to start working with him.”
😲 Rodríguez is reportedly a club record transfer - and this is reportedly the second time the Lariani has broken its transfer record this summer, after the arrival of Croatia midfielder Martin Baturina last month.
⚽️ Como’s new talent may be on display later this month when the club hosts the Football on the Lake tournament, which will also feature Ajax, Al-Ahli, and Celtic.
🫡 Become a Calcio Weekly Capitano and win a Serie A jersey!
We’re looking for some help in spreading the word about calcio in North America.
Share this newsletter with 15 friends using the button above, and we’ll send you a new Serie A jersey of your choice!
🇺🇸 Social Post of the Week: Andrea Barzagli identifies U.S. states!
Andrea Barzagli has eight scudetti to his name, but does the former Juventus star know which U.S. state is known as “The Beaver State”?
👏 While in the States with Juventus during the Club World Cup run, the World Cup winner did incredibly well to come up with so many alternate state monikers!
❤️ Rest in peace, Diogo
We at Calcio Weekly at Lega Serie A are shocked and heartbroken by the news of Diogo Jota’s tragic passing. We offer our profound condolences to Diogo and André’s family and all at Liverpool FC.
🙏 Thank you for supporting Calcio Weekly
If you like this newsletter, please spread the word! There’s a Serie A jersey in it for you when you share with 15 friends.
You may also enjoy the great work of our friends at Total Italian Football, who bring you daily calcio content, podcasts from Serie A stadiums, Women’s Serie A coverage, and much more.
We’d also like to spotlight Destination Calcio, an essential hub for English-language Serie A news and exclusives, which is now streaming live Serie B games, too.
And be sure to send us any feedback at calcioweekly@legaseriea.it.
Ciao ciao!