| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 12 February 1972 | ||
| Place of birth | Italy | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1990–1993 | Prato | ||
| 1995–1996 | Latina | ||
| 1996–2000 | Imperia | ||
| 2000–2001 | Savona | ||
| 2001–2005 | Sanremese | ||
| 2005–2008 | Savona | ||
| 2008–2009 | Valle d'Aosta | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Cristiano Giuntoli (born 12 February 1972) is an Italian football executive and former football player.
Giuntoli is a native of Florence, Italy. Giuntoli's grandfather owned a bar. [1] Giuntoli played in Serie C and Serie D as a defender before the start of his executive career at the age of 36. In October 2009, he became sporting director of Serie D club AC Carpi. [2] Giuntoli proposed Maurizio Sarri as head coach, but the club owner opted for Giancarlo D'Astoli instead. Within six seasons, Carpi achieved their first-ever promotions to Serie B and Serie A. [3] [4]
In summer 2015, SSC Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis convinced Giuntoli to join his team that had begun to challenge for the Serie A title. The sporting director signed such players as Pepe Reina, Allan, and Elseid Hysaj in his first transfer window. With their new head coach Maurizio Sarri, Napoli were at the top of the league table halfway through the 2015–16 season. The club finished in second place behind their rivals Juventus, who had signed Napoli striker Gonzalo Higuaín for €90 million in subsequent transfer window. [4] Giuntoli's most important acquisition in summer 2016 was Piotr Zieliński, who went on to make 364 appearances for the club. In subsequent years, recruitment was funded by the proceeds from profitable sales such as Jorginho's €60 million move to Chelsea. Giuntoli brought in the likes of Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Kim Min-jae, playing a crucial role in building the squad that won the 2022–23 season, [2] Napoli's first Scudetto in 33 years. [4] [5]
Soon after Napoli secured the league title, they confirmed that Giuntoli would leave the club. [5] On 7 July 2023, he signed a five-year contract with Juventus. The Turin club was banned from the UEFA competitions in the upcoming 2023–24 season, and the only summer addition to the senior squad was Timothy Weah. [6] [7] In summer 2024, Juventus appointed Thiago Motta as a new head coach with expectations to modernise the team's style of play, [8] [9] [7] and also to prioritise youthful talent. [10] [11] With €320 million of losses in the previous two seasons and a number of bad contracts, [12] the club signed nine first-team players, outspending their competitors with transfer budget of around €200 million, [11] [6] and raising around €100 million through the sales of players, including Matías Soulé and Federico Chiesa. [13]
Juventus were expected to challenge for the Scudetto, [14] which they have not won since their unprecedented streak of nine consecutive titles in 2011–20. Giuntoli managed to reduce the wage bill and rejuvenate the squad; however, his decisions were criticised for the team's underwhelming performance in the 2024–25 season. The club's most expensive signings, such as Douglas Luiz, Teun Koopmeiners, and Nico González, failed to live up to expectations. [9] [14] [15] [16] [6] Juventus parted ways with several established players, [17] such as Moise Kean, who went on to become the season's second-best goalscorer after his €13 million transfer to Fiorentina. [11] [18] The club let go of a number of talented players, most notably Dean Huijsen, [12] who was sold to AFC Bournemouth for €15 million, with Real Madrid activating his €59 million release clause a year later. [19] [6] [7] Dušan Vlahović, the highest-paid player in the league, was not suited for Motta's style of play, [9] and effectively became a substitute player with the arrival of Randal Kolo Muani on loan from Paris Saint-Germain. [17] With 18 wins from 42 league and cup games and doubts over Juventus’ ability to qualify for the UEFA Champions League, the club dismissed Motta in March 2025, [17] [12] [18] a week after Giuntoli's assurances that the head coach was a part of a "long-term project". [14] [11] On 3 June 2025, the club announced that the contract with Giuntoli was terminated by mutual agreement. [20] [7]