Initially, he worked for lower Italian teams.
Budapest Honvéd
Then from August 2012 he was appointed as the coach of Budapesti Honvéd FC. In his first season, he took third place with Honvéd in the Nemzeti Bajnokság I. However, he was no longer as successful in the following season, so on 28 April 2014, Rossi resigned from his position. [2]
On 7 February 2015, Rossi was appointed as the coach of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I club Budapest Honvéd FC for the second time in his career. [3]
Although Budapest Honvéd FC was not the most financially stable club of the Nemzeti Bajnokság I, Rossi won the 2016–17 Nemzeti Bajnokság I after securing their trophy against their rival Videoton FC in the last round of the season. The last match was won by Honvéd 1–0 at the Bozsik Stadion, Budapest, Hungary. [4]
After winning the 2016–17 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season with Budapest Honvéd FC, Rossi resigned as the manager of Honvéd by saying that:
I've become a champion, so I will have a chapter in the history book of this fantastic club. I've done my job, which is a beautiful job, and as they say, you have to stop at the top. I will do no different. [5]
Rossi was chosen the best manager of the 2016–17 Nemzeti Bajnokság I season. [6]
Hungary national team
On 19 June 2018, Rossi was announced as the new manager of the Hungary national football team. He replaced Georges Leekens. [7]
In 2018, András Gáll's book about Rossi's years spent with Honvéd entitled Marco Rossi: Olasz meló Magyarországon (Marco Rossi: The Italian Job in Hungary) was published. [8]
He debuted as the new coach of Hungary on 8 September 2018 against Finland in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League series. [9] In the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League edition, Hungary finished second in their group; thus, they were promoted to the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B. Hungary could beat Greece at the Ferencváros Stadion on 11 September 2018. [10] However, Hungary lost to Greece 1–0 on 12 October 2018 at the Olympic Stadium (Athens), Greece. [11] In the last two rounds, Hungary beat Estonia 2–0, [12] and Finland 2–0 at home. [13] Since Greece lost to Estonia at home, [14] Hungary finished second in their group and their chances to qualify for the UEFA Euro 2020 remained alive.
In the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying, Hungary finished fourth in their group. On 21 March 2019, Hungary lost to Slovakia 2–0 at the Anton Malatinský Stadium, Trnava, Slovakia. [15] However, Hungary beat 2018 FIFA World Cup Final ists Croatia on 24 March 2019 at the Ferencváros Stadion 2-1 [16] In June of 2019, Hungary beat Azerbaijan and Wales. However, in the decisive match against Slovakia, Hungary lost again 1–2 at home. [17] On 19 November 2019, Hungary went to Wales to win their last match and qualifiy directly to the Euro 2020. However, Hungary lost 2–0 to Wales. [18] Thanks to the results reached in the 2018–19 UEFA Nations League C, Hungary were given the chance to qualify for their Euro 2020. In the UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying play-offs, Hungary were drawn in Path A along with Bulgaria, Romania, and Iceland. In the first match, Hungary beat Bulgaria 3–1 on 8 October 2020 at the Vasil Levski National Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria. [19] Since Romania lost to Iceland at the Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland, Hungary could play at the newly-built Puskás Aréna in Budapest. [20] One day before the national team's decisive Euro 2020 qualifiers play-off match against Iceland, Rossi was tested positive for COVID-19. [21] On 12 November 2020, Hungary qualified for the UEFA Euro 2020 by beating Iceland 2–1 at home. [22] [23]
In the Euro 2020, Hungary failed to progress from the group stage, yet it impressed with an outstanding performance against three powerhouses Portugal, France and Germany, only losing 0–3 to the Portuguese after eighty minutes and drawing both France and Germany in the process.
In the 2020–21 UEFA Nations League B series, Hungary played against Serbia, Russia, and Turkey. Surprisingly, Hungary won their group by beating Turkey twice and Serbia once. Hungary beat Turkey 1–0 at the New Sivas 4 Eylül Stadium, Sivas, Turkey on 3 September 2020. [24] Hungary also beat Serbia at the Red Star Stadium, Belgrade, Serbia on 11 October 2020. [25] On the final match day, Hungary beat Turkey 2–0 at the Puskás Aréna on 18 November 2020. [26]
In the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League series, Rossi's Hungary were drawn in one of the most difficult groups including Italy, England, and Germany. Nevertheless, Hungary finished second in the group and beat England twice and Germany once in 2022. Hungary beat England 1–0 at home in the Puskás Aréna on 4 June 2022. [27] Ten days later, Hungary beat England 4–0 at the Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton, England. [28] On 23 September 2022, Hungary beat Germany 1–0 at the Red Bull Arena (Leipzig), Leipzig, Germany. [29] In the last round, Hungary could have qualified for the finals; however, they lost to Italy at the Puskás Aréna on 26 September 2022. [30]
On 31 October 2022, a detailed interview with Rossi was published by Nemzeti Sport entitled Success in Hungary has changed my life. [31] During the interview, it was also leaked that a film would be created on Marco Rossi coaching the Hungarian national team. [32] A week later, on 8 November, Rossi said that Balázs Dzsudzsák deserved a farewell match so he invited him to the squad against Greece. [33] The match was scheduled for 20 November, where Hungary beat Greece 2–1. [34]
On 16 November 2023, Hungary secured their qualification to the UEFA Euro 2024 on top of their Group G, following a 2–2 away draw against Bulgaria. [35]
On 15 June 2024, Hungary lost 3-1 to Switzerland [36] and on 19 June 2024 to Germany (2-0). [37] However, Hungary could win their last group match against Scotland thanks to a late goal by Rossi's substitution, Kevin Csoboth. [38] Since Hungary was ranked as the second worst third placed team could not qualify for the knock-out stage.
On 27 June 2024, Rossi said that he had not enjoyed any moments of the UEFA Euro 2024 in a press conference. [39] He also said that it is very difficult to think about the future at that time. [40] His statements at the press conference caused uncertainty about his future as the coach of the national team. However, on 3 July 2024, it was confirmed by Sándor Csányi that Rossi remained the coach of the national team. [41]
