Francesco Troise is waiting by the phone – anxiously – about his next coaching job. The call won’t be coming from a club chief exec or national team president. Instead, when they’re ready to work again, Troise will be prepared to reunite with Fabio Cannavaro.
Ciccio Troise is now tied to the Italy’s World Cup winning captain, acting as Cannavaro’s long-time No2. It’s been a working relationship that has lasted eight years and taken them to the other side of the world.
However, the friendship was forged much earlier, with the pair coming up through the youth system at Napoli.
“With Mister Cannavaro, we first shared the academy and then the youth sector of Napoli as youngsters,” Troise recalled to Tribafootball.com. “Cannavaro had already had some experience in Dubai as an assistant so when we talked, we agreed to work together.”
Their first job together was in China with Guangzhou Evergrande before a move to Saudi Arabia to work for Al Nassr. However, China soon came calling again and Troise was following Cannavaro to Tianjin Quanjian. A trophy-laden return to Guangzhou followed before the pair landed China’s national team post.
“I can say that working with Fabio Cannavaro is a dream for me, but complicated, the coach is very demanding first with himself and then with us. I am convinced that as a coach he will do many good things, I can say this because I have lived with him on a professional level for a long time.
“We had many beautiful experiences and many that I remember with great affection… won and lost but as they always say if you don’t win, you learn.”
Troise’s time in the Saudi Pro League came in 2016 and he admits the rapid development of the competition doesn’t surprise him.
“The championship in Saudi is very fascinating, with a decent technical level, now they are showing their potential and no one will stop this growth – which I think will be good for football.”
However, Troise also has a word of recommendation for SPL’s powerbrokers.
“I believe it is right to invest in football if you believe that this movement helps to grow the values of each country, but above all, we must invest in the growth of the country’s young people,” he says. “Failure is part of the game. In Arabia, they are doing great things and rightly so.
“But they need to work on new local talent so they can have greater depth.”
Beyond globetrotting with Cannavaro, Troise is also known to English football fans – particularly at Watford – for his time as assistant manager to Giuseppe Sannino. Just as with Cannavaro, Troise worked closely with Sannino as his No2 for several years. Chievo Verona in Serie A, Vicarage Road and finally Catania was where Troise followed Sannino until taking that call from Cannavaro.
“That first experience was fantastic, I joined a staff of unique people starting with Mister Sannino, tactically I certainly didn’t discover him. He is a special person to me, taught me everything, the discipline, and humility that is needed in this job.”
And what about his time with the Hornets?
“Working at Watford in England was fantastic, everyone’s dream, there were also those moments that will remain etched in my mind where I shared everything with my family. English football shapes you so much it takes you to very high levels of professionalism and so you have to be up to it.”
As for the future, Troise admits he’s not been short offers of taking a No1 job, himself. But he feels comfortable working in support of Cannavaro and is ready for when that next call arrives from his good friend.
“I have had several offers as a first coach but also as assistant to other coaches around the world but I am very grateful to Mister Cannavaro and it will not be easy to change.
“He knows my thoughts and I want to end my career with him.”
