Fabregas becomes third non-Italian to win Serie A Coach of the Year

Cesc Fabregas has become the third non-Italian manager to win the Serie A Coach of the Year award after being honoured for his work with Como during the 2025/26 season

Fabregas received the award at the Gran Galà del Calcio AIC ceremony held at Teatro alla Scala in Milan on Wednesday. The Italian Footballers’ Association, AIC, named the former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder the Serie A Coach of the Year, while Inter Milan were recognised as the league’s Club of the Year.

According to Lega Serie A, the ceremony recognised the outstanding performers from the 2025/26 campaign, with “Cesc Fàbregas” receiving the “premio di Allenatore dell’Anno” and Inter being named “Società dell’Anno.”

The award caps a historic season for Como, who finished fourth in Serie A and secured Champions League football for the first time in the club’s history. Reuters reported that Como “have Champions League football to look forward to this season after a fourth-placed finish brought the club European qualification for the first time.”

The club’s fourth-place finish came with 71 points, putting them behind champions Inter, Napoli and Roma in the final standings. Fabregas’ achievement also places him alongside two prominent foreign managers who previously won the Serie A Coach of the Year award — Sweden’s Sven-Göran Eriksson and Portugal’s José Mourinho.

Eriksson became the first non-Italian winner after leading Lazio to the 1999/2000 Serie A title. Mourinho subsequently won the award in consecutive seasons after leading Inter to domestic and European success.

UEFA noted of Mourinho’s second award: “José Mourinho has been voted Serie A’s best coach of 2009/10 after completing a famous treble with former club FC Internazionale Milano by winning the UEFA Champions League.”

The governing body’s report added: “José Mourinho has been honoured by his peers in Italy for Inter’s 2009/10 successes.”

Fabregas’ award follows Como’s remarkable rise under his management. The club’s fourth-place finish earned them their first Champions League qualification, with the achievement confirmed in the final stages of the 2025/26 campaign.

The club subsequently achieved the target, giving Fabregas a major milestone in his managerial career.

The 2026 Gran Galà del Calcio also saw Como midfielder Nico Paz named the Serie A Young Player of the Year, while Federico Dimarco of Inter was voted the overall best player of the 2025/26 season. The official Lega Serie A announcement said the awards were based on votes from the players themselves, except for the Goal of the Year award, which was decided by fans.

Fabregas, 39, therefore joins Eriksson and Mourinho as the only non-Italian managers to have won the Serie A Coach of the Year award.