Alberto Gilardino has been named head coach of Parma

Former AC Milan and Italian national team forward Alberto Gilardino has been named head coach of Parma.

He has returned to the club where he played from 2002 to 2005. Gilardino replaces Carlos Cuesta, who stepped down from the position. His contract runs through the end of the season, with an option to extend for another two years.

Giardino’s most recent coaching position was with Pisa, from which he was dismissed in February. He has also coached Genoa, Siena, Pro Vercelli, and Rezzato.

After five rounds of Serie A, Parma has four points and is in the lower half of the standings. The team’s only win came in its last match before the international break, a 2-1 victory over Genoa.

Source: Parma’s official website

Earlier in Madrid, Real Madrid head coach José Mourinho defended Kylian Mbappé and Vinícius Júnior after home fans at the Bernabéu Stadium booed both players. The coach compared the players to fruit trees, which, according to a Portuguese proverb, are stoned precisely because they bear fruit.

Before Real Madrid’s match against Elche in Elche, Spain, Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, and Ibrahima Konaté rolled up their white jerseys to about chest level, partially covering the slogan in support of the residents of Ceuta.