Walter Novellino’s football life has never followed a simple line. It began between Montemarano, São Paulo and Milan, crossed the great stadiums of Serie A, and later became one of the division’s most recognisable coaching journeys: a man who took clubs upwards, worked with forceful presidents and still carries the disappointment of Torino.
The coach and the club
Novellino counts six promotions rather than the five often attached to his name. He led Gualdo from Serie C2 to Serie C1, took Perugia from Serie C1 to Serie B in 1993, and subsequently won four promotions from Serie B to Serie A with Venezia, Napoli, Piacenza and Sampdoria.
The Perugia achievement remains complicated by its aftermath. Luciano Gaucci dismissed Novellino before the play-off victory over Acireale. Perugia were later denied promotion because of an offence in which Novellino had no involvement. Yet he retains gratitude towards Gaucci, saying that the president taught him how to win.
At Venezia he encountered another commanding owner, Maurizio Zamparini, who would send suggested line-ups in writing. Novellino says he did not follow those instructions, but remembers the quality available to him, particularly Álvaro Recoba. The Uruguayan’s left foot and speed made him, in Novellino’s view, a player beyond comparison with himself.
Napoli’s promotion came in a more austere setting. Corrado Ferlaino’s first message to his new coach was that the club had no money, but Novellino’s side still reached Serie A.
There is, however, one spell that remains a personal regret. Torino was the club he wanted to restore, and he recalls feeling ready for the task. Instead, he could not keep the Granata in the division. He remains sorry for Urbano Cairo, whose faith in him was not repaid with survival. Football seasons, he says, can finish far from how they first appear.
From Brazil to the Italian game
His full name, Walter Alfredo Amato Lenin Novellino, already tells a family story. Walter was chosen in memory of a German soldier saved by his grandmother during the Second World War; Alfredo came from his godfather. He says he has never known the reason for Amato. Lenin reflected the politics of his father Giuseppe, a mechanic and committed communist who would attend rallies in Montemarano, in the Avellino area, when Italian Communist Party politician Pietro Grifone spoke there.
Novellino also acquired the nickname Monzon during his time at Torino. Giorgio Ferrini, after a visit from fellow Triestino Nino Benvenuti, noted his resemblance to the Argentine boxer Carlos Monzón and the name stayed with him.
Although born in Montemarano, Novellino spent his early years in Brazil. His father ran a workshop, repaired lorries and drove them as far as Mato Grosso, while his mother sold towels door to door. The family lived in Mooca, São Paulo’s Italian district, where he attended Brazilian schools, learned Portuguese and played street football with a friend known as Baianinho. Palmeiras, the club associated with the city’s Italian-Brazilian community, became his team, while Pelé, Didi and Vavá fuelled the boys’ imagination.
Returning to Montemarano brought a difficult adjustment: he could neither read nor write Italian. A teacher, Angela, helped him find his way, before he attended middle school in Avellino, alongside a young Gigi Marzullo. The family then moved to Milan, where his father opened another workshop.
Novellino began playing for Pomense, from the Cassina de’ Pomm area at the end of Via Melchiorre Gioia. He remembers being a dribbler with Brazilian instincts but little discipline. Neither Milan nor Inter signed him at that point; Legnano did, and his progress there earned him a move to Torino.
A player in the old Serie A
His playing career brought him under several significant coaches. He made his Torino debut under Gustavo Giagnoni, then worked at Empoli with Renzo Ulivieri, whom he credits with helping his development. Perugia followed, in Ilario Castagner’s outstanding side.
At Perugia, Novellino took the place of Paolo Sollier, but remembers Sollier responding generously, embracing him and telling him he was a strong player. It was also in Perugia that he met his wife, Graziella.
In the summer of 1978, Milan won the race for him. Inter had pursued him through Sandro Mazzola, an important detail for a player who had become an Inter supporter in Milan and idolised Jair. Milan simply made the stronger offer.
There was talk that he might be brought in to replace Gianni Rivera, but Novellino played on the right wing and says the two coexisted comfortably. In 1979, Milan won the Scudetto that delivered the club’s tenth league title and its star.
Nils Liedholm set an early test for the new arrival by showing him the shirts and asking which number he wanted. Novellino refused to choose, replying that it was the coach’s role to decide who played. It was a small moment that reflected his understanding of the dressing room hierarchy.
His Milan years also contained the gravest episode in his family life. His first daughter, Michela, was only a few months old when she struck her head on the corner of a bedside table. Surgery in Pavia saved her life, but the injury affected her speech and language. Novellino says she is independent and that her presence has strengthened the family. Milan and Liedholm allowed him for months to remain at the Pavia hospital until Thursday, reporting to Milanello only on Fridays, a gesture for which he remains deeply thankful. Novellino and Graziella also have a second daughter, Valentina, who works for Mediolanum Bank.
He remembers a young Franco Baresi as far warmer than his initially stern appearance suggested: a teammate who made jokes and teased the older players.
Ascoli, the national team and a lasting bond
After Milan came Ascoli, where presidents and players still handled negotiations directly. Costantino Rozzi asked Novellino what he wanted to earn. The midfielder named 60 million lire and was promptly shown the door; they eventually agreed on 30 million.
It proved to be an excellent season. Carlo Mazzone used him in midfield and imposed demanding work, including repeated 1,000-metre runs. Novellino scored twice against Juventus in a home win, and Rozzi rewarded him at the end of the campaign with a further 10 million lire from his own pocket.
His relationship with Ascoli supporters later became strained for an unusual reason. Novellino wore Sambenedettese colours in a charity initiative, despite the fierce rivalry between the two clubs. He says that act made him unpopular in Ascoli, but insists he would wear the Sambenedettese shirt again any number of times if it served a charitable cause.
Italy brought one senior appearance, a 1-0 friendly win over Turkey in Florence. With Franco Causio and Claudio Sala ahead of him, opportunities were scarce. Enzo Bearzot did use him in the experimental Italy side and was considering him for the 1978 World Cup squad, but his international career did not grow beyond that single cap.
Novellino’s story, then, is one of more than promotions and benches. It is a career shaped by migration, difficult family moments, old-fashioned club presidents and a conviction that football’s results do not erase the people encountered along the way.
