Cesc Fàbregas Named Coach of the Year as Como Shines
On a night built to celebrate Italian football’s heavyweights, it was the coach of a so‑called “small reality” who walked away with one of the biggest prizes.
Cesc Fabregas, barely two years removed from his playing days, was named Coach of the Year at the Gran Gala del Calcio, a landmark recognition of the work he is doing at Como and of how quickly he has reinvented himself on the touchline.
The trophy came from distinguished hands. Italy head coach Roberto Mancini stepped forward on stage to present the award, a symbolic passing of the baton from one generation of midfield maestro to another now shaping games from the dugout rather than the centre circle.
A Young Coach, a Young Team, a Big Statement
Inter were hailed as Club of the Year. Federico Dimarco collected Player of the Year. Those were the predictable headlines going into the evening. The twist arrived when Fabregas’s name was read out.
He had beaten more established managers to the prize, his work at Como judged the standout coaching performance in Italian football over the last year. The 37‑year‑old has built a side defined by youthful legs and fearless ideas, and that identity has not gone unnoticed.
“We made history with very young lads,” Fabregas said on stage, his words echoing the project he has driven: high energy, technical courage, no fear of the ball. The award simply put an official stamp on what many in Italy had already been whispering—this is one of Europe’s most promising young tacticians in the making.
Pressure Rises, Pace Stays Deliberate
The recognition changes the conversation around Como. Expectations swell when a coach starts collecting individual honours, especially at a club trying to grow without losing itself.
Fabregas did not hide from that reality; he embraced it and then immediately put a brake on the hype.
“We are Como, a small reality, we go slowly,” he reminded everyone. Step by step. Year by year. No shortcuts, no illusions. “Every year the pressure rises and it is a pleasure. We take the pressure naturally.”
That line summed up the mood around the club. Pressure is no longer something to be feared. It is a sign they are being taken seriously.
The Spaniard spoke of pride, but he kept circling back to the collective and to the long view. “This award pleases me, it is an honour to be here,” he said, before steering the conversation straight back to sustainable development and the need to keep building carefully.
From Gala Lights Back to the Grind
The evening in the spotlight will live in the memory, yet Fabregas’s focus already turns back to the league campaign. The glamour of the Gran Gala del Calcio fades quickly when the next set of fixtures looms.
His commitment is clear: continue to refine a proactive, attacking style that has become Como’s calling card, while nurturing the young squad that earned him the award in the first place. The task now is to prove that this is not a one‑season flourish but the start of something enduring.
“Now we want to try to grow even further,” he said. The words were simple, but the challenge behind them is anything but.
The coach of the year walks back into training with a trophy in his hands and a target on his back. How far can this “small reality” go if it keeps moving, calmly, one step at a time?
