ITALIAN LEGEND DE ROSSI IS FIRED BY SPAL IN SERIE A AFTER BARELY FOUR MONTHS.

SPAL, a struggling Serie B team, fired Daniele De Rossi on Tuesday after just four months in his first managerial position.

Former Italy international De Rossi and the rest of his coaching staff were “relieved of his duties as first team coach,” according to a statement from SPAL.

Roberto Venturato was replaced by the 39-year-old in October, but he was unable to lift SPAL out of the relegation zone after three straight losses.

From his 16 league games in charge, he only achieved three victories.

De Rossi, who played for his childhood club Roma for 18 Serie A seasons before being dismissed the previous year, retired as a player in 2020 after a brief stint at Boca Juniors.

De Rossi, who was known as “Future Captain” for much of his career as Francesco Totti’s backup, won just two Italian Cups while Roma repeatedly lost championship bids to Inter Milan and subsequently all-conquering Juventus.

In 2010, when Jose Mourinho’s triple-champion Inter team was challenged by Roma in a nail-biting Scudetto campaign, he came the closest to winning Serie A.

De Rossi scored 21 goals in 117 appearances for his nation. Despite serving a four-match suspension for elbowing Brian McBride, he contributed to Italy’s World Cup victory in 2006.

His international career came to an end in 2017 after the Azzurri missed out on World Cup qualification. He was a member of the group that advanced to the 2012 Euro final.

When Italy won Euro 2020 in July of last year, De Rossi was a member of Roberto Mancini’s coaching team.