Gian Paolo Montali

Who is Gian Paolo Montali?

Gian Paolo Montali is an Italian volleyball coach who has won two Volleyball European Championships with Italian national team.

Montali began his career as volleyball coach for the junior team of the Santal Parma. From 1986 to 1990 he directed the senior team, winning a striking scudetto in the latter season.

After a short parenthesis in the secondary Schio's team, Montali was called to lead Sisley Treviso, property of the Benetton family, which had till then scored little success despite strong financial investments. Montali imposed his capabilities and his discipline of work in his new seat also, winning 2 national titles, 1 European Winners', another European Cup Winner's, 1 CEV and one Italian Cups. In 1996 he was called to coach the Greek team of Olympiakos Piraeus, winning the championship 1997-1998 and two cups 1996-1997,1997-1998.

It is hard for Montali to arrive somewhere without winning. In 1998 he was attracted by another ambitious project: to take the reins of the newly formed team of Rome, deploying famous but aging champions like Andrea Gardini or Marco Bracci, and try to win something after a devoid of victories lasting twenty years. In 2000, in a Palaeur of Rome beating any record of crowding for Italian volleyball, Montali's men won its scudetto defeating Andrea Giani's Las Daytona Modena. This victory has been largely credited to Montali's skills in tactics and team-moulding.