Italy's oldest club, where tradition meets ambition

Thousands of fans marched towards nan Piazza De Ferrari, torches successful hand, a aureate griffin connected a half red-half navy inheritance illuminating nan square, fireworks lighting up nan skyline, different day good celebrated successful nan agelong and analyzable history of Genoa Cricket and Football Club.

As a subordinate and successful his backroom roles that person followed, Marco Ottolini has ever been profoundly invested successful nan Italian game, though it is only since joining Genoa arsenic sporting head he has travel to afloat admit nan intoxicating passion that surrounds Italy’s oldest club.

"On 7 September each year, location is simply a large celebration," he tells BBC Sport. “When you get location you understand what this nine intends for nan people.

"There are a batch of young supporters, children and teenagers, and past you tin spot aged men kissing each different and crying for nan club. It gives you shivers!"

Genoa, founded by English expats, were 1 of Italian football’s early ascendant forces, winning nan inaugural title and 9 successful full - their past Scudetto coming a period ago.

Fans person had to strengthen a troubled caller past, but nan nine brought their landmark 130th twelvemonth to a adjacent connected Friday pinch triumph complete Champions League-bound Bologna that intends they will decorativeness 11th successful Serie A aft bouncing consecutive backmost pursuing relegation, signaling their champion top-flight points tally successful 9 years.

Serious questions situation nan American finance group who ain them and a number of different clubs, 777 Partners, yet those wrong Genoa are assured nan Italian side's task is proving successful and sustainable.

Chief executive Andres Blazquez is targeting a return to European title successful nan adjacent 2 seasons for nan first clip since 2010.

Blazquez was brought successful erstwhile 777 took complete successful September 2021, inheriting what he says was a “big mess” from nan erstwhile ownership, pinch nan playing squad's costs measure costing almost double what nan nine were making.

The takeover was welcomed by fans, pinch Tobia Salvai, of nan Genoa UK Supporters' Club, telling BBC Sport successful September nan nine was antecedently "badly managed".

Yet Blazquez admits mistakes were made successful a first twelvemonth that ended successful relegation to Serie B, pinch Andriy Shevchenko appointed head and only lasting 2 months successful nan job, and pinch a one-point conclusion for a missed taxation payment.

"We didn’t negociate to enactment successful Serie A but we acquired players specified arsenic Morten Frendrup and Albert Gudmundsson that are now immoderate of nan pillars of nan existent team,"” adds Blazquez.

"We started a cleanable up, putting nan correct group successful spot to rebuild nan club."

One of those was Ottolini, who joined from Juventus successful July 2022, though immoderate ambitions of reaching Europe backmost past seemed far-fetched erstwhile he was met pinch almost 60 players connected nan books.

"The squad head was calling maine saying 'we only person 30 seats successful nan dressing room, wherever do we put nan different players?'" explains Ottolini, who was besides having to placate disgruntled agents wondering why their customer was not fixed a seat.

Ottolini group astir restructuring nan squad - he wanted 2 cardinal players for each position, other attacking options and "Serie B experts".

Following nan dismissal of Alexander Blessin successful nan December, Ottolini besides made nan determination to name Alberto Gilardino arsenic caput coach - a World Cup victor and Serie A fable arsenic a player, but personification who was coaching Genoa’s under-19 broadside astatine nan time.

"I met him conscionable to cognize him personally and had nan belief he could person nan floor plan for nan first team," says Ottolini, who past week extended Gilardino’s woody until nan extremity of adjacent season.

"Not everyone was convinced, which is normal erstwhile a coach arrives from nan under-19s successful a important year, but it paid off."

Il Grifone were promoted successful 2nd place, lowering their costs measure successful nan process and maintaining nan eighth-best mean attendance successful Italy contempt being successful nan 2nd tier.

"It confirmed we did things good connected nan sporting broadside and we did things good successful nan metropolis and societal side," adds Blazquez, who says nan nine would often return much fans to distant games than nan location side.

Promotion and Genoa's consequent capacity successful Serie A this play has brought a batch of liking successful what is proving to beryllium a well-recruited squad.

Defender Radu Dragusin, who followed Ottolini from Juventus, joined Tottenham successful January successful a £25m deal, Iceland guardant Gudmundsson is connected nan radar of a number of apical clubs and Danish midfielder Frendrup was a reported Liverpool target, while Argentina-born striker Mateo Retegui, who arrived from Tigre past summer, is successful Italy’s preliminary Euro 2024 squad.

"The sporting task is to effort to make a bully operation of younger talents and much fresh players that tin springiness america nan spine to nan team,” explains Ottolini. "We play successful beforehand of 32,000 group each week and this tin create worth successful nan younger players."

Ottolini needs targets who will bargain into Genoa's footballing task but trading it arsenic a spot to unrecorded is nan easy part, pinch nan larboard metropolis nestled betwixt nan Ligurian Sea and nan Apennine upland range. Locals telephone it "La Superba".

"When you participate nan nine you tin really smell football, it’s successful nan walls," Ottolini says of Genoa's history and tradition.

"Then we speak astir really bully it is to unrecorded successful Genoa, by nan sea, nan municipality is beautiful. The ambiance is really great.

"I don’t opportunity nan nutrient because they don’t eat excessively much, but besides nan nutrient is nice!"

Talented midfielder Frendrup, who was drawn successful by nan ambiance astatine Stadio Luigi Ferraris, agrees: "The nine is truthful humanities and I wanted to beryllium a portion of this journey, those things made maine autumn successful emotion and want to travel here.

"It is simply a crazy shot city. You study to unrecorded pinch it that shot intends truthful overmuch to nan group here. The metropolis is besides conscionable beautiful, truthful it is easy to get utilized to!

"We person bully unit and immoderate older players who return attraction of nan younger ones, it is simply a really bully measurement for a young subordinate for illustration me."

The volition this summertime is to clasp connected to cardinal players, thing main executive Blazquez is assured they will do, while wanting a mostly of incoming business to beryllium completed by nan clip pre-season starts successful July.

Genoa dream to lucifer immoderate on-field occurrence by making themselves much visible to caller audiences disconnected it - location has already been an Amazon Prime documentary while vocalist Rita Ora modelling nan aureate 130-year day garment surely helped.

There is dream they tin proceed to turn their floor plan by tapping into nan club's history, their English links and those to Boca Juniors - who were founded by a group of Genoese migrants.

"We are doing much and much initiatives," says Blazquez. "Genoa arsenic a metropolis successful nan world has a very rich | history and what it intends to beryllium from Genoa is not known to galore people."

Meanwhile, location are plans to create nan stadium they stock pinch rivals Sampdoria, who are presently successful Serie B, to meet Uefa class 4 criteria truthful it is eligible to big games during Euro 2032, which will beryllium staged successful Italy and Turkey.

By nan clip that tourney comes around, nan nation's oldest nine will beryllium closing successful connected different landmark celebration.

Fans will gather, fireworks will fly, aged men will buss and outcry for nan nine they love.