Former Porto manager Sergio Conceicao has taken over as AC Milan head coach, replacing Paulo Fonseca. The 50-year-old, who left Porto after seven successful years with 11 trophies, was briefly unemployed before joining Milan.
Fonseca was dismissed after a 1-1 draw with Roma on Sunday, leaving the team eighth in Serie A and 14 points behind leaders Atalanta and Napoli. The 51-year-old, who replaced Stefano Pioli in June, confirmed his departure following the match, saying, “I’m out. That’s life. I did everything I could.”
Conceicao has signed an 18-month contract with Milan, inheriting a team struggling with injuries and inconsistency. Key players Christian Pulisic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, and Rafael Leao are sidelined, while Alvaro Morata and Ismael Bennacer recently returned to action.
Conceicao’s Porto tenure saw him set a record for the most games as manager and achieve a 58-game unbeaten streak in the league, matching Milan’s historic run from 1991 to 1993. His first match as Milan manager will be against Juventus in the Italian Super Cup semi-finals on January 3, where he will face his son Francisco, who plays for Juve on loan from Porto.
