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Ligue 1 club Paris St. Germain have confirmed the appointment of former Inter Milan manager Leonardo as their new Sporting Director. PSG President Robin Leproux confirmed the appointment of the Brazilian tactician who held the post of Inter Milan manager for six months taking over from Rafael Benitez before offering to quit his job unexpectedly.
The official announcement both creates and brings to an end a confusion regarding Inter Milan. The Nerazzurris, who are yet to find a replacement manager, have been linked with every available manager thus creating a flurry of rumours and plenty of pandemonium. Inter’s inability to find a new manager has been so profound that owner Massimo Moratti even considered recalling Leonardo since he had not officially quit, thus creating a furore in the media where the statement was met with severe derision. Now that Leonardo has officially joined PSG in a position which he has long favoured as opposed to that of being a tactician, it is clear that Massimo Moratti has lost his last fail safe option and will have to make a new appointment soon.
PSG Chairman released a statement which said,
“He is going to be a sporting director. Leonardo, everyone knows him, has had a significant dimension and career. I am convinced that he will know how to adapt to PSG’s structure to accelerate the development and the sporting strategy of the club”
Leonardo, who spent a chunk of his playing career at Milan, was made a reluctant tactician when he was appointed manager by Adriano Galliani after the exit of Carlo Ancelotti in 2009. His stint at Milan lasted for a single season and he was sacked for his inefficient results. Six months later, the Brazilian made the shocking move to hated rivals Inter who found themselves without a manager after the dismissal of Rafa Benitez. Despite being instrumental in a dramatic change of fortunes for the Nerazzurris in the league where Inter eventually finished second after languishing at seventh at one point and went on to win the Coppa Italia, Leonardo showed his inept tactical abilities when his team got hammered by big boys Milan in the league and Schalke in the Champions League. Now that he has made the move to PSG, the Leonardo saga which has been one of the most dramatic ones in Italian football has come to an end.
