Former head coach of the Bulgarian women's national team, Lorenzo Micelli, officially re-signed his contract with the Turkish giant Beşiktaş until the end of the 2026/2027 season.
The club announced the news with an official statement:
“A contract has been signed with our head coach Lorenzo Micelli until the end of the 2026-2027 season. We believe that together with him, we will achieve significant success with our volleyball team. We wish him success in the new period.”
The Italian specialist took over Beşiktaş women's team in the 2025/26 season and has evidently gained the trust of the management for a long-term project.
Concurrently engaged with the Swedish national team
Micelli currently combines his work in club volleyball with that at the national level. In February 2025, he was appointed as the head coach of the Swedish women's national team with a contract until 2026.
Thus, the Italian continues to be a factor in European women's volleyball at both club and national levels.
A career with an international profile
Lorenzo Micelli was born on October 24, 1970, in Urbino, Italy. For more than three decades, he has been part of the elite of women's volleyball.
Among his more significant appointments in his career are:
Beşiktaş (Turkey) – from 2025/26
Sweden (women) – 2025–2026
Olympiacos (Greece) – 2022/23–2024/25
Bulgaria (women) – 2022–2024
Volero Le Cannet (France) – 2019/20–2021/22
Estonia (women) – 2019–2021
DevelopRes Rzeszów (Poland) – 2016/17–2018/19
Eczacıbaşı VitrA (Turkey) – 2010/11–2013/14
Foppapedretti Bergamo (Italy) – 2007/08–2009/10
Early in his career, he worked as an assistant coach for the Italian national team (2003–2010), which laid a strong foundation for his methodology and international experience.
An interesting and telling relationship regarding the geopolitics of modern women's volleyball: three Italian specialists, who have coached the Bulgarian national team, are currently at the helm of leading Turkish clubs.
This refers to Lorenzo Micelli, Giovanni Guidetti, and Marcello Abbondanza – three different generations of coaches, united by a common background with Bulgaria and their current careers in one of the strongest leagues in the world.
