MONTREAL – CF Montréal announced on Tuesday the nomination of Marco Donadel as the Club’s head coach on a permanent basis.
“We are happy to confirm Marco Donadel’s position as head coach of the Club,” said CF Montréal Managing Director, Recruitment and Sporting Methodology, Luca Saputo. “We are of firm belief that Marco possesses the right abilities to lead the Club going forward and to help us achieve our ambitions.”
“I am happy to continue my tenure as head coach of CF Montréal,” said head coach Marco Donadel. “I have a long history and great memories with this city. First, as a player and now as a member of the coaching staff. I would like to thank the Club for trusting me to continue to lead the squad.”
Born in Conegliano, Italy, Marco Donadel made his return to the Club as an assistant coach on December 29, 2024 after four seasons as a midfielder with the Bleu-blanc-noir from 2015 to 2018.
On March 24, Donadel took over as interim head coach. He earned his first victory in a penalty shootout in the first round of the TELUS Canadian Championship against Toronto FC on April 30, and his first MLS win against NYCFC on May 10.
Donadel began his coaching career in Italy with ACF Fiorentina, where he was an assistant for the U16 and U17 team in 2018. He became head coach of that team in July 2019, then served as assistant coach with the first team in 2020 and 2021. Donadel then became assistant coach of FC Spartak Moscow of the Russian Premier League in December 2021, helping his team to a Russian Cup title in 2022.
He obtained his first head coaching job in 2023 with Italian Serie C club US Ascona. After obtaining his UEFA B and A coaching certifications, Donadel earned his UEFA PRO coaching license with honours in 2021.
During his playing career, Donadel notably helped CF Montréal reach the Concacaf Champions League final in 2015 and the MLS Eastern Conference final in 2016. He also won the Coppa Italia with Napoli in 2012. With the Italian national team, Donadel won the European U21 Championship in 2004 and a bronze medal at the Athens Olympic Games that same year.
