Luciano Spalletti is in deep mourning following the death of his mother, Ilva

Luciano Spalletti has suffered a terrible loss: his mother, Ilva, has died at the age of 93. The two shared an extremely close bond, which the Juventus head coach has emphasized on numerous occasions. In 2023, shortly after being named head coach of the Italian national team, Spalletti shared a very touching anecdote.

“When I was 11, I asked my mom to sew a giant flag,” Spalletti recalled. “The World Cup was in Mexico; moms were sewing at home, and I went to ask mine to make the biggest Italian flag possible to celebrate that fantastic 4-3 win over Germany,” Spalletti recalled. Now I’m going to bring that flag back onto the field.”

In August 2022, during the Fiorentina-Napoli match, some so-called fans repeatedly insulted Mrs. Ilva, and Luciano Spalletti lost his patience. The then-coach of Napoli confronted some of the individuals face-to-face.

After the game, the coach from Certaldo explained: “The crowd in Florence is incredibly rude. They have children nearby and keep hurling insults. They yell at me, ‘Your mom, your mom.’ Behind the bench, there are always professional rude people, always ready to offend.”