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MILAN -- AC Milan have officially announced the appointment of former AS Roma and Lille manager Paulo Fonseca as the new head coach of the Rossoneri. The Portuguese has signed a three-year deal valid until the summer of 2027. Fonseca, who already coached in the Italian Serie A from 2019 to 2021, will make his comeback to Italy as he replaces Stefano Pioli on the AC Milan bench. The club's advisor Zlatan Ibrahimovic announced the decision during a press conference held at the AC Milan training center. 

"AC Milan can confirm that Paulo Fonseca has been appointed as the head coach of the men's first team. Born in Nampula (Mozambique) on March 5, 1973, Paulo Fonseca began his coaching career in 2005 in Estrela da Amadora's youth system before taking positions in the lower tiers of Portuguese professional football. He made his first appearance in a top-flight dug-out with Paços de Ferreira, with whom he qualified for the Champions League play-off round. He joined Porto in 2013 and won the Supertaça, his first piece of silverware as a coach," Milan said in a statement.

"Following a spell at Braga, who he guided to a Taça de Portugal title, he joined Shakhtar Donetsk where he won seven trophies and finished with a record of 103 wins in 139 matches. In 2019, he made his first appearance in Italian football when he moved to AS Roma, with whom he reached the Europa League semifinal in 2021. The head coach of LOSC since the summer of 2022, Fonseca has concluded his stint in France following two seasons, in which he twice contributed to Lille's qualification to European competitions. The Portuguese coach now joins AC Milan on a three-year contract. The club would like to wish Paulo and his staff a warm welcome."

Fonseca, 51, was named as the new AC Milan manager after a successful spell at Lille, where he brought the French side to a fifth and fourth-place finish. Before that, he managed Porto, Braga, Shakhtar and AS Roma among others. With the Giallorossi, he finished fifth in his first season at the club and then seventh before Jose Mourinho replaced him in May 2021. AC Milan decided to appoint Fonseca for the football expressed by his teams so far but also for his human qualities as the club believes he can be a good match with the board and sporting director. 

AC Milan, after winning the Scudetto in 2022 with Pioli, decided to part ways with the Italian coach at the end of the 2023-24 season despite being second place in the table. American owner Gerry Cardinale decided to move on from Pioli and start a new cycle with Fonseca, who is now called to a difficult task. The Fonseca era at AC Milan has now officially started.