Massimo Barbolini
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Massimo Barbolini | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Barbolini in 2012 | |||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Nationality | Italian | ||||
| Born | 29 August 1964 Modena, Italy | ||||
| Volleyball information | |||||
| Position | Head coach | ||||
| Current club | Italy (W) (AC) | ||||
| Career | |||||
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Massimo Barbolini (born 29 August 1964) is an Italian volleyball coach. He is coach of Italy (W), and Galatasaray (W).
Coaching Italy women's national volleyball team, he has won the 2007 and 2009 Women's European Volleyball Championship.
Born in Modena, as a boy he played volleyball as setter but was forced to retired from volleyball due to a serious injury when he was 20 years old.
Coaching career (club)
He soon become assistant coach of Julio Velasco at Panini Modena then in 1989 he was named coach of Sanyo Agrigento. With the Sicilian team he reached the Italian serie A1 (first division) then he trained Modena Volley.
In 1993 he was named coach of Latte Rugiada Matera, his first assignment in woman volleyball. With that team he won two Italian championship and two Italy Cup a European Supercup and a European Champions League.
After a year with Gierre Roma, he was named coach of Despar Sirio of Perugia. With the Deapar Sirio, which he trained from 1997/1998 to 2006/2007, he won 3 Italian championship (2003, 2005 and 2007), a European Champions League (2006) and a European Cup Winner's Cup, two CEV Cups, as well as 4 Italy Cup (1999, 2003, 2005, 2007).
Galatasaray
It was announced by the club that he became the Head Coach of Galatasaray (W) on 27 May 2025.[1]
29 May 2025, signed a 2–year contract with Galatasaray.[2]
On February 20, 2026, it was announced that Barbolini and the club had parted ways by mutual agreement.[3]
Immediately after Barbolini's departure, 35-year-old assistant coach Alberto Bigarelli, who had limited previous head coaching experience, took over the team. Under Bigarelli's leadership, Galatasaray achieved the club's greatest European success to date by winning the CEV Volleyball Cup 2026 title, defeating Italy's Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri '76 3–1 in the final on 8 April 2026 in Istanbul.[4]
