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Vincenzo Montella, once known in Italy as the "aeroplanino," or "little airplane," is under renewed scrutiny after Türkiye left the 2026 FIFA World Cup with back-to-back defeats, no goals and no points.
Türkiye first lost 2-0 to Australia and then fell 1-0 to Paraguay, a result that ended the national team's campaign and brought Montella's position into the center of the post-match debate.
Social media users called on both the Turkish Football Federation, known as the TFF, and Vincenzo Montella to resign after Türkiye's World Cup exit.
Sports columnist Serdar Ali Celikler also joined the criticism, saying, "Anyway, we will say arrivederci to Montella."
Montella, speaking to Turkish sports broadcaster TRT Spor after the match, appeared to leave his future open with an emotional post-match statement.
He said he felt Turkish, was hurt by what he described as a system trying to tear everything down after the first defeat, and believed he was "more Turkish than some people trying to create chaos and harm Türkiye."
Football commentator Serhat Akin also directed criticism at the Turkish Football Federation, saying the responsibility went beyond Montella alone.
He argued that the federation president had been lashing out at different figures instead of taking responsibility for the situation. Akin said, "You should leave Montella there tonight," adding that the issue should stay with the TFF. His comments added to the growing post-match pressure on both Montella and the federation after Türkiye's World Cup exit.
Football commentator Candas Tolga Isik delivered one of the harshest reactions, rejecting attempts to explain the performance through passing accuracy or touches in the opponent's penalty area.
He said Türkiye had finished the tournament with zero goals and zero points despite the quality of the squad. Isik argued that the team was going down in history as the worst side of the tournament. He described the outcome as "shameful."
Commentator Gokhan Dinc also addressed Montella directly, saying the coach could no longer frame the crisis as a single defeat. He said, "The World Cup is over. He says, 'We lost one match. 'You lost this one too."
Dinc argued that Montella had to be held accountable after Türkiye's exit.
He also criticized Montella's remarks on identity, asking who he was to give Turkish people a lesson on being Turkish.
Born in 1974 to a worker father and a homemaker mother, Montella started out in football at Empoli when he was 13, before moving on to Genoa, where he drew attention with a 21-goal season in Serie B.
His rise carried him to Sampdoria and then Roma, where he became one of the club's notable forwards and also broke into the Italy national team.
Montella earned the nickname "aeroplanino" because of the airplane-like celebration he made after scoring goals, a gesture that became closely linked with his playing identity.
He played for Italy at Euro 2000 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup, helped Roma win Serie A in 2001, and later retired in 2009 after scoring 237 goals in official club and national team matches.
Montella moved into coaching immediately after retirement, first taking charge of Roma's youth team and winning the Viareggio Junior Cup in his opening season.
In 2011, he stepped up to Roma's senior team after Claudio Ranieri resigned and became one of the youngest head coaches in Serie A history at the age of 36, although Roma later moved on with Luis Enrique.
After a spell at Catania, where he led the team to one of its strongest league finishes, Montella took over Fiorentina in 2012 and quickly built one of the more competitive sides in Serie A.
He guided Fiorentina to fourth-place finishes and a Europa League semifinal, but his first spell ended in 2015 after the club cited his public comments about contract terms.
Montella could not carry the same momentum into shorter periods at Sampdoria, Milan, Sevilla and a second Fiorentina spell.
At Milan, he started with promise but was dismissed after results fell below expectations, while his Sevilla period lasted only from December 2017 to April 2018.
Montella's career took a fresh turn in Türkiye when he joined Adana Demirspor in 2021 as part of club president Murat Sancak's football project.
He led the club to ninth place in his first season and fourth place in his second, helping Adana Demirspor qualify for European competition for the first time in its history.
Montella was in Adana during the major Kahramanmaras-centered earthquakes of Feb. 6, 2023, and stayed with the team and city during a difficult period.
His decision not to leave during the crisis brought him public sympathy, while he also said at the time that the club was helping players and families move to another city.
Türkiye turned to Montella after Stefan Kuntz was dismissed following a difficult period with the national team, including a 4-2 friendly defeat to Japan.
Montella's appointment was his first national-team role, and it also made him the fourth Italian coach to lead Türkiye after Sandro Puppo, Giovanni Varglien and Leandro Remondini.
Montella made an immediate impact by beating Croatia 1-0 away and then Latvia 4-0 in Konya, results that helped Türkiye secure qualification for Euro 2024.
That early run, combined with his attacking style and communication with players, raised expectations around his national-team tenure.
The mood shifted sharply after Türkiye's 2026 World Cup campaign ended with defeats to Australia and Paraguay.
For a coach once praised for lifting Adana Demirspor and quickly steering Türkiye to Euro 2024, the latest exit has turned attention back to his future and the growing pressure around his position.
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