I told Ronaldo to go to Hell, threw a sandwich at fans and bit back at Pep – meet the man plotting Celtic’s downfall

Gian Piero Gasperini isn’t just the icon who placed Atalanta among the elite.

He’s the feisty boss who has stood accused of being a dictator, bit back at Pep Guardiola, influenced new England boss Thomas Tuchel, amusingly told Cristiano Ronaldo to go to Hell and smacked mouthy AC Milan fans with his half-munched sandwich.

Opposite Brendan Rodgers in Bergamo is a manager who, at 66, has quality and charisma rolled into one. Gasperini is, of course, first and foremost a brilliant coach.

He only won his first trophy at the end of last season when ripping up Bayer Leverkusen’s 51-game unbeaten run and securing the Europa League. But Serie A coach of the year in 2019 and 2020, he’s been an influence on many things over eight turning Atalanta from regular relegation scrappers into a big gun.

The coaching to revamp the style, the recruitment, even a big voice in pushing for recently-completed stadium renovations at the Gewiss Stadium to ramp up the volume. Guardiola once described facing Atalanta as “like going to the dentist” after Manchester City drew with Gasperini’s men five years ago.

But the coach was onto that comment after lifting the silverware in Dublin when he said: “I think we’ve gone beyond that because Atalanta don’t just try to do damage limitation, we aim to create something beautiful, regardless of who we are up against. Success is not just lifting that trophy. I always fought against this mentality. Football cannot just be that.”

In transforming Atalanta’s status and style, he’s influenced elite managers. Gasperini once explained: “In the 1990s, when I went to watch Dutch football, they were one of the few who played with three at the back.

“I also had inspiration in the 1982 World Cup, the principle was that