The Serie A club confirmed Gilardino’s appointment on Tuesday, with the 44-year-old signing a contract until the end of the 2026/27 season. Parma also hold an option to extend the agreement for a further two seasons.
Gilardino returns to Parma more than two decades after making his name as a player at the club. He spent three seasons with the Gialloblu between 2002 and 2005, making 116 appearances and scoring 56 goals.
The former striker was part of Italy’s World Cup-winning squad in 2006 and earned 57 international caps, scoring 17 goals.
Gilardino returns to Serie A management
The Parma job represents Gilardino’s third Serie A managerial position after previous spells with Genoa and Pisa.
He guided Genoa back to Serie A in 2023 and subsequently helped the club retain its top-flight status during the 2023/24 season. He was dismissed during the following campaign.
Gilardino later took charge of Pisa but was sacked in January 2026 after recording one win, 11 draws and 11 defeats in Serie A.
Cuesta leaves after 14 months
Gilardino succeeds Carlos Cuesta, who left Parma on Sunday after the club and the 31-year-old Spaniard mutually agreed to end their working relationship.
Cuesta had taken charge in 2025 in his first senior managerial role after working as an assistant coach under Mikel Arteta at Arsenal. He guided Parma to 13th place in his first season.
Parma had started the current Serie A campaign with one win from their opening five matches and were 15th in the table when Cuesta departed.
Gilardino's first match in charge will be a difficult away fixture against defending champions Inter Milan on 10 October.
The appointment marks a return to familiar surroundings for Gilardino as he begins his latest attempt to establish himself in Serie A management.