Pamela Conti

Pamela Conti (born 4 April 1982) is an Italian football manager and former player, who is currently serving as the head coach of the India women's national U17 team.^[1] As a player she was an attacking midfielder or striker for clubs in Serie A, Spain, Russia, the United States and Sweden, as well as for the Italy national team.^[2] She won two Italian Leagues, four Italian Cups, one Spanish Cup and one Russian League, and she represented Italy at two European Championships.

Career

As a player

Born in Palermo on 4 April 1982, she started her career in 1996 at Aquile Palermo. Despite playing in the third-tier, in May 1998 she made her debut for the Italian national team against Finland in the 1999 World Cup qualifying at 16 years old.^[3] The next year Conti signed for Serie A runners-up Torres CF, where she played for the next 10 years, winning two championships and four national cups, making her UEFA Women's Cup debut, and scoring 95 goals in 185 games in Serie A. In 2005, she made her debut at an international final tournament in the 2005 European Championship, where Italy was knocked out in the group stage.

In 2008 Conti moved to Spanish league champion Levante UD to again play the UEFA Women's Cup.^[4] Following the end of the season and playing the 2009 European Championship and the 2009 W-League with Buffalo Flash in the summer, she moved to national cup champion RCD Espanyol. Despite scoring 26 goals and winning the cup in her only season in Espanyol she returned to a declining Levante for the 2010-11 season.

In 2011, she signed for Russian Championship's runner-up Energiya Voronezh. However, after Energiya was knocked out of the UEFA Champions League's Round of 16 she moved to Zorky Krasnogorsk, where she played for two seasons. There she won the championship and again played the Champions League.^[5] On the other hand, she wasn't called up for the 2013 European Championship. She completed her international career with 90 caps and 30 goals.^[6]

In 2013, she returned to Torres CF, now a national powerhouse, after five years abroad.^[7] It proved to be a turbulent period for the Sardinian giants and Conti left for Swedish club Eskilstuna United DFF. But she retired from playing after making just two appearances for Eskilstuna, returning to Sicily and setting up a football school for youngsters.^[6]

As a manager

Conti was hired as an under-16 coach by Atlético Madrid in summer 2018.^[8] In October 2019 she was appointed head coach of the Venezuela women's national football team.^[9] She aimed to guide the team to its first ever FIFA Women's World Cup qualification.^[10] She also coached the Venezuela women's national U20 team in that period and lead the team at the 2022 South American Under-20 Women's Football Championship and the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.^[11][12][13]

In 2026, All India Football Federation (AIFF) appointed Conti as the head coach of the India women's national U17 team, before the 2026 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup which is also the qualifier tournament for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup for nations in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).^[14]

National team

On 2 October 2010, she scored against Ukraine for the FIFA Women's World Cup qualification at the Stadion Yuri Gagarin in Chernihiv.^[15]

Personal life

Conti's father Francesco Conti was a footballer for Palermo and died in 2018. Her brothers Vincenzo and Daniele were also professional footballers who developed in the youth system at Palermo.^[16]

Honours

Torres Calcio

• Serie A: 1999–00, 2000–01
• Italian Women's Cup: 1999–00, 2000–01, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2007–08
• Italian Women's Super Cup: 2000, 2004
• Italy Women's Cup: 2004, 2008

References

1. ^ "Pamela Conti appointed as Indian U17 women’s team head coach". AIFF. 25 January 2026.
2. ^ Profile in Soccerway.com
3. ^ Conti, a footballer forged in the streets. Archived 7 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine RCD Espanyol, 28 December 2009
4. ^ "Pamela Conti" (in Italian). Levante UD. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 19 August 2011.
5. ^ Profile in UEFA's website
6. ^ Zito, Andrea (10 July 2019). "Pamela Conti, da coach dell'Atletico Madrid a simbolo rosanero?" (in Italian). Stadionews24. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
7. ^ A great strike by Torres: Pamela Conti returns to the red-and-blue. Torres CF's official website, 18 June 2013
8. ^ "Intervista a Pamela Conti, allenatice Under 16 dell'Atletico Madrid. "La Spagna presto sarà tra le 4 più forti al mondo nel calcio femminile" (in Italian). L Football. 15 November 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
9. ^ "Da Ballarò al Venezuela: Pamela Conti nuovo allenatore dei "vinotintos" "Da Ballarò al Venezuela: Pamela Conti nuovo allenatore dei "vinotintos"" (in Italian). PalermoToday. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
10. ^ "Pamela Conti and La Vinotinto, love at first sight". FIFA. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
11. ^ "La Vinotinto sub-20 femenina ya tiene a sus 22 guerreras para el Torneo CONMEBOL" (in Spanish). Venezuelan Football Federation. 2022-04-03.
12. ^ "La Vinotinto sub-20 femenina trasladará su preparación Mundialista a Austria" [The Vinotinto u-20 women's team will move its World Cup preparation to Austria] (in Spanish). Venezuelan Football Federation. 8 July 2024.
13. ^ "Definida la convocatoria para la copa Mundial sub-20 femenina 2024" [2024 women's u-20 World Cup squad set] (in Spanish). Venezuelan Football Federation. 22 August 2024.
14. ^ Mergulhao, Marcus. "Italian Pamela Conti set to take charge of India U-17 Women's team for AFC Asian Cup.". The Times of India. Times News Network. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
15. ^ "Ukraine 0-3 Italy". UEFA. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
16. ^ Bisconti, Alessandro (10 January 2018). "E' morto Conti, ex Palermo e volto storico della taverna di Ballarò "E' morto Conti, ex Palermo e volto storico della taverna di Ballarò" (in Italian). PalermoToday. Retrieved 27 December 2019.