Didier Digard had been among the frontrunners to be appointed Nice manager on a full-time basis having guided les Aiglons to a comfortable ninth-place finish in Ligue 1 Uber Eats last term after replacing Lucien Favre, on a caretaker basis, in January.

But club chairman Jean-Pierre Rivère had other ideas, appointing the little-known Farioli on a two-year deal, with Digard staying with at the club in charge of their reserve side. Ligue1.com takes a closer look…

Back story:

Born in the Tuscan town of Barga in 1989, Farioli was once an aspiring goalkeeper with amateur side Polisportiva Margine Coperta, but gave up on that dream when still in his teens before pursuing a Philosophy degree - with a thesis on football - in 2008.

He stayed at Margine Coperta as a goalkeeper coach for two years before working in the Italian lower leagues with Fortis Juventus and Lucchese. He then found work in Qatar with the Aspire Academy and national team's under-17s.

De Zerbi, now of Brighton, persuaded Farioli to return to Italian football with Benevento, and he followed him to Sassuolo in 2018. Whilst De Zerbi has subsequently made his name in England, Farioli next headed for Turkey, getting his first top job at Fatih Karagumruk then Alanyaspor - where he had previously been an assistant - before getting the Nice role in June.

Style of play:

Farioli's Alanyaspor flitted between a three- and four-man defence, but a lone striker supported by at least one No.10 was a common theme throughout his time there - a two year period in which he guided the club to their record points haul in the Turkish Super Lig.

Current campaign:

Farioli was Alanyaspor's manager until January, when he resigned with the club 10th in the league on 25 points. He kept his powder dry for the remainder of last season, and, by his own admission, consumed as much Ligue 1 Uber Eats and Ligue 2 BKT as possible, before taking his next step in the game with Nice.

His signing was announced last Friday, and he has since set about meeting key members of his squad, like captain Dante, who is five years his senior.

What they said:

"Coming to train in France was one of my goals for the next chapter of my career. I knew that France could be a very good destination, I followed Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 a lot. The level of players in this country is very good."

- Farioli reflects on taking the Nice job.

I'm convinced, like the board, that this choice is the right one and that we'll take great pleasure in seeing our team evolve. That's the objective. I'm convinced that it'll be a very good year with Francesco at the helm."

- Rivère on Farioli's appointment.

Photo credit: OGC Nice