As expected in the last few hours, Roberto Mancini is the new coach of the Italian national team, after Andrea Pirlo's candidacy failed, also bringing about the resignations of Paolo Maldini and Leonardo.
The news was announced by FIGC president Giovanni Malagò during a meeting of the Federal Council in Rome. The appointment of Claudio Ranieri as Technical Director and President of Club Italia was also made official.
Mancini returns to Italy, Malagò vetoes
Malagò kept the promise made the day before, announcing within the deadline the name of Gennaro Gattuso's successor and of interim coach Baldini. The new president of Italian football, abandoned by Paolo Maldini, who was supposed to lead the reconstruction of Italian football in the coming years, decided to act on his conviction.
No revolution, no major change as those who had hailed Maldini's arrival as a symbol of a new era had dreamed of. Instead, Malagò chose the "safe route", bringing back Mancini, with whom he also has a long friendship.
From the triumph at Wembley to the elimination by Macedonia
The main objective is the 2030 World Cup, where Italy aims to re-qualify after missing out on the last three editions. Meanwhile, on the horizon is the European Championship in two years, a tournament that Mancini won during his first experience in charge of Italy.
However, if the triumph at Wembley in 2021 remains the pinnacle of his career as a national team coach, Mancini was also criticized for the way he left Italy in the summer of 2023 to accept the very lucrative offer to coach Saudi Arabia. By that time, the relationship with the national team had already soured, as the triumph at Euro 2020 was followed by the sensational failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, after being eliminated by North Macedonia in the play-offs, as well as by the unconvincing start to the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
The new Technical Director will be Claudio Ranieri
Now everything is left behind and Italy begins a new chapter with the aim of returning to success. Claudio Ranieri will take on the role of Technical Director of the Italian national team, a task that was initially intended to be entrusted to the duo Paolo Maldini-Leonardo.
