Roberto Mancini has accepted the position of Italy national team manager in what marks his second tenure with the Azzurri. The appointment came swiftly following Andrea Pirlo’s withdrawal from consideration on Monday, citing controversy related to his connections with a Russian betting company. The decision also prompted the resignation of technical director Paolo Maldini and adviser Leonardo, both of whom had opposed the choice not to hire Pirlo.
The managerial vacancy emerged after Gennaro Gattuso’s departure in April, which followed Italy’s failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. The federation had previously approached other high-profile candidates including Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti before settling on Mancini. Maldini had only recently assumed the technical director role two weeks prior to his resignation.
Mancini, 61, previously led Italy from 2018 until 2023, during which time he guided the team to victory in Euro 2020 with a triumph over England at Wembley. His first stint included establishing a remarkable 37-game unbeaten record, though it ended with a World Cup qualifying play-off loss to North Macedonia that contributed to his 2023 resignation. Since departing the Italy role, he managed Saudi Arabia’s national team briefly before taking a position with Qatari club Al Sadd, which he left in June.
Claudio Ranieri, who previously managed Leicester City to a Premier League title, will fill the technical director position vacated by Maldini. Italy has been absent from the World Cup finals since 2014 and missed the most recent tournament following their latest qualifying play-off defeat. The team will begin their Nations League schedule on 25 September with a home match against Belgium, followed by away fixture against Turkey three days later.
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