Paolo Maldini has revealed that Pep Guardiola was so close to becoming Italy's next manager that he began writing out potential line-ups on paper. Maldini, tasked with hiring a new coach after Italy's World Cup qualification failure, held talks with Guardiola following his Manchester City exit.
Guardiola's decision
Guardiola, who has ambitions in international management, turned down the role purely because he wanted a break after a decade at the Etihad. Maldini told Corriere della Sera: "Guardiola told us: 'Give me one euro less than what the last coach was earning and I am ready'."
After meeting in Barcelona, Maldini said: "With Guardiola we studied the lists of players, starting from the under-17 team and above" and that he "even began writing out line-ups".
Italy's search
After Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti declined, Maldini approached Andrea Pirlo, a 2006 World Cup winner. Pirlo was set to take the role until Italy's chiefs blocked him due to his links to Russian betting firms. Maldini resigned within three weeks, and Italy later appointed Roberto Mancini for a second time.
Guardiola is now taking time out after 13 consecutive years in club management, including three at Bayern Munich and a decade at City. He had reportedly agreed verbally with England before they chose Thomas Tuchel, but he renewed his City contract in the 2024/25 season.
