Italy's manager search has ended with Roberto Mancini taking charge for a second spell and Claudio Ranieri coming in as the country's technical director.
Monday proved a pivotal day as Azzurri legend Paulo Maldini quit after only 16 days in the job after Andrea Pirlo was blocked from taking over the four-time World Cup winners. Some senior figures at the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) shied away from his appointment due to ties to a Russian betting firm.
Pirlo was the third man to be eyed for the job after Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti both said no. Mancini is the fourth man they've gone after and finally a deal has been agreed with Ranieri sitting in a senior role.
FIGC president confirms appointments
The FIGC president, Giovanni Malago, said on the appointment: “Mancini is the coach. I believed that the best person to become head coach was Roberto Mancini.”
Ranieri replaces Maldini and will oversee technical operations and elite football development across Italy’s national team structures. He's most heralded for leading Leicester to the Premier League title but has also managed Juventus, Roma and Inter Milan.
“I needed someone with whom I could share the decision on the coach, because without that shared view my reasoning would have carried little weight,” Malago said. “So consequently, we have a new coach and a new technical director for Italy.”
Mancini's previous tenure
In hiring Mancini they bring back the last man to lead Italy to tournament glory, although either side of that they've been wholly disappointing. The former Manchester City boss replaces Gennaro Gattuso, who left the post in April after Italy failed to qualify for a third World Cup in succession. He held the job from 2018 to 2023 and claimed Euro 2020 glory following a penalty shootout victory over England at Wembley.
Mancini ultimately presided over the Azzurri's world record 37-game unbeaten run, but couldn't qualify for the 2022 World Cup - losing to North Macedonia in a play-off - before resigning in August 2023.
Italy became the first World Cup winners ever to miss out on three tournaments successively having not played at the finals since 2014, when they were knocked out in the group phase. That was also the case in 2010, marking a dire run since they claimed the World Cup in 2006.
Italy start their Nations League campaign on 25 September at home to Belgium before travelling to face Turkey three days later.
