One of the most decorated club managers in modern football history, Pep Guardiola, is at the center of emerging speculation linking him to the vacant head coaching role of the Italian men’s national team, just months after he wrapped up a legendary 10-year tenure at Manchester City. Italian outlet Sky Italia has reported that the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), led by newly appointed technical director and Italian football icon Paolo Maldini, has held multiday talks with Guardiola in Barcelona to persuade him to take the national team job. Maldini was accompanied by his advisor and former AC Milan and Italy international Leonardo during the meetings. If Guardiola accepts the position, he will become only the second non-Italian manager to lead the Azzurri, and the first foreign head coach to take the role since the 1960s. Other high-profile candidates including former Italy managers Roberto Mancini and Andrea Pirlo remain in contention for the role. A return to the dugout for Guardiola this autumn would mark an extraordinarily quick comeback to the sport, following his departure from Manchester City in May after a decade that transformed the club into a dominant global force. This would not be Guardiola’s first experience with Italian football, however. The 55-year-old, who speaks fluent Italian, spent two seasons playing in Serie A between 2001 and 2003, turning out for Brescia across two separate spells and earning another stint at AS Roma. Italy’s search for a new permanent head coach comes after a string of disappointing results for the once-dominant global powerhouse. The Azzurri claimed a famous European Championship title over England in the 2021 final, but have now failed to qualify for three consecutive FIFA World Cup tournaments. Former AC Milan and Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso stepped down from the role in April after Italy suffered a penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina in a European play-off, which saw them miss out on the 2026 World Cup hosted by North America. Beyond the Italian speculation, there is also growing chatter linking Guardiola to a potential move to the England national team job, following the Three Lions’ impressive third-place finish at the 2026 World Cup — their best finish in a major men’s tournament since they lifted the World Cup trophy on home soil in 1966. Despite the historic high finish, current England manager Thomas Tuchel has faced widespread criticism after his side collapsed to a 2-1 semi-final defeat against Argentina. Tuchel’s late defensive substitutions were widely blamed for blowing the team’s 1-0 lead, costing them a place in the tournament final. Tuchel, 52, was appointed in January 2025 and signed a two-year contract extension just three months later, and he retains the official backing of the Football Association (FA). However, former England captain Wayne Rooney has publicly suggested that the FA would move quickly to appoint Guardiola if he became available. “I don’t see anyone else out there at the minute, unless you go and get Pep Guardiola. If Pep is available, then maybe you go and get him,” Rooney explained on his podcast following the semi-final loss. “If we sack him [Tuchel], what managers are we going to bring in? And I don’t think there’s anyone out there who’s as good as Thomas Tuchel, unless Guardiola.” History shows the FA has previously been interested in Guardiola: the governing body approached him before appointing Tuchel in 2025, with multiple reports suggesting a verbal agreement was in place for Guardiola to take the role — before he ultimately chose to remain at Manchester City for his final contracted season. Over his 10-year tenure with Manchester City, Guardiola built one of the most successful domestic runs in English football history, lifting 20 major trophies. That haul includes six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups, three Community Shields, the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League, a UEFA Super Cup, and a FIFA Club World Cup. Guardiola’s trophy-laden managerial career extends far beyond his time in England. He began his senior managerial career at Barcelona, the club where he spent the bulk of his playing career, before moving to Bayern Munich for three dominant seasons. At Bayern, he won the Bundesliga every year he was in charge, added two German Cups, and claimed one UEFA Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. At Barcelona, he led the first team after a spell coaching the club’s B side, lifting three La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues, five domestic cups, and two UEFA Super Cups and two FIFA Club World Cups. To date, Guardiola has claimed 12 top-flight league titles across his managerial stints in Spain, Germany, and England, a record that cements his status as one of the greatest managers of all time. Guardiola said an emotional goodbye to Manchester City fans following the final match of the 2025-26 season, a 2-1 home defeat to Aston Villa. He opened up about his mental and physical exhaustion after a decade of relentless elite-level competition, saying: “I am so tired. Seriously, I am so tired. I did everything. We did it. The memories I have of Barcelona and Bayern Munich are unbeatable but the luggage of memories I have from here from 10 years is more than any other. Without the trophies I would have been sacked but it is not looking at the trophies in the cabinet at home that makes me happy. It is the memories and connections I had since day one with the city, the backroom staff and the players.” He added that stepping away after a decade at the Etihad Stadium was the right decision for him at this stage of his career, noting: “It is the right time. I will not miss it for the while, that’s for sure.” Guardiola explained after his departure that he needed an extended break to recharge, saying he no longer had the energy required to compete for trophies at the club level, where matches come every three days amid constant high expectations. But the question now being asked across European football is whether the less intense schedule of international management could be the ideal gentle return to the sport for the legendary manager. If appointed by Italy, Guardiola’s first major task would be guiding the Azzurri to qualification for UEFA Euro 2028, which will be co-hosted by the United Kingdom and Ireland, with qualifiers kicking off in 2027. There would be no extended grace period, however: Italy’s next competitive fixture is a Nations League clash against Belgium at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico — the same ground where Guardiola played during his stint at Roma — on September 25. After that opening fixture, Italy face a packed schedule, with five more Nations League matches between September and November, drawn alongside Group opponents Turkey and 2026 World Cup semi-finalists France. Throughout his career, Guardiola has never shied away from a new challenge. For one of the greatest managers the game has ever seen, a return to the top tier of football could come just a few months after he said goodbye to the club game.