MILAN, Italy – In a dramatic U-turn that has rocked European football, Roberto Mancini is set for a second stint at the helm of the Italian men’s national team, called back to rescue a program mired in deep crisis almost exactly three years after his abrupt first exit.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Giovanni Malagò confirmed the appointment in an official announcement Tuesday, revealing that legendary Italian manager Claudio Ranieri will take up the newly created role of technical director. The reshuffle comes just 24 hours after Paolo Maldini stepped down from the technical director position, a mere 16 days after he accepted the post.
At 61, Mancini is no stranger to turning Italy’s fortunes around. He first took charge of the Azzurri in 2018, after the team suffered a humiliating failure to qualify for that year’s World Cup at the hands of Sweden. Over his three-and-a-half-year first tenure, he rebuilt the squad by injecting young talent and attacking flair, leading the side to a sensational European Championship title in 2021 (the tournament was delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic), beating England on home turf at Wembley Stadium in a tense penalty shootout. Between 2018 and 2021, Mancini’s Italy set a world record of 37 consecutive unbeaten matches, earning admiration from football fans across the globe.
Yet that success quickly unraveled. In 2022, a shock 1-0 home semi-final playoff defeat to 67th-ranked North Macedonia saw Italy miss out on a second consecutive World Cup. Mancini retained his job for another year, but stunned the football world by resigning abruptly in August 2023, just two weeks later taking the top job with Saudi Arabia’s national team. He departed the Saudi role in 2024, and most recently had a short spell as manager of Qatari side Al-Sadd, leaving the club last month. Beyond his international work, Mancini boasts a decorated club career, having won top-flight league titles with both Inter Milan in Italy and Manchester City in England.
Mancini’s return comes after a chaotic week of negotiations for the FIGC, which is still reeling from Italy’s third consecutive World Cup qualifying failure. That latest disappointment forced the resignations of former FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and ex-head coach Gennaro Gattuso back in April. Top-tier candidates Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola had already turned down approaches to take the Italy job, while leading candidate Andrea Pirlo was pulled from consideration on Monday over political concerns tied to a sponsorship deal with a Russian betting company.
“Time was running out to fill the position… I was convinced that the right person for the Italy head coach job is Roberto Mancini, for a whole host of reasons,” Malagò said in his statement Tuesday, adding that a full joint press conference with both Mancini and Ranieri will be held Wednesday.
Italy’s next competitive fixtures are scheduled for September and October, where the side will face Belgium, Turkey, and France in the upcoming UEFA Nations League campaign.