Paolo Maldini and Leonardo are officially running the show for the Italian national team now. And the first big decision on their plate? Picking the next Azzurri head coach. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Andrea Pirlo has suddenly emerged as the guy to beat.
That’s a shift. Until recently, the conversation revolved mostly around Antonio Conte or Roberto Mancini coming back for a second stint. There was even some chatter about Pep Guardiola, though that always felt like a long shot. But now Pirlo is the name generating real buzz inside the federation.
The 47-year-old won the World Cup with Italy in 2006. He played alongside Maldini and Leonardo during Milan’s glory years from 2001 to 2011. Those connections matter here. Both men know Pirlo personally, trust his football brain, and reportedly wanted to hire him as Milan coach back in 2023 before the club went another direction.
Pirlo’s actual coaching résumé is thin. He managed Juventus for one season in 2020-21 and won the Coppa Italia. Then he bounced to Karagumruk in Turkey and had a short, unsuccessful spell at Sampdoria that ended in August 2024. Right now he’s coaching United FC in Dubai. So the sample size is small, and the results have been mixed at best.
But here’s the thing: Pirlo would come cheap. The FIGC doesn’t have unlimited money, and his salary demands would be significantly lower than what Conte or Mancini would ask for. That matters when you’re trying to rebuild a federation that’s been without a technical director for years. Maldini and Leonardo just got that role created, and they want to make a smart, sustainable hire.
Italy’s next competitive games are in September for the Nations League. So there’s time, but not a ton of it. The new coach needs to be in place soon to start shaping the squad. Pirlo has the pedigree as a player, the relationships with the decision-makers, and the financial appeal. Whether that’s enough to get the job over more experienced candidates is the open question.
For now, Pirlo is the favorite. And in a race that seemed settled just weeks ago, that’s a pretty big development.
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