Mancini Returns as Italy Coach After Three Years, Ranieri Named Technical Director

Roberto Mancini is back. Three years after he walked away from the Italy job to coach Saudi Arabia, the man who led the Azzurri to the Euro 2020 title has been reappointed as head coach. The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) made it official on Monday, with Claudio Ranieri stepping in as the new technical director of Club Italia.

The announcement caps a wild 17-day stretch that saw Paolo Maldini hired as Italy’s first-ever technical director, only to resign alongside his special advisor Leonardo less than a week after presenting their grand plan for Italian soccer’s future. Their project included talks with Pep Guardiola about coaching the national team. That idea died fast.

The Pirlo Problem

Maldini and Leonardo had zeroed in on Andrea Pirlo as their third choice for coach after Guardiola fell through. But the deal hit a wall when the FIGC discovered Pirlo’s global brand ambassador contract with a Russian gambling site that’s currently banned. FIGC President Giovanni Malagò said he didn’t approve the candidacy once that came to light.

“There was a candidate who had been chosen, and to a degree agreed, as suggested by technical director Paolo Maldini and consultant Leonardo,” Malagò said in a press conference. “Then the evolution of the nomination of Andrea Pirlo, who we had made an agreement with, led to me no longer approving this candidacy. It was inopportune.”

Maldini and Leonardo resigned the night before the official announcement. Malagò called it a “calm and consensual decision to go our separate ways,” comparing it to disagreements that happen in many families.

Mancini’s Second Act

Mancini previously coached Italy from 2018 to 2023. He won Euro 2020 but also failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, which still stings for a lot of fans. After leaving the national team, he took a lucrative job with Saudi Arabia that lasted a year, then moved to club side Al-Sadd. Now he’s back, and Malagò said the decision came down to finding a coach whose vision he shared.

“The person I share that vision with is Claudio Ranieri,” Malagò added. “He is the person who will take this very important and delicate role.”

Ranieri, 74, retired from coaching in 2024 but came back last November to manage his beloved Roma after Gian Piero Gasperini left. He only lasted a few months into the season before stepping away again due to disagreements with the coach. Now he’ll oversee the technical side of Italy’s national team setup.

A press conference with both Mancini and Ranieri is scheduled for Tuesday at 6 p.m. local time. That’s when we’ll presumably hear how these two veteran figures plan to rebuild a national team that’s been in flux since the World Cup failure.

For now, Italian soccer has its old coach back and a new front office structure that nobody saw coming a month ago.