Gennaro Gattuso takes cheeky 'gel and perfume' dig at Fabio Cannavaro after taking surprise national team job ahead of World Cup while Italy boss stuck 'in the trenches'

On Tuesday, Cannavaro was officially announced as the new head coach of the Uzbekistan national team, who have qualified for the 2026 World Cup and will make their first ever appearance in the finals. Cannavaro takes over at the helm six months after he was sacked from his last role as Dinamo Zagreb head coach.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Gattuso said: "I called Cannavaro and told him: 'What f*cking luck you have! You're going to put on gel and perfume and go to the World Cup while I'm here in the trenches!'"

The former Napoli and AC Milan manager took over the reins of the Italy national team back in June, after ex-boss Luciano Spalletti was fired from the post following a 3-0 loss to Norway in a World Cup qualifying game. With the Azzurri missing out on qualification for the 2022 World Cup, just one year after they lifted the European Championship, Gattuso's appointment was seen as a shrewd decision in order to avoid history for repeating two times in a row. Since Gattuso's arrival, Italy have managed two wins out of two and are on course to seal qualification for next year's marquee event.

After travelling to Estonia for their game on Saturday, Gattuso's men will welcome Israel next Tuesday. Italy are currently in second position in their World Cup qualifying group, with nine points from four games.