The Italian Football Federation has settled on Andrea Pirlo as the new head coach of the Azzurri. Carlo Ancelotti, tied to Brazil until 2030, turned them down. So did Pep Guardiola, the federation's first choice.
Guardiola's apology allowed the matter to be resolved quickly, according to "La Repubblica". The federation struck a final agreement with Pirlo spanning four years, worth around 1.5 million euros a year plus a package of incentives and bonuses, keeping him in the job until the 2030 World Cup.
Pirlo carries a distinguished history in the national team shirt, with 116 caps and 13 goals between 2002 and 2015. He was one of the essential pillars of Italy's fourth and most recent World Cup triumph in 2006 in Germany, when they beat France on penalties. He also reached the final of Euro 2012 and finished third at the 2013 Confederations Cup.
His appointment comes to rescue Italian football from a deep crisis. Bar the European Championship title in 2021, Italy have suffered one setback after another. It got worse last March when they lost on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup qualifying play-off, missing the World Cup for a third straight time since 2014 and prompting Gennaro Gattuso to resign.
Currently in charge of Emirati club "FC United", Pirlo takes on a heavy responsibility: returning Italy, holders of four World Cup titles, to their natural place among the greats of the game. Only Brazil, with five, sit above them globally.
The appointment enjoys the absolute backing of defensive legend Paolo Maldini, the federation's new sporting director. The two men are close friends, having played together at Milan for eight seasons from 2001 to 2009, winning several titles including the Champions League and Serie A. Maldini had already tried to bring Pirlo in to coach Milan before he left his administrative post at the club in June 2023.
Now the pair reunite for an arduous national mission, made harder by Pirlo's limited coaching record. He previously took charge of Juventus, winning the Coppa Italia and the domestic Super Cup in 2020-2021, before spells with Turkey's Fatih Karagümrük, Italy's Sampdoria and then United, which he is preparing to leave to lead the senior national team.