CT Italia: The National Team’s Star Players’ Request Regarding Roberto Mancini Revealed

Rumors are swirling about the next head coach of the Italian national team. Elections for the new FIGC president will be held today, with Giovanni Malagò the clear favorite. If he wins, the former CONI president will turn to Roberto Mancini to revive the Azzurri after several bitter years.

The alternative to Mancini was Antonio Conte, but his salary demands and the length of the contract nipped any possibility of the Lecce-born coach’s return to the Italian national team bench in the bud. According to rumors reported by Corriere dello Sport, several key players on the national team have personally advocated for the return of the Jesi-born coach, who led the team to victory at the 2021 European Championship. Many of them had already pushed in vain for his return following Luciano Spalletti’s dismissal.

Mancini needs to redeem himself for the team’s elimination against North Macedonia in the 2022 World Cup playoffs, and especially for his tumultuous departure in 2023, when he said goodbye to everyone to move to Saudi Arabia. He has long since admitted his mistake, and now he is reportedly ready to accept a salary in line with the federation’s guidelines—certainly more affordable than Conte’s.

The path that has led Mancini to this point is now clear. In recent weeks, his departure from Al Sadd—the Qatari club with which he had won the national title—was made official; this marked his fifteenth trophy as a coach, leading the team to its third consecutive league championship. The coach from Jesi himself bid farewell with a video message: “The purpose of this video is to thank every Al Sadd fan for all the support they’ve given us this year and the help they’ve provided in allowing us to climb back up the standings and win the title.”

Mancini’s desire to get back into the game with the national team was, in fact, confirmed by those closest to him. Marco Roccati, Al Sadd’s goalkeeper coach, had told Radio Sportiva: “I think the coach would come back in a heartbeat because, in my opinion, he left something unfinished and would like to complete this mission.” Former assistant coach Attilio Lombardo echoed this sentiment, stating succinctly: “He’d like to come back.”