Italy: Why Paolo Maldini? Giovanni Malagò Explains the FIGC’s Choice
Paolo Maldini will be the new Technical Director of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), as well as president of Club Italia. This major announcement was made on Saturday by Giovanni Malagò, the newly elected president of the FIGC, who also outlined his appointee’s responsibilities, the decision-making process that led to his appointment, and, above all, the federation’s goals moving forward. With the horizon already set on 2030, for the national team and beyond.
“Maldini has always been my top choice,” Malagò revealed, confirming rumors that had previously circulated. “I believed he was the ideal person to oversee the FIGC’s technical sector. His work will not be limited to the senior national team, but will encompass the entire system, all the way down to the youth national teams.” The name of the new head coach—the successor to Gennaro Gattuso and his interim replacement, Silvio Baldini—has yet to be announced: it will be the new president of Club Italia’s responsibility to identify him.
“Over the past two weeks, we’ve discussed all the projects with Maldini, including the specifics. From the very beginning, he told me he would be happy to bring Leonardo on board as an advisor. After all, there is a lot of work to be done—it’s demanding and challenging. I’m very pleased, though, because I have deep respect for Leonardo. I see him and Paolo as two sides of the same coin. Everyone’s commitment spans four years and will take us from here to the 2030 World Cup, including the European Championship to be held in 2028,” Malagò added.
The path to the agreement was not without obstacles. In recent days, Malagò himself had fueled uncertainty with cryptic statements: “This is the week of the technical director; I’m not changing my mind. I’m working hard—there might even be a surprise,” the federation president had declared, hinting that negotiations with Maldini were anything but smooth sailing. Among the main issues to be resolved was the logistical question: the role would have required a permanent move to Rome, a solution initially considered incompatible with the former Rossoneri captain’s lifestyle. In the end, however, these objections were overcome, and Malagò achieved his primary goal, having approached only Maldini as the new Federal Technical Director and having stated that he would seek alternative solutions only in the event of a refusal.
Now Maldini will be tasked with identifying the next head coach of the national team. The leading candidates at the moment remain Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte, not to mention the possibility of Carlo Ancelotti, who is currently under contract with the Brazilian Football Confederation through 2030, despite the fact that the Seleção’s disappointing elimination in the World Cup round of 16 against Norway has sparked heavy criticism of him. On the financial front, Conte has had to contend with fierce competition: Al-Ittihad is reported to have offered a contract worth 20 million euros net per year—five times what the FIGC would be able to offer. Mancini, on the other hand, represents the most financially sustainable option, as he is content with a salary of around 2 million euros per year, even though his name does not particularly excite Serie A clubs, which are still annoyed by his abrupt departure from the national team in 2023 to take a job in Saudi Arabia.
The news of Maldini’s arrival at the federation has already sparked enthusiasm in Italian soccer circles. Sandro Tonali, who was spotted a few days ago at Malpensa Airport before his departure for Tottenham, spoke warmly about the possibility of reuniting with the former Milan executive on the national team: “I’d really like that. We haven’t spoken yet, but it’s definitely exciting to work with him again.” The national team faces important matches starting as early as September 25, when it will take on Belgium at Rome’s Olympic Stadium in the Nations League group stage, in a group that also includes France and Turkey.
