Italy Starts Over with Paolo Maldini: The Italian Football Federation’s Announcement

The Italian national team is starting over with Paolo Maldini. He will, in fact, be the FIGC’s new Technical Director, as confirmed by the federation’s new president, Giovanni Malagò, in a statement released Saturday evening. The legendary defender, former captain, and later executive at Milan will also serve as president of Club Italia and will be assisted by his former Rossoneri teammate (both on the field and in the front office), Leonardo, who will serve as an advisor.

The news, which had been in the air for weeks, seemed to have hit a snag due to the Italian Football Federation’s difficulty in securing the long-awaited “yes.” In the meantime, the announcement has finally come, as is clearly evident from the brief statement posted on the Federation’s website. “It is with satisfaction,” the statement reads, “that FIGC President Giovanni Malagò announces that Paolo Maldini has accepted the position of Technical Director of the Federation. Paolo Maldini will carry out this role alongside Leonardo, who will serve as an advisor. Giovanni Malagò will also entrust Paolo Maldini with the presidency of Club Italia.”

Maldini will therefore be tasked with identifying the next head coach of the national team, who is set to replace former head coach Gennaro Gattuso and his interim replacement, Silvio Baldini. The leading candidates at the moment remain Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte, not to mention the possibility of Carlo Ancelotti once his tenure with Brazil at the 2026 World Cup comes to an end. Leonardo will serve in an advisory capacity, effectively working alongside the man who brought him back to Milan in 2018, appointing him as “director of strategic development for the sports division” after previously serving as technical director. According to leaks from the FIGC, Malagò had approached only him as the new Federal Technical Director: he would have sought alternative solutions only if he had refused.

The path to an agreement has not been without obstacles. In recent days, Malagò himself had fueled the 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, suggesting that negotiations with Maldini were far from smooth sailing. Among the main issues to be resolved was the logistical question: the role would have entailed 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.

As for the head coach position, the choice of Maldini will also be decisive in shaping the decision regarding the Azzurri’s coaching staff. Among the candidates, Antonio Conte also had to contend with competition from a tempting offer from Saudi Arabia: Al-Ittihad reportedly put a contract on the table worth 20 million euros net per year—five times what the FIGC would be able to offer. Roberto Mancini, on the other hand, represents the most financially viable option, as he would settle for around 2 million euros per year, although his name doesn’t 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 Ancelotti option, on the other hand, currently appears to be the most complicated path to take. The Emilian coach is under contract with the CBF, the Brazilian soccer federation, 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. The Brazilian press has not held back with harsh judgments on his tactical decisions, and Carletto’s future on Brazil’s bench appears far from certain.

The news of Maldini’s arrival at the federation has already sparked enthusiasm in Italian soccer circles. Sandro Tonali, who was interviewed a few days ago at Malpensa Airport before his departure for Tottenham, spoke warmly about the possibility of working with the former Milan executive again with the Italian 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 the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in the Nations League group stage, in a group that also includes France and Turkey.