CT Italia: Pep Guardiola’s shocking request baffles and divides fans

These are crucial days for the appointment of the new head coach of the Italian national team. The FIGC and Paolo Maldini are continuing their efforts to court Pep Guardiola, but in recent hours, the possibility of the Catalan coach taking the helm of the Azzurri has become less likely.

President Giovanni Malagò is pushing for his arrival, but the salary demands of the former coach of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City likely exceed even the “exceptions” mentioned by the FIGC president. According to reports in *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, Maldini and Leonardo returned from Barcelona without good news: Guardiola is demanding a salary of at least 20 million euros per season—roughly double what the Federation is offering.

At 20 million, Guardiola would become by far the highest-paid head coach in the world, but it’s a figure that’s considered truly excessive in Rome. Fans are divided on social media: some say to meet the Catalan coach’s demands, while others say to walk away. “20 million? Guardiola isn’t God,” “But 20 million a year for a head coach is madness,” “Pep, we’re not Saudi Arabia. 10 million is already a fortune,” “20 million? He’s fine where he is,” “20 million for 12 matches a season—ridiculous.”

The alternatives to Guardiola remain Andrea Pirlo, Roberto Mancini, and Antonio Conte. The new technical director, Paolo Maldini, is backing the former Rossoneri midfielder, while Serie A clubs have made no secret of their preference for Conte. On Wednesday, Mancini had this to say: “There’s been no contact about returning to the national team. It’s not up to me; many people are interested in that role.”

As for Pirlo, a meeting is expected in the coming days between Malagò and the former playmaker—a 2006 World Cup champion—to gauge their alignment on the technical project. The financial aspect would not pose an obstacle: Pirlo is currently coaching in Dubai, following stints on the benches of Fatih Karagümrük and Sampdoria, and his potential appointment with the Azzurri would be financially feasible for the federation. Maldini, who played alongside him for eight seasons at Milan, considers him a modern coach, gifted with vision and personality.