Italy is still searching for a successor to former coach Gennaro Gattuso. The position of technical director, however, has been filled: Paolo Maldini is taking over and has a prominent advisor.
The World Cup is still in full swing, and Italy is once again left watching from the sidelines. To help the federation emerge from the crisis, the first steps have now been taken. Paolo Maldini will assume the role of technical director.
The 58-year-old, who was a runner-up at the 1994 World Cup and the 2000 European Championship, has enlisted prominent help as an advisor. As the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced, Maldini will be supported by Brazilian World Cup champion Leonardo. The 56-year-old won the World Cup in 1994, though the two did not face each other directly in the final, as Leonardo was suspended for the remainder of the tournament due to an elbow check in the round of 16.
Later, the two played together at AC Milan from 1997 to 2001 and from 2002 to 2003, winning the league title (1999) and the cup (2003) together. In addition to Brazilian citizenship, Leonardo also holds Italian citizenship and worked as a coach after his playing career—including stints with Milan and its archrival Inter, with whom he won the Cup in 2011.
Gattuso’s successor still to be determined
Maldini’s trophy collection is even more extensive. The longtime captain of the Rossoneri won, among other titles, the Champions League—and its predecessor, the European Cup (1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007)—a total of five times, the Italian league title seven times (1988, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1999, 2004), and the Coppa Italia once (2003). After retiring as a player, Maldini served as technical director at Milan (2019–2023).
Now the duo is tasked with getting the national team back on track. However, the Italians have not yet found a coach. After the 2006 World Cup champions failed to qualify for their third consecutive World Cup, coach Gennaro Gattuso and team coordinator Gianluigi Buffon were forced to step down. Antonio Conte (56) and Roberto Mancini (61) are considered the favorites for the head coaching position. Both have previously served as head coaches of the Squadra Azzurra—Conte from 2014 to 2016, and Mancini from 2018 to 2023. Currently, neither is employed as a head coach.