Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.
Paolo Maldini revealed Pep Guardiola “came very close to accepting” an offer to become Italy head coach.
Guardiola was one of the main candidates to replace Gennaro Gattuso at the helm after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup under the Italian.
Italy have not made it to the World Cup finals since 2014, prompting them to go for a big name as their new head coach.
Guardiola, Brazil boss Carlo Ancelotti and Andrea Pirlo were among the names mentioned before Roberto Mancini was reappointed to the role.
Pirlo was set to be announced as head coach of the national team before a late change, which also saw Maldini resign as technical director just 16 days after taking on the job.
Maldini held talks with Guardiola and Ancelotti, and explained the reasons for their respective rejections.
“He’s the coach [Guardiola] who best embodies technical and attacking play,” Maldini said in an interview with Corriere Della Sella.
“Through some friends, he’d expressed the idea of coaching a national team. We went to visit him in Barcelona, had lunch together, and talked for a whole day.
“He was very tempted. He came very close to accepting. He even started writing down lineups on paper.
“Because of fatigue [he said no]. Guardiola is coming off 10 gruelling years in the Premier League. He had back surgery. He wants to rest.
— Italy (@Azzurri_En) July 29, 2026
“But it was a very serious discussion. We studied the squads, from the Under-17s onwards.
“We called the best Italian coach of all time, my close friend Carlo Ancelotti.
“He replied that Brazil had reaffirmed its complete trust in him, and he bid us farewell, wishing us good luck. A necessary call.”
Mancini, who led Italy to the Euro 2020 title, will be back at the helm for the Azzurri’s Nations League clash against Belgium on September 25.
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