“This is a four-year project designed to carry us through to the 2030 World Cup, with a European Championship taking place during that period,” Malago said while confirming the appointments of Maldini and Leonardo.
However, that project survived for barely more than two weeks, as tensions grew following several unsuccessful attempts to fill key positions.
Maldini and Leonardo initially contacted former Manchester City coach Guardiola, offering him a substantial salary and considerable freedom to shape both the position and the wider structure of Italian football. Guardiola considered the proposal but ultimately rejected it, choosing instead to continue with his planned break from the sport.
Ancelotti, a four-time Champions League winner, remained in charge of Brazil despite the team’s disappointing elimination in the last 16 of the World Cup. Italian reports suggest he promptly dismissed the approach from Maldini and Leonardo.
The pair subsequently tried to appoint Pirlo as manager, but senior FIGC officials blocked the move after criticism from the Italian public and political figures concerning his promotion of a Russian gambling company. That work included sponsored trips to Moscow after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The decision not to employ Pirlo, who said the controversy left him feeling “deeply disappointed,” seems to have brought Maldini and Leonardo to breaking point.
It is also open to question whether Pirlo, who previously played alongside Maldini and Leonardo at AC Milan, would have been the right appointment.
Despite his famously polished appearance and distinctive facial hair, Pirlo has produced an unremarkable coaching record. Juventus dismissed him after one season, he departed mid-table Turkish club Fatih Karagumruk after 12 months, Sampdoria removed him following a year in charge of the Serie B team, and he spent last season coaching UAE side Dubai United.
With Pirlo no longer under consideration and the strategy devised by Maldini and Leonardo effectively derailed, responsibility for filling the vacant position passed to Malago.
The FIGC quickly identified Mancini as its preferred candidate. He guided Italy to the Euro 2020 title during his previous tenure, although he was also in charge when North Macedonia ended the country’s hopes of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Mancini later left the position unexpectedly to accept a highly lucrative job with Saudi Arabia.
Mancini has now returned, finally bringing the search to an end, while former Chelsea and Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri, 74, has agreed to succeed Maldini as technical director.
Even so, Malago will face an extremely difficult task in presenting these appointments as the genuine new beginning he originally promised.
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