The Azzurri legend will face the biggest challenge of his career.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has officially chosen Andrea Pirlo as the new head coach of the national team. After being turned down by Carlo Ancelotti, who is committed to the Brazil national team until 2030, and failing to convince Pep Guardiola, their top candidate, FIGC decided to place their trust in an icon of Italian football.
According to La Repubblica, Guardiola’s early refusal helped FIGC quickly pivot negotiations. The two sides reached an agreement on a four-year contract extending through the end of the 2030 World Cup. Pirlo will receive a salary of around 1.5 million euros per year, along with performance-based bonuses.
As a player, Pirlo is one of the Azzurri’s legends. He earned 116 caps for the national team, scoring 13 goals between 2002 and 2015, and was an indispensable factor in the journey to conquer the 2006 World Cup title in Germany, where Italy defeated France on penalties. In addition, Pirlo also helped the national team finish as runners-up at Euro 2012 and take third place at the 2013 Confederations Cup.
Pirlo is expected to lead Italian football out of a prolonged crisis. Aside from the Euro 2021 championship, the Azzurri have repeatedly disappointed on the international stage. The climax was the defeat against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a play-off penalty shootout back in March, causing Italy to miss out on the World Cup for the third consecutive time since 2014. This result also led Gennaro Gattuso to decide to resign.
Currently still managing UAE club FC United, Pirlo will soon part ways with the team to take over the Italian national team. The task ahead of him is by no means simple: restore the four-time world champions to their rightful position among the elite powerhouses of world football. To date, only Brazil with five World Cup titles possesses a better record than Italy.
The decision to appoint Pirlo received absolute backing from Paolo Maldini, FIGC’s new sporting director. The two legends played alongside each other in AC Milan colors for eight seasons, from 2001 to 2009, jointly conquering numerous major titles such as the Champions League and Serie A. While holding an executive role at Milan, Maldini had also wanted to bring Pirlo in to manage the team before leaving the club in June 2023.
Now, the legendary duo reunites in a high-pressure mission for the national team. Despite possessing an illustrious playing career, Pirlo still lacks extensive experience on the managerial bench. He previously managed Juventus, winning the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana during the 2020/21 season, before taking on jobs at Fatih Karagümrük (Turkey), Sampdoria, and then FC United. All of that will serve merely as preparation ahead of the biggest challenge of his managerial career: reviving the Italian national team.
