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Roberto Mancini has returned as head coach of Italy’s national football team, taking charge of the Azzurri for a second spell as the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) looks to revive the country’s fortunes after three consecutive failures to qualify for the FIFA World Cup.
FIGC president Giovanni Malago announced Mancini’s appointment on Tuesday, confirming that former Italy defender Claudio Ranieri would also assume the role of technical director following Paolo Maldini’s departure.
“Today we have a new coach and a new technical director,” Malago told reporters. “I felt that the person who should be and become the Italian national football team’s head coach was Roberto Mancini.”
Mancini succeeds Gennaro Gattuso, who resigned after Italy’s defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the World Cup qualification play-off final in March.
The 61-year-old returns to the role he previously held between 2018 and 2023, during which he guided Italy to victory at Euro 2020 and oversaw a record 37-match unbeaten run.
His appointment comes ahead of Italy’s UEFA Nations League campaign, with his first match set to be against Belgium on September 25 in a group hat also features France and Turkey.
Malago acknowledged the challenge awaiting the former Inter Milan and Manchester City manager but urged patience.
“The new coach will have two training sessions to prepare for the first game,” he said, dismissing suggestions that Mancini’s future should depend on Italy’s Nations League performance.
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Despite his previous success with the national team, Mancini’s return has generated mixed reactions within Italian football.
His abrupt resignation in 2023 to take over as Saudi Arabia’s national team coach reportedly strained relations with senior FIGC officials, particularly as Italy were in the midst of their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.
Mancini left the Saudi job after just 14 months before taking charge of Qatari side Al-Sadd last November.
The Italian tactician now faces the task of restoring one of football’s traditional powerhouses after years of decline.
Italy, four-time world champions, have not featured at a World Cup since Brazil 2014 and have not reached the tournament’s knockout stages since lifting the trophy in Germany in 2006.
Apart from their European Championship triumph in 2021, the Azzurri have struggled to replicate past successes, with their Euro 2024 title defence ending in a round-of-16 defeat to Switzerland.
Before his international coaching career, Mancini enjoyed considerable club success, winning three consecutive Serie A titles with Inter Milan between 2005 and 2008 and guiding Manchester City to their first English league title in 44 years during the dramatic 2011/12 Premier League season.
