Pep Guardiola will not be the next Italy coach. The former Manchester City coach rejected the proposal of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) and confirmed that he will maintain his decision to take a sabbatical after ending his decade-long spell at the helm of the English team.
The FIGC had made an important effort to convince the Spanish strategist. Its president, Giovanni Malagò, revealed days ago that there were conversations and he was even willing to make exceptions regarding salary to sign one of the most successful coaches in modern football.
However, Guardiola decided to continue with his personal plans. The coach wants to take advantage of this period to rest, spend more time with his family and travel before returning to the bench.
Italy also previously tried to hire Carlo Ancelotti, current Brazil coach. However, the Italian coach chose to continue leading the Canarinha, which led the federation to intensify its offensive for Guardiola, without success.
The proposal included a wide margin of autonomy for the Spaniard to design the sporting project to his liking, in an attempt to return the Azzurra to the international spotlight after being left out of the last three World Cups.
With Guardiola’s refusal, the main candidate to take over becomes Andrea Pirlo. The former Italian midfielder currently directs United FC of Dubai and would have the mission of facing a demanding phase of the Nations League against France, Belgium and Turkey, in addition to leading the classification towards the Euro 2028.
