Mancini Returns As Italy Head Coach 

Roberto Mancini has been reappointed Italy manager, just one day after Andrea Pirlo ruled himself out of the running and technical director Paolo Maldini resigned.

Gennaro Gattuso left the post in April after Italy failed to qualify for a third straight World Cup. Pirlo had been the favorite to take over but pulled out Monday amid controversy over his links to a Russian betting company.

“I believed that the best person to become head coach was Roberto Mancini,” said Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Giovanni Malago.

Claudio Ranieri, who led Leicester City to the 2015-16 Premier League title, will replace Maldini as technical director. Maldini, appointed just two weeks ago, and adviser Leonardo resigned after the decision not to appoint Pirlo.

Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti were both approached for the job before Pirlo, the FIGC confirmed.

Mancini, 61, previously managed Italy from 2018 to 2023, winning Euro 2020 and setting a world-record 37-match unbeaten run. However, he resigned in August 2023 after failing to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Another playoff failure earlier this year ended Gattuso’s tenure by mutual consent in April.

Italy have not played at a World Cup finals since 2014. Under-21 boss Silvio Baldini had been in temporary charge.

Mancini, a former Italy and Sampdoria midfielder, led Manchester City to their first Premier League title in 2012 and won three Serie A titles with Inter Milan, plus Coppa Italia trophies with both Inter and Lazio. He later managed Galatasaray, Zenit St Petersburg, Saudi Arabia, and Qatari side Al Sadd—where he won the Stars League but left in June.

Italy begin their Nations League campaign on 25 September at home to Belgium and face Turkey three days later.