The Italian legend reveals details of the process of selecting the new national team coach and explains his resignation from his position as technical director of the Italian Football Federation.
Around two weeks after resigning from his position as technical director of the Italian Football Federation, Paolo Maldini spoke publicly for the first time about the reasons that led him to step down just days before he was expected to sign a contract.
The former Italian defender and football legend revealed his ambition to transform Italian football, calling for a necessary revolution after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive time. The situation ultimately led to a dramatic upheaval surrounding the appointment of the new national team coach.
Maldini explained that when Giovanni Malagò invited him to take on the role, their agreement regarding the appointment of the new coach was clear: Maldini would make the choice, while the president would evaluate and approve it. According to Maldini, it was Malagò’s failure to honor that agreement that ultimately led to his resignation.
“Our idea was to promote a change, a more technical and attacking style of play. In Italy, we have fallen behind in many areas. We wanted training to be based not on exhausting tactical work, but on technique, individual play and an attacking mentality. We also wanted a young coach with experience at international level. We had three names: Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Grosso. Three World Cup champions,” Maldini explained.
“The president told us that, based on the agreements he had made with the clubs in order to be elected, we could not recruit coaches from Serie A clubs, so De Rossi and Grosso were ruled out.”
The possibility of appointing Andrea Pirlo, then coach of Dubai United, remained on the table. However, Maldini admitted that he had also approached two other major names on the international market: Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola.
“I called Carlo, who is a very good friend of mine, and he told me that the CBF [Brazilian Football Confederation] had reaffirmed its full confidence in him. He wished us the best of luck with our search,” Maldini revealed.
The possibility of bringing in former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola progressed much further than the talks with Ancelotti.
“As for Guardiola, he embodies technical and attacking football better than anyone else. We had lunch with him in Barcelona and spent an entire day with him. He was very tempted and even went as far as drawing up possible squads. We studied teams all the way down to the Under-17 level!” Maldini revealed.
He also denied that financial demands were the reason the deal with Guardiola failed to materialize.
“Did he ask for €20 million? Absolutely not! Pep told us clearly: ‘Give me one euro less than what the previous coach earned and that’s fine.’ But he felt extremely tired after 10 very intense years in the Premier League. He had just undergone back surgery and needed to rest. That is why we chose Pirlo.”
Maldini’s revelations offer a fascinating insight into how close Italy came to appointing one of the most influential coaches in modern football. Pep Guardiola was reportedly not only seriously considered—he had even begun thinking about Italy’s potential squad and studying the country’s youth teams.
In the end, however, Guardiola’s physical condition and desire to take a break after a decade of intense work in England led Italy to pursue another path.
For Maldini, the episode also highlights the broader changes he believes Italian football desperately needs—greater emphasis on technical development, individual quality, attacking football and the preparation of young players for the future.
