Italy turns to Pirlo after Guardiola rejects budget-busting offer
The Italian Football Federation's ambitious plan to hire Pep Guardiola as the centrepiece of a costly structural rebuild has failed, leaving Andrea Pirlo to take over a national team in deep institutional decline.
Andrea Pirlo is set to become the head coach of Italy after Pep Guardiola formally rejected the opportunity to take charge of the national team. Guardiola informed the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) of his decision on Thursday night, citing personal reasons. Pirlo will now terminate his contract with Dubai-based United FC to finalise the agreement.
Guardiola’s rejection ends a costly and extensive courtship by the FIGC. Officials Paolo Maldini and his advisor Leonardo spent three days in Barcelona presenting a sweeping proposal known as the 'Azzurro project'. The federation was prepared to make an exceptional adjustment to its budget to secure a manager who has been out of work since ending a decade-long tenure at Manchester City, where he won 20 trophies with a 70.8 per cent win ratio.
The proposed role went far beyond the senior team, aiming to rebuild Italian football's foundations across all national sides. This structural overhaul was deemed necessary after Italy failed to qualify for a third consecutive major tournament, missing the expanded World Cup this summer in North America under former coach Gennaro Gattuso. The failure prompted the FIGC to bring in Maldini and Leonardo to oversee a major institutional shake-up.
Guardiola has maintained that he needs to step back from the daily demands of the sport. "No plans for [coaching] for a while. Otherwise I would be here. I need to step back. I will not [coach] for a while," he said during his final Manchester City press conference. He cited a desire to spend time with his family and his father, stating: "There are things that I have not done that I want to do."
While Guardiola had previously indicated that international management might be a viable alternative to club football, the Italian approach was not enough to lure him back immediately. In a 2024 interview, he noted: "Maybe a national team, but that's different." Prior to approaching Guardiola, the FIGC had also contacted Carlo Ancelotti, but he is under contract with Brazil.
The pivot to Pirlo represents a significant downgrade in both profile and financial cost compared to the Guardiola ambition. For Italian football's governing body, the immediate priority remains stabilising a national team that has been in steady decline since winning the European Championships in 2021. Whether Pirlo can deliver the broad institutional revival the federation sought from Guardiola remains an open question.
