Legendary Paolo Maldini, in an extensive interview, revealed the background of his brief tenure at the helm of the Italian national team and incredible details of negotiations with Pep Guardiola.
Paolo Maldini, who spent only three weeks as technical director of the Italian national football team, revealed just how close Pep Guardiola came to becoming the new Azzurri coach. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, the legendary defender described his turbulent tenure, his vision for reviving Italian football, and the key meeting in Barcelona.
Maldini recounted how it all began with a call from the president of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), Giovanni Malagò. "He called me at Easter and said there was a chance he would become president and that he wanted me by his side. I agreed. For me, in football, there are only Milan and the national team," said Maldini.
The day before the election, Malagò called him again with a concrete proposal. He offered him the role of president of 'Club Italia', emphasizing that it wasn't just about the senior national team, but the need to overhaul all of Italian football, which had failed to qualify for the World Cup three times in a row.
He immediately brought his former teammate and friend Leonardo into the project. "We share the same friendship, values, and principles. Leo has excellent organizational skills, and we understand each other perfectly. We devised a new role for the technical directorate, which didn't exist before. We believed the coach shouldn't report directly to the president but needed a professional counterpart," Maldini explained.
Their recovery plan was based on two key pillars. The first was a long-term overhaul involving the development of talent and a new mindset, from Serie A down to the amateur levels, with a timeline of eight to ten years. The second pillar had to deliver immediate results due to the upcoming Nations League matches.
"The eight-to-ten-year timeline drew skepticism, but that assessment is based on the experience of nations that have rebuilt their football. I know we would have lost our jobs if we hadn't qualified for a major tournament. Maybe it's not fair, but that's how it is. You have to win right away, but also build for tomorrow," said Maldini.
The key agreement with Malagò was that Maldini and his team would choose the coach themselves. Their first choice was Andrea Pirlo, but the style of play they wanted to implement was best embodied by one man: Pep Guardiola.
"He best embodies our vision. Through friends, we learned he was considering a national team role. We visited him in Barcelona, talked all day, and he was very close to agreeing. He even started drawing up formations. Money wasn't an issue; he said, 'Give me one euro less than the previous coach, and we have a deal,'" Maldini revealed.
Guardiola ultimately turned down the offer. "The reason was fatigue. He was coming off ten exhausting years in England, had back surgery, and wanted to rest. But the conversation was serious; we analyzed all age groups. After that, we turned to Pirlo," said Maldini.
Maldini also confirmed they had contacted Carlo Ancelotti. "We called the best Italian coach. He replied that Brazil had confirmed their confidence in him and wished us luck. We felt it was our duty to call him." Other candidates on the list included Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Grosso, but President Malagò forbade contacting Serie A coaches because clubs had already begun preparations.
After just three weeks, Maldini and Leonardo left their positions, dissatisfied with how they were treated and feeling that their ideas were not being implemented.
