'Pep's Return' Ends with a "No!" in Just One Minute of Conversation: Italian Coaching Offer Rejected... The Reason? "I Want to Enjoy My Sabbatical"

*This content was translated by AI.

The Italian national football team, which failed to qualify for the World Cup finals for the third consecutive time, attempted to hire former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (55), but the move fell through.

According to reports from ESPN and other outlets on the 21st (Korea time), the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) identified Guardiola as its next head coach and initiated contact, but negotiations collapsed after Guardiola's side rejected the offer.

Italy was eliminated from qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America during the European playoff round on the 20th, losing to Bosnia-Herzegovina. This marks three consecutive failures to reach the World Cup finals since the 2014 tournament in Brazil. Taking responsibility, former manager Gennaro Gattuso stepped down, and FIGC launched a search for a world-renowned coach to revitalize the team's image.

'Sky Italia' reported that newly appointed Paolo Maldini and advisor Leonardo personally traveled to Barcelona, Spain, where they spent three days discussing a potential hiring with Guardiola's side. As a former player who played for Serie A clubs Brescia and AS Roma, Guardiola is fluent in Italian and well-versed in local football culture, making him a highly anticipated candidate as the second foreign head coach of Italy since the 1960s.

However, the recruitment attempt met with a firm rejection. ESPN, citing sources, stated that "Guardiola's side immediately dismissed the proposal, and the actual conversation lasted less than one minute before concluding."

The core reason for the rejection is Guardiola's firm determination to take a sabbatical. After achieving historic milestones, including becoming the first manager in English Premier League history to win four consecutive titles over the past decade, Guardiola will part ways with Manchester City at the end of the 2025–2026 season. At the time of his resignation, he stated, "I no longer have the energy to fight for championships." He plans to take a break from managing for at least one year and serve only as an ambassador for City Football Group.

Several nations, including the Netherlands, which was eliminated in the Round of 32 at the World Cup, have reportedly approached Guardiola recently, but all offers were rejected.

With the attempt to hire Guardiola now off the table, Italy's search for a new head coach has turned back toward domestic candidates. Amid ongoing internal restructuring issues within FIGC, the selection process has been somewhat delayed. Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini are currently being mentioned as leading candidates for the next manager position.

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*This content was translated by AI.