[Official] Mancini, once the world's highest-paid football coach with a 50 billion won annual salary, returns as Italy head coach

*This content was translated by AI.

• Also faced controversy over 'early departure' in match against South Korea at the Asian Cup

Roberto Mancini (62), former Al-Sadd (Saudi Arabia) coach, has been appointed as the new head coach of the Italian national football team. This marks his return after three years since 2023.

The Italian Football Federation announced on the 29th (Korean time) that Mancini would be named the new head coach of the national team, while former AS Roma coach Claudio Ranieri, who previously led Leicester City to an English Premier League (EPL) title, has been appointed as technical director.

Previously, after failing to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America, the Italian Football Federation initially considered appointing 'legend' Andrea Pirlo (47) as head coach. However, due to controversies surrounding Pirlo's alleged involvement with Russian betting companies, that plan was ultimately abandoned. The federation then decided to entrust Mancini with leading the Italian national team.

A former player for the Italian national team, Mancini began his coaching career in 2001 at Fiorentina. He later managed Lazio and Inter Milan (both Italy), Manchester City (England), Galatasaray (Turkey), and Zenit (Russia). During this period, he led Inter Milan to three consecutive Serie A titles and Manchester City to an English Premier League championship.

He took charge of the Italian national team in 2018, leading them to victory at UEFA Euro 2020 and securing third place in both the 2020–2021 and 2022–2023 UEFA Nations League.

However, he suddenly left the Italian national team in 2023 to take over as head coach of the Saudi Arabian national team, drawing strong criticism. According to reports at the time, the Saudi Football Federation offered an annual salary of up to 30 million euros (approximately 50 billion won), which was the highest football coaching salary in the world.

After taking charge in Saudi Arabia, he failed to achieve any significant results. During the 2023 AFC Asian Cup Round of 16 match against South Korea in January 2024, after a hard-fought extra-time draw ending 1-1, he left the stadium without even greeting the opposing bench as the momentum shifted due to consecutive saves by goalkeeper Cho Hyun-woo during the penalty shootout. This sparked major controversy. He was eventually dismissed in October of that year after just 14 months due to poor results. His record while coaching Saudi Arabia stood at 8 wins, 7 draws, and 5 losses.

Mancini later returned to Italy via Al-Sadd to resume his role as head coach of the Italian national team. Giovanni Malago, president of the Italian Football Federation, stated, "After considering various circumstances, we determined that appointing Mancini as the national team head coach was the right decision."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.