Maldini Advocates for Pirlo as Italy Coach
Paolo Maldini has made his choice. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Milan captain, now Italy’s technical director, has identified Andrea Pirlo as the ideal man to lead the Azzurri into their next cycle.
Working alongside his trusted advisor Leonardo, Maldini has placed Pirlo at the top of the shortlist for the national team bench. The preference is clear: the project he wants for Italy has Pirlo at its centre.
The decision, though, still needs a political green light. FIGC President Giovanni Malagò must approve the appointment and is expected to sit down with Pirlo shortly, with Gazzetta suggesting that the meeting could even take place today. That conversation will go beyond pleasantries: Malagò wants to hear Pirlo’s ideas, his tactical vision, and how he plans to shape a new Azzurri era.
Pirlo, photographed recently in Florence at the “Panchina d’Oro” ceremony at Coverciano, arrives at this crossroads after coaching spells at Juventus and Sampdoria. Over the past week he has surged into pole position for the Italy job, ending months of noise around two familiar names: Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini.
Those names have not completely disappeared. Gazzetta reports that both Conte and Mancini remain in contention, with Malagò particularly appreciative of Mancini’s profile and past work. The power lines are clear, though: the technical choice belongs to Maldini, the formal approval to Malagò.
Before he signs off on Maldini’s preferred option, Malagò wants to look Pirlo in the eye. The former midfield maestro, currently in charge of United FC in the UAE Pro League, must convince the FIGC president that he is ready to swap the desert for Coverciano and take on the weight of a nation’s expectations.
If Maldini gets his way, Italy’s next rebuild will be entrusted to the man who once dictated their tempo from deep. Now the question is simple: will Pirlo be allowed to do the same from the touchline?
