Guardiola is Italy’s most popular head coach option as Maldini approval rating soars

Guardiola is Italy’s most popular head coach option as Maldini approval rating soars Polls show that Pep Guardiola is the most popular option among supporters for the vacant Italy national team head coach role, and that Paolo Maldini’s approval rating is overwhelmingly positive after taking over as technical director of the FIGC. Maldini has recently been appointed as the new technical director of the FIGC and President of Club Italia, assisted by his former Milan colleague Leonardo, who is serving as an advisor. The biggest challenge on Maldini’s list of immediate priorities is the identification of a new head coach for the men’s national team. The CT role has been left vacant since the departure of Gennaro Gattuso earlier this year. The Italian FA first needed to appoint a new President following the departure of Gabriele Gravina and have since voted to install former CONI chief Giovanni Malagò. Malagò then wanted to appoint a new technical director before making a final decision on the next head coach. For weeks, Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini have been dubbed the frontrunners for the Italy national team head coach role, but Guardiola’s name has since re-emerged in the Italian press following the appointment of Maldini as technical director. LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 27: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, acknowledges the fans after the team’s victory during the Emirates FA Cup Semi Final match between Nottingham Forest and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on April 27, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images) Maldini and Leonardo have recently flown out for talks with the recently-departed Manchester City boss. Andrea Pirlo has also been mentioned as a potential alternative. Guardiola and Maldini top Italian opinion polls According to a poll from La Gazzetta dello Sport, Guardiola is by far the most popular option for the vacant head coach role among Italy supporters. Of those asked, 34% chose Guardiola as their first-choice to take over as head coach of the Italy national team. 40% of those who regularly watch the sport backed the former Man City, Bayern Munich and Barcelona tactician. MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MAY 24: Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, reacts as a montage of his time at Manchester City is played on the LED screen inside the stadium following the Premier League match between Manchester City and Aston Villa at the Etihad Stadium on May 24, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images) Below Guardiola, it is a fairly even playing field. Conte ranked as the second-most popular option, but not by a significant margin, coming in with 19% of the votes. Both Pirlo and Mancini had 17% of the votes, 5% opted for ‘somebody else’ and 8% voted ‘unsure’. Conte is the most popular option among the Italian candidates. With Catalan Guardiola removed from the equation, Conte received 32% of the vote, Mancini 25% and Pirlo 18%. The remaining 25% were either unsure or wanted a different Italian candidate. Meanwhile, the majority of supporters currently have a positive opinion of technical director Maldini. EMPOLI, ITALY – OCTOBER 01: Paolo Maldini of AC Milan looks on during the Serie A match between Empoli FC and AC MIlan at Stadio Carlo Castellani on October 1, 2022 in Empoli, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images) 61% of the supporters interviewed feel that his appointment was a positive move: 21% feel ‘very positive’, 40% feel ‘positive’. 24% of voters felt indifferent, while only 7% of voters have a negative opinion (5% ‘negative’ and 2% ‘very negative’). The remaining 8% ‘didn’t know’.