Maldini reveals who he wanted as Italy head coach after Guardiola, Ancelotti and Pirlo

Maldini reveals who he wanted as Italy head coach after Guardiola, Ancelotti and Pirlo Paolo Maldini has revealed that there were two other young Italian coaches in line to take over as head coach of the Italy national team during his time as technical director of the FIGC, but has explained that he wouldn’t have been able to appoint either of them due to complications with the Lega Serie A. Maldini has spoken in-depth about his short-lived reign as the technical director of the FIGC and his fall-out with FIGC President Giovanni Malagò in an interview with the Corriere della Sera . Click here to read the full interview in English. Who did Maldini want as Italy coach after Guardiola, Ancelotti and Pirlo? 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) Among the various topics of discussion was Maldini’s choices for the Italy head coach role. It has been well documented that Maldini originally wanted Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti before going down a different route with Andrea Pirlo, whose appointment was ultimately blocked, which proved to be the final straw for Maldini before handing in his resignation. There had been questions asked about the suggested appointment of Pirlo to the role of Italy head coach given that his coaching CV pails in comparison to the likes of Guardiola and Ancelotti. But, Maldini insists that: “We wanted a young coach who had a history in the national team. There were three names.” He went on to reveal that the other names were: “Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Grosso,” Maldini revealed. FLORENCE, ITALY – APRIL 26: Fabio Grosso manager of US Sassuolo looks on during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and US Sassuolo Calcio at Artemio Franchi on April 26, 2026 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images) “Three world champions. But, the President told us that according to the agreements that led to his election, with the support of all clubs apart from Lazio, we couldn’t touch any coaches from the Serie A teams. “At the end of July, teams are already starting pre-season and it’s difficult to change paths. Malagò told us it couldn’t be done, so we went ahead with Pirlo.” Click here to read more from Maldini’s bombshell interview.