“Proud of this show.” Guardiola has decided his final position on coaching Italy

The Italian Football Federation’s project has been dealt a blow after Spain’s Pep Guardiola completely rejected the offer to take charge of the national team, preferring to stay away from any coaching duties at the moment, so he turned his attention to Andrea Pirlo as an alternative.

The newspaper revealedLa Gazzetta dello SportThe Italian newspaper wrote today, Friday, that Guardiola informed the new technical director of the Italian Federation, Paolo Maldini, and his advisor Leonardo, about the rejection of the offer to take over the Azzurri’s training, with a letter in which he wrote:

According to the report, the decision of the Spanish coach was not easy, because he thought about the possibility of leading the Italian team for a long time, but his personal and professional calculations finally decided the situation.

Guardiola had decided some time ago to end his experience at Manchester City after 10 years at the English club, and he would not have stepped down from his position, except for a unique offer that forced him to stop coaching the Italian national team, especially since the offer came from figures he respected in the world of football, such as Maldini and Leonardo.

Reasons for Guardiola’s rejection

The newspaper explained that Guardiola’s desire to take a long break was the most obvious reason for his decision, as the Spanish coach wants to devote more time to himself and his family after years of working and moving between various European and international stadiums.

The rejection was also related to Guardiola’s professional vision, as the Spanish coach is known for his intense passion for football and believes that coaching a national team requires total commitment and not content with remote supervision or relying on a network of assistants.

According to the report, Guardiola said during the negotiations. “If I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it 100 per cent,” referring to his refusal to commit to anything he’s not fully focused on, especially since coaching a team the size of Italy will be a completely new experience for him.

The report added that Guardiola also wanted to honor Italy, a country he has great respect for, as well as honor Maldini, with whom he has a strong relationship, after he gifted him his first Champions League title as manager.

Maldini has offered Guardiola a long-term project of eight to 10 years, but the Spanish coach currently does not feel ready to take on a job of this size, especially with the desire to take some time off the pressure.

Pirlo is the alternative choice to lead the Azzurri

After closing the door to negotiations with Guardiola, the Italian federation began to move towards an alternative plan, which bears the name of Andrea Pirlo.

Maldini and Leonardo believe that Pirlo is the right choice to build a new phase for the Italian national team, end some of the peculiarities of the past and create a different vision of Italian football in the coming years.

Despite the limited time, with the Europa League approaching in about 8 weeks and then preparing for the 2028 European Championship, the Italian federation believes that the long-term project does not tolerate new sudden changes.

Officials hope to build a squad capable of competing at the 2030 World Cup after years of instability that saw Italy miss the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Notably, Maldini had Yesterday, Thursday, he revealed in press statements that he held talks with the coach of the Brazilian national team, Carlo Ancelotti.However, the old Italian also rejected the offer, preferring to continue his career at Seleção.