Italy recently held talks with former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola to gauge his interest in the coaching vacancy for the men’s national team. Photo by Lindsey Parnaby/EPA-EFE
Former Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola turned down the opportunity to coach Italy and plans to continue a planned year-long hiatus.
Sources told Sky Sports, ESPN and the BBC about the decision Friday. Guardiola, 55, coached Manchester City for the last 10 seasons. He resigned from that role after the Sky Blues’ 2025-26 campaign.
Guardiola won 20 trophies with the Sky Blues, including six Premier League crowns, five League Cups, three FA Cups, three FA Community Shields, a Champions League title, a UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup. He also found success as coach at Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Several other national teams have been linked to the former Sky Blues coach. Italian Football Federation (FIGC) technical director Paolo Maldini confirmed Thursday during a news conference that Italy held talks with Guardiola and Brazil national team coach Carlo Ancelotti.
Ancelotti remains under contract with Brazil through the 2030 World Cup.
“Honestly, [on Thursday] we can’t give news about what’s happening,” Maldini told reporters. “You’ve identified one of our targets. We can’t hide that we also talked with Carlo Ancelotti before talking with Pep.
“Honestly, it seemed right to start with those we considered the best in the world. We needed to check their general availability.”
Former Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso stepped down in April. Silvio Baldini has served as caretaker amid the Italians’ search for a new manager. The Italians failed to qualify for the last three World Cups.
The Italians sit at No. 15 in the FIFA world rankings. They will host No. 8 Belgium in Nations League play Sept. 25 in Rome.
Spain defeats Argentina to win 2026 FIFA World Cup
Spain’s captain Rodri raises the trophy as he and his teammates celebrate after defeating Argentina 1-0 in extra time to win the 2026 FIFA World Cup in East Rutherford, N.J.,, on June 19, 2026. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
