He has previously said he would like to manage the national team one day and reportedly agreed verbally to replace Sir Gareth Southgate as England manager, but ultimately changed his mind. But Guardiola may be on the verge of taking over one of the biggest jobs in international football. This will be a comeback of sorts for the former Barcelona manager, who spent two years in Italy between 2001 and 2003 as a player for Brescia and Roma.
AC Milan great Paolo Maldini, who was recently appointed technical director of the Italian Football Federation, has reportedly flown to Barcelona to meet Guardiola. IFF Special Adviser Leonardo was also present and also met with Guardiola.
The six-time Premier League winner may no longer be in the Cityzens’ dugout, but he is still part of the City Football Group. Upon his retirement, he will be appointed to an advisory role, allowing him to lend his expertise to the other clubs in the City Football Group: Palermo, Lommel and Troyes.
When it was previously rumored that Guardiola would take up the England international job after leaving City, it was understood that the path to such a vacancy would not be entirely straightforward. The Manchester Evening News reports that the position prevents him from taking up another leadership role, but it is thought City’s ownership is unlikely to block his path.
Upon confirming his new role at City, club CEO Ferran Soriano said: “As we celebrate the past, we are very happy to know that Pep will remain with the group. We will be able to use his knowledge and experience at many other clubs to help managers and players. We will be forever grateful to Pep and will cherish the many unforgettable memories. He is a City legend… forever.”
Despite expanding the number of teams participating in the tournament to 48 teams, Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup. Gennaro Gattuso resigned in April following the Azzurri’s failure in the World Cup play-offs against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Gattuso’s resignation is part of a wider reorganization, with Gianluigi Buffon, president of the country’s football federation and goalkeeper icon, relinquishing his role as head of the national team, and Gabriele Gravina also stepping down. Former City manager Roberto Mancini has also been linked with a return to the role five years after winning Euro 2020 with the four-time World Cup winners.
Guardiola has experience in Italian football during his playing days, having played for Roma during his two spells with Brescia. However, he only appeared in 29 games across three campaigns.
Following the World Cup’s round of 16 defeat, some have called for Guardiola to take charge of Brazil. Carlo Ancelotti’s team lost to Erling Haaland’s Norway.
