Maldini Supports Pirlo for Italy Coach Role

Paolo Maldini has made his move. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italy technical director has identified Andrea Pirlo as his ideal choice to become the next Azzurri coach – and the process is now entering a decisive phase.

Maldini, working closely with his advisor Leonardo, has settled on Pirlo after months of noise around bigger, louder names. Antonio Conte. Roberto Mancini. Familiar figures, proven winners, endlessly linked. Yet when the time came for a technical call, Maldini turned to the former Milan metronome, a man he knows, trusts and believes can shape a new Italy.

Political Steps

The next step is political, not tactical. FIGC President Giovanni Malagò must sign off on the appointment, and Gazzetta reports that he is expected to meet Pirlo shortly, potentially as early as today, to hear his ideas first-hand.

That conversation will be crucial. Malagò wants to understand Pirlo’s vision: how he sees the national team evolving, how he would handle a new cycle, how his coaching experiences at Juventus, Sampdoria and now United FC in the UAE Pro League have sharpened his approach. This is not a ceremonial chat. It is the final test before Maldini’s preferred candidate can be endorsed.

Accelerating Candidacy

Pirlo’s candidacy has accelerated over the last week. Once just one name in a crowded field, he has now emerged as the favourite after a long period in which Conte and Mancini dominated the debate. Both remain in contention, Gazzetta stresses, with Mancini particularly admired by Malagò. The president knows what Mancini delivered in the past and respects the guarantees that come with a coach of his profile.

Yet the technical power lies with Maldini. And Maldini has nailed his colours to Pirlo.

The image of Pirlo in Florence at Coverciano in January, attending the “Panchina d’Oro” ceremony, felt at the time like a quiet reminder of his ongoing presence in the Italian coaching landscape. Now it looks more like a prelude. A coach in mid-journey, still refining his craft, suddenly standing on the brink of the biggest job in the country.

Before any announcement, though, Malagò wants to look Pirlo in the eye and hear how he plans to handle the responsibility of leading the Azzurri. If the meeting goes as Maldini hopes, Italy could be about to hand the keys of the national team to one of its most elegant former playmakers and ask him to orchestrate a new era from the touchline instead of the centre circle.