Pep Guardiola rejected the Italy job because of ‘Exhaustion’ -Paolo Maldini
Pep Guardiola came so close to being appointed Italy manager that he was ‘writing down line-ups’ before ultimately deciding not to take the role on. The former Manchester City boss brought an end to his 10-year tenure at the Etihad a matter of months ago, but was touted to take over an under-performing Italian national team. That fell […] The post Pep Guardiola rejected the Italy job because of…
Pep Guardiola came remarkably close to being appointed as the Italy national team manager, but ultimately decided against taking the role. Guardiola, who had just completed his 10-year stint at Manchester City, was being considered for a position at the under-performing Italian team. However, he opted not to take the job. Italian Football Federation technical director and former defensive legend Paolo Maldini revealed that Guardiola was very tempted by the opportunity.
Maldini told Corriere della Sera that Guardiola had expressed a desire to coach a national team to some friends and even went as far as writing down potential line-ups on sheets of paper. The chance to manage Italy fell through, and Maldini had to seek another candidate to fill the position. Eventually, former City manager Roberto Mancini was appointed, replacing Gennaro Gattuso after Italy's failure to qualify for the World Cup for the third consecutive tournament.
Maldini explained that Guardiola ultimately turned down the opportunity due to exhaustion. Guardiola had just finished 10 years of intense football in the Premier League, had undergone back surgery, and desired to take a break from the sport.
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