Andrea Pirlo Appointed Head Coach of the Italian National Team
Andrea Pirlo is poised to take the reins of the Italian national team, with multiple Italian outlets reporting that the former midfield architect has agreed a four-year deal worth €1.5 million per season to become the new Azzurri head coach.
La Gazzetta dello Sport, Sky Sport Italia and Calciomercato all report that the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) is preparing to make the appointment official, with an announcement expected on Monday or Tuesday. Barring a late twist, the man who once dictated Italy’s tempo from deep will now be tasked with reshaping it from the touchline.
From third choice to first in line
Pirlo’s rise to the top job has come after the federation failed to lure their first two dream candidates. Carlo Ancelotti and Pep Guardiola were both approached about leading the Azzurri project and both turned the opportunity down, forcing the FIGC to look elsewhere.
That search did not last long. Once Pirlo’s name entered the frame, the process accelerated. His long-standing relationship with the federation’s new technical hierarchy, built in the dressing rooms of AC Milan, helped clear the path.
Newly appointed technical director Paolo Maldini picked up the phone. Special advisor Leonardo backed the move. Pirlo, reports say, accepted immediately.
His salary demands only strengthened his case. At €1.5m per year, Pirlo represents a comparatively modest investment, especially when set against Guardiola’s reported €20m-per-season figure. For a federation juggling ambition with financial realism, the contrast was stark and persuasive.
Maldini’s project, Pirlo’s team
This appointment is more than a change of coach; it is the clearest sign yet of a power shift inside Coverciano. Technical control now sits firmly with Maldini, who is shaping the national setup in his own image and turning to trusted former team-mates to lead it.
Pirlo’s arrival would be the headline act of that overhaul. The former Juventus and Milan playmaker is expected to bring a clear tactical idea, a defined identity that Italy have struggled to sustain in recent years. The FIGC want a project that stretches beyond one tournament cycle; Pirlo’s four-year contract underlines that intention.
One obstacle remains before Italy can officially call him their head coach. Pirlo must first reach a mutual agreement to terminate his contract with Dubai United FC, the UAE club he has managed since last summer. Only once that deal is dissolved can the FIGC move from agreement in principle to a signed appointment.
Clock ticking before Nations League
Time is not on Italy’s side. The FIGC has an internal meeting scheduled for Tuesday, a date that could double as Pirlo’s formal unveiling if all paperwork is completed in time. The urgency is obvious: Italy kick off their UEFA Nations League campaign in eight weeks.
That gives Pirlo, should the deal be confirmed, a short runway to imprint his ideas on a squad still searching for a modern identity. He will need to settle on a core group, establish a playing style, and lay down standards in a matter of weeks, not months.
Beyond the immediate Nations League fixtures, the horizon stretches further and far more demanding. Euro 2028 qualification looms, followed by the build-up to the 2030 World Cup. The expectations are unforgiving. Italy do not hire icons to tread water.
Pirlo once controlled matches with a glance and a perfectly weighted pass. Now the question is different, and far more complex: can he control a national rebuild with the same calm authority he showed with the ball at his feet?
