Former Italy and Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci has called for Pep Guardiola, manager of Manchester City, to lead the Italian national football team, advocating for a “radical change” after Italy’s failure to qualify for the FIFA World Cup for the third consecutive time.
Italy were eliminated in a surprising fashion earlier in April following a 4-1 penalty loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The four-time World Cup champions last participated in the tournament in 2014 and have not returned despite the expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams. The upcoming tournament, scheduled from June 11 to July 19, will be hosted jointly by the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
Notably, during this period, Italy also achieved its first-ever qualification to a T20 World Cup in cricket, where it holds an associate nation status and is ranked world number 26. Italy competed in the T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, securing its first win against Nepal and narrowly missing a chase of 203 runs against two-time champions England, falling short by 24 runs.
Following the latest qualification failure, head coach Gennaro Gattuso resigned, leaving Italy in search of a new head coach. Bonucci, who has served as a technical coach with the national team, told ESPN, “If we want a radical change in the national team, I would say the right man for the job is Pep Guardiola. It is very difficult, but dreaming costs nothing.”
Guardiola’s contract with Manchester City expires in June 2026, and he reportedly intends to leave a mark as a national side coach at a major tournament before retirement. Guardiola boasts an exceptional managerial record at the club level, having won 40 major trophies with Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, including three UEFA Champions League titles and a treble comprising the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League with Manchester City in the 2022-23 season.
Napoli coach Antonio Conte and Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri have also emerged as leading candidates for the Italy head coach position.
Italy’s continued absence from the World Cup has sparked widespread dissatisfaction among fans. The Italian football president, Gabriele Gravina, resigned amid political pressure. The FIGC elections are scheduled for June 2022. Additionally, Gianluigi Buffon, the 2006 World Cup-winning goalkeeper, stepped down from his role as the team’s delegation chief.
Bonucci emphasised the urgent need for change within the team, reflecting on his role in Italy’s Euro title victory in 2021, stating, “We need to have the courage to face up to what’s happening so that we can regain the respect of the whole world and become that great national team that was world champion.”
He added, “The important thing is to rebuild Italian football, starting from the ground up, starting with the defence.”
Bonucci concluded by highlighting the necessity of collaboration between politics and football, the importance of nurturing talented young players, and the requirement for patience: “Italy needs time and a partnership between politics and football so that both can move in the same direction. There are young players with a lot of talent; we need to nurture them and let them develop, and start afresh. The only magic formula is time.”
