It has the ring of a classic Italian opera—full of drama, intrigue, and a familiar hero returning to the stage. After a chaotic and frankly humiliating search for a new manager, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has turned back time. Roberto Mancini is once again the head coach of the Azzurri.
This isn't the triumphant sequel anyone planned. It’s a move born of desperation after a spectacular collapse of the federation's "ambitious project," a project that left the country humiliated and without a leader. But will Mancini’s second coming be a success? And what does the soap opera surrounding Andrea Pirlo mean for the man now tasked with restoring Italy's shattered pride?
The Chaos Before the Return
Let’s be honest: this is not how the FIGC drew it up. Following Gennaro Gattuso's departure after another catastrophic World Cup qualifying defeat—Italy's
third consecutive failure
to reach the global showpiece —the federation aimed high. They courted Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti. Both said no. They settled on a favourite son, Andrea Pirlo.
Pirlo, the 2006 World Cup winner, was seen as the future. But his candidacy imploded in a matter of days. The controversy? His commercial ties to Fonbet, a Russian betting company. As the political scrutiny intensified, Pirlo released a pained statement saying he was "no longer a candidate," expressing "great bitterness" that a "decision of a sporting nature had been dragged into a public debate". The drama was so intense that technical director Paolo Maldini and advisor Leonardo resigned in protest.
It was a disaster. In the words of one analyst, the federation had turned to a "familiar face" after a "chaotic week". With the house in flames, FIGC President Giovanni Malago turned to the one man who could steady the ship:
Roberto Mancini
.
"I Believed He Was the Best"
The announcement was swift and definitive. In a Federal Council meeting, Malago declared,
"Mancini is the coach"
. He later told the press,
"I believed that the best person to become head coach was Roberto Mancini"
. It was a simple, powerful statement, but it also revealed the federation’s lack of a credible Plan B.
For Mancini, who had been waiting in the wings after leaving a job in Saudi Arabia, it was a second chance. He had previously been a free agent after a spell with Qatar's Al-Sadd, and he had even admitted he hoped to return one day.
"Finché si è lì si continua ad aspettare,"
he said in a recent interview, meaning, "as long as you are there, you keep waiting".
The Shadow of Pirlo and the Weight of History
So, does the Pirlo drama help or hinder him?
On one hand, it clarifies his mandate. Mancini is the
safe pair of hands
. He is not a divisive figure; he is the man who healed the nation's wounds after the 2018 World Cup failure, building a team that played beautiful, attacking football and won Euro 2020.
He is a known quantity, unlike Pirlo, whose coaching career was relatively unproven. In that sense, the drama solidifies Mancini’s position. He doesn’t have to prove he belongs; he just has to prove he can do it again. The chaos also brought in his old friend Claudio Ranieri as technical director, a man he will trust to help rebuild.
However, the shadow of the Pirlo debacle looms large. It shows the internal fractures within the FIGC. While Mancini is the man in charge, his appointment feels like a compromise, a "plan C" rather than a clear vision. The "bitterness" Pirlo felt, and the acrimonious departure of Maldini, suggest a volatile environment that Mancini will have to navigate.
The Unfinished Business: A World Cup Dream
Ultimately, success will be defined by one thing: qualifying for the 2030 World Cup. It’s an obsession, a national trauma after missing out in 2018, 2022, and 2026.
In a recent interview, Mancini was asked if Italy would qualify for a World Cup again. His answer was blunt:
"Sì, sicuro"
("Yes, for sure"). He still harbours a burning desire to win a World Cup, a trophy that eluded him during his first spell. "I wanted to win a European Championship and a World Cup," he previously said, "we’ll have to wait for the second a little bit”.
He is inheriting a team in transition, but he knows the core of the squad. More importantly, he knows how to build a winning culture. The task is monumental—the Azzurri have been a ghost of their former selves on the global stage—but if anyone can exorcise those demons, it’s the man who brought the nation a European championship just a few years ago.
This is the drama of Roberto Mancini’s return. He is a maestro walking back onto a stage that is still smouldering from a backstage fire. He has the trust of the players, the hope of the fans, and the backing of a desperate federation. Now, he has to write the most important chapter of his career.