Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, has become Italy’s biggest dream for a complete overhaul that would bring the national team back to prominence. However, money is the biggest obstacle to securing such a big-money contract for the Azzurri.
Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after losing to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European playoff final on penalties, leading to the dismissal of Gennaro Gattuso. The appointment of a new national team coach has been postponed until the Italian Football Federation presidential elections in June.
Italy cannot afford Pep Guardiola’s current salary
According to a report in La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy cannot currently afford the enormous salary Guardiola receives at Manchester City, which amounts to €14 million plus bonuses that could bring his total to nearly €20 million, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the world.
In general, the highest-paid coach of the Italian national team over the past 10 years was Roberto Mancini, who earned just €3 million.
The newspaper noted that the appointment of Antonio Conte in 2014 required the Italian Football Federation to secure a sponsorship deal with Puma to cover his salary, which reached €4.5 million at the time.
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Salaries of Italian national team coaches in recent years
The reality is that coaching European national teams doesn’t usually guarantee high salaries. Italy, one of the elite teams in Europe, cannot afford exorbitant salaries, a fact borne out by history over the last decade.
After Conte’s departure, Giampiero Ventura arrived, earning only €1.5 million. He was followed by Mancini, who received a much larger salary of €3 million, fully funded by the Italian Football Federation at the time, as it was the maximum they could afford then, and remains so to this day.
With Mancini’s departure, Luciano Spalletti took over, earning only €2.8 million from the Italian national team. Gattuso, who coached for less than a year, received €800,000, a figure that speaks volumes about the economic crisis plaguing Italian football.
Conte needs to make a significant sacrifice to return to the Italian national team
Puma is Italy’s hope for signing Guardiola
Conte’s scenario is similar, and Puma could potentially finance a large portion of Guardiola’s salary to take over the Italian national team. However, this remains doubtful due to the high salary the “philosopher” is demanding.
Besides Puma, there are several other sponsors who might try to provide the necessary funds to finance Guardiola’s contract, but this scenario requires diligent work from the new president in the coming period.
Guardiola’s stance on coaching the Italian national team
In recent years, Guardiola has clearly stated his intention to work with national teams in the future, particularly after his experience with Manchester City. His name has long been linked to the Brazilian national team, but the Seleção currently has another world-class coach, Carlo Ancelotti, who will remain in his position until the 2030 World Cup.
Guardiola was previously asked about the idea of coaching the Italian national team, and his response was, “Why not?” This reinforces the idea that he would be open to the option of rescuing the Azzurri in the near future if the opportunity arises.
Leonardo Bonucci, the Italian football legend, is leading the campaign to appoint Guardiola. The entire matter hinges on three factors: first, the coach’s decision to leave City at the end of the season or stay for another year; second, the identity of the new president of the Italian Football Federation; and finally, which sponsor will be willing to finance the Spaniard’s contract.
