Italy’s national football team faced a setback as Pep Guardiola has withdrawn from consideration for the head coach position. Reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport also indicate that Gianluigi Buffon has declined an offer to rejoin the Azzurri setup.
Buffon Declines Italy Offer
Paolo Maldini, the FIGC’s recently-appointed technical director, along with his advisor Leonardo, is actively seeking a new head coach for the Italy national team. This comes after it was confirmed thatneither Guardiola nor Carlo Ancelotti will take on the role. Andrea Pirlo is now being considered as a leading candidate for the position.
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According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Maldini had also sought to fill an additional role apart from the new head coach and had approached Buffon with an offer to return to the Italy setup. This role would place him within Club Italia, which oversees the national team across all levels and age groups.
Buffon had previously served as Italy’s delegation chief but resigned, along with Gennaro Gattuso and former FIGC President Gabriele Gravina, after the national team’s defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a World Cup playoff match in March, which saw Italy miss the final tournament for the third consecutive time.
Reports indicate that Buffon had given serious thought to Maldini’s invitation to return to the national team. Maldini aimed to secure a popular figure with vast national team experience; Buffon holds the record for most caps for Italy and was part of the last World Cup-winning squad. He also possesses familiarity with the current squad and setup.
Nonetheless, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Buffon believes it is not the right time for him to reenter the world of football.
Buffon’s professional career began in 1995, and he retired in 2023 before taking on his first role with the Italy national team later that same year. He has been out of work since early April and plans to focus on spending time with his family while also preparing for a future career in management or a director position.