Pep Guardiola came close to becoming Italy manager, going so far as writing down line-ups on paper before ultimately turning down the role, Italian Football Federation technical director Paolo Maldini has revealed.
Guardiola ended his 10-year spell as Manchester City boss a few months ago, and was touted to take over an under-performing Italy side. The move fell through, and Maldini resigned after a separate attempt to appoint Andrea Pirlo also collapsed because of Pirlo's commercial links with a Russian betting company.
Meeting in Barcelona
"(Guardiola) is the coach who best embodies technical, attacking football," Maldini told Corriere della Sera. He said Guardiola had expressed to friends a wish to coach a national team. "We went to meet him in Barcelona, we had lunch together, we talked for an entire day."
"He was very tempted. He came very close to accepting. He even started writing line-ups down on sheets of paper," Maldini said.
Why Guardiola said no
"Because of exhaustion," Maldini said, explaining why Guardiola ultimately turned the job down. "Guardiola is coming off 10 gruelling years in the Premier League. He had back surgery. He wants to rest. But it was a very serious discussion. We studied the squads from the Under-17s upwards."
Guardiola, who played two seasons in Italy with Brescia and Roma and speaks the language, was offered a comprehensive project with significant control over Italian football. The 55-year-old was understood to be concerned about jumping straight back into management after promising his family he would live in Barcelona now his time in England had ended.
Mancini takes over
Roberto Mancini, another former Manchester City manager, was appointed instead, replacing Gennaro Gattuso after Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third successive tournament.
