Italy icon Maldini national team’s technical director

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Maldini

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Italian football icon Paolo Maldini has been appointed technical director of the national football federation (FIGC) looking to rebuild after Italy’s failure to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup.

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“Maldini has always been my target,” said newly-appointed FIGC president Giovanni Malago.

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“I felt he was the right person to oversee the FIGC’s technical sector — a role that encompasses not just the senior national team, but the entire youth national team setup.

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“We are embarking on a four-year commitment designed to take us from now through the next World Cup in 2030, with the European Championship along the way.”

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The 58-year-old Maldini will work alongside Leonardo, the former sporting director of Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, who will be his advisor, the FIGC added.

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Maldini will also assume the role of president of Club Italia, the body overseeing all national teams across all age groups, both men’s and women’s.

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This is an unprecedented dual role in the FIGC, giving Maldini ultimate authority over all sporting decisions.

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His primary mission will be to revitalise the Azzurri who have lost their place among the global elite after missing out on the last three World Cup tournaments despite a European triumph in 2021.

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Maldini and Malago, who was elected FIGC chief in late June having previously headed the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, must quickly find a new coach.

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Maldini’s former AC Milan teammate Gennaro Gattuso resigned as head coach after Italy lost to Bosnia-Herzegovina on penalties in a European play-off for the 2026 World Cup in late March.

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Former Italian international Antonio Conte has been touted as a possible successor having held the role between 2014 and 2016. Conte left Napoli after two seasons last month.

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Maldini spent his entire playing career with AC Milan, winning seven Italian league titles and five Champions League trophies.

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Capped 126 times for Italy, he played in four World Cups and three European Championships, with his best results runner-up finishes in the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000.

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After retiring as a player, he succeeded Brazilian Leonardo as AC Milan’s sporting director in 2019 holding the position until 2023.

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