Roberto Mancini

Roberto Mancini guided Italy to their first major international trophy in 53 years, winning UEFA Euro 2020 with a penalty shootout victory over England at Wembley in July 2021. He had transformed a team that missed the 2018 World Cup into one of Europe's most cohesive sides, going unbeaten for 37 matches during his tenure. In August 2023 he abruptly resigned as Italy coach and two weeks later was appointed Saudi Arabia national team manager, a move that attracted significant criticism in Italy.

Mancini's Saudi contract ended in October 2024 and he has been out of management since. When Italy failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup and both FIGC president Gabriele Gravina and delegation chief Gianluigi Buffon resigned in April 2026, Mancini confirmed he had again offered himself for the Italy role. Sources close to the former Azzurri manager described him as confident he would be appointed, though the FIGC's simultaneous pursuit of Antonio Conte and speculative interest in Pep Guardiola complicated the picture.

Mancini's legacy is complicated: the Euro 2020 triumph was genuine and transformative, but his abrupt departure for a lucrative Gulf contract squandered the momentum he had built. A second spell would be a redemption narrative as much as a sporting appointment. His prior success with Italy gives him a credibility that purely club-based candidates lack, though the memory of the Saudi exit remains a live concern for any new FIGC president deciding the appointment.