Italian Roberto Mancini was named head of Saudi Arabia on Sunday, an announcement that comes just weeks after his surprise resignation from his post as coach of the Nazionale.
“I think it’s a great opportunity for me to discover football in a new country, especially with the rise in popularity of football in Asia,” the former international champion said in a statement from the Saudi Federation. of Europe in 2021, saying he is “very honored” to have been chosen.
“The presence of top players in the Saudi Championship shows the potential for growth on the national stage,” he added.
Mancini, 58, has signed a four-year contract according to the Saudi federation. He succeeds Frenchman Hervé Renard, who was at the head of the selection at the last World Cup in Qatar, before being appointed coach of the French women’s team.
Very criticized in Italy after having resigned from his post in mid-August, he had first assured in the press that the interest that Riyadh had in him did not explain his decision.
Mancini then pointed the finger at the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), which he blamed for a lack of confidence and for having changed its staff, with in particular the departure of his right-hand man appointed to head the under-18 team. 20 years.
“I had been thinking about it for months (when he left, editor’s note), it was time to leave, because when certain things, certain situations change internally, that means that we are heading towards the end” , he explained.
Believing he was “no longer on the same wavelength” with the FIGC, he made his decision “with great sadness, because I was very attached to the Nazionale”.
“Something will happen when it interests me, but Saudi Arabia has nothing to do with it,” Mancini said.
The FIGC had however acceded to one of its requests by entrusting it with the supervision, in addition to the Nazionale, of the Italian selections of the under 20s and 21s.
Under his leadership, from May 2018 to August 2023, Roberto Mancini revived Italy to take them to the roof of Europe in 2021, their second continental title, establishing a record streak of 37 matches without defeat between September 2018 and October 2021.
But the Italian selection also failed to qualify for the World Cup-2022, after having already missed the 2018 World Cup, and missed its start in qualifying for Euro-2024 in Germany, suffering a defeat at home against England (2-1).
The ex-international with 36 selections (between 1984 and 1994), was replaced in Italy by Luciano Spalletti, titled in Seria A last season at the head of Naples.
Mancini therefore joins Saudi Arabia, whose national team caused a sensation at the last World Cup in Qatar by beating Lionel Messi’s Argentina, future world champion, 2 to 1 in the group stage.
The signing comes after a record summer for Saudi football. Several clubs have attracted stars of world football, from forwards Neymar and Karim Benzema to midfielder Fabinho and winger Sadio Mané, after Cristiano Ronaldo signed from Al-Nassr last January.
But the Saudi monarchy is also accused of “whitewashing” its image and of veiling serious human rights violations thanks to these astronomical and expeditious expenses unprecedented in the world of football, even for the Saudi kingdom itself.
It’s a new step for Mancini, who began his coaching career at Fiorentina in 2001, before leading notably Lazio Rome (2002-04), Inter Milan (2004-08 and 2014-16) with the key to three Italian championship titles, or Manchester City (2009-13) which he led in 2012 to its first English championship title for 44 years.
During his playing career, Mancini wore the Sampdoria shirt from 1982 to 1997, forming with his recently deceased compatriot Gianluca Vialli one of Serie A’s most prolific attacking duos.