Paolo Maldini says Pep Guardiola came close to becoming Italy manager and was prepared to accept a salary one euro lower than that of Gennaro Gattuso, as part of an ambitious project to rebuild Italian football.
Maldini, who briefly worked as sporting director of the Italian Football Federation, told Corriere della Sera that appointing Guardiola was one of his main objectives.
The former Italy defender said discussions with the Manchester City manager developed well beyond an initial approach. Guardiola was involved in examining potential players across Italy’s national-team structure, from the under-17 side upwards.
“With Guardiola, we studied lists of players, starting with the under-17 team and above,” Maldini said. He added that Guardiola “even started writing the line-ups”.
The negotiations also reached the subject of remuneration. Maldini said Guardiola showed a strong willingness to take charge of the Azzurri and was not seeking an inflated salary.
“Guardiola told us: give me one euro less than the last coach was earning and I am ready,” he said.
Maldini insisted the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager did not walk away because of financial demands. Instead, Guardiola was affected by accumulated fatigue after a decade working in the Premier League, as well as undergoing back surgery.
“He did not refuse because of money,” Maldini said. “He was exhausted after 10 demanding years in the Premier League.”
The proposed plan was intended to go beyond choosing a new head coach. Maldini wanted to oversee a wider transformation of Italian football, including the development of national-team players and a long-term footballing structure.
However, disagreements with federation president Giovanni Malago eventually prevented the project from being put into practice. Maldini said he resigned after concluding that he could no longer carry out his duties with the independence that had originally been agreed.
“We submitted our resignations because the conditions of trust were no longer there,” he said.
Maldini also defended his conduct during the dispute, rejecting the suggestion that he had been excessively demanding.
“If defending my job and taking responsibility means that I am stubborn, then I am stubborn,” he said.
Maldini wanted Pirlo after Guardiola
Once Guardiola was no longer under consideration, Maldini identified Andrea Pirlo as his preferred alternative for the Italy job.
Maldini believed the former Italy midfielder had the qualities required to lead the national side, despite doubts about his limited experience as a coach. He argued that a lack of an extensive managerial record should not automatically rule Pirlo out.
“What coaching record did the last two coaches to win the World Cup, Scaloni and de la Fuente, have?” Maldini said, referring to Argentina’s Lionel Scaloni and Spain’s Luis de la Fuente.
From a technical perspective, Maldini considered Pirlo ready for the challenge and described him as “very ready”.
He was also unconvinced by objections concerning Pirlo’s relationship with a betting company. Maldini said the issue had been used as a reason to block Pirlo’s candidacy rather than as a genuine legal obstacle.
“It was an excuse,” he said.
According to Maldini, there was no legal impediment to Pirlo taking the role, while the coach was prepared to end his association with the company to remove any doubts.
“There was no legal obstacle,” Maldini said. “He was ready to cut his ties with the Russian company.”
Malago ultimately rejected the Pirlo option, a decision that also removed other names from consideration, including Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Grosso.
Maldini added that Thiago Motta had never been part of his plans for the position.
“He was never among our options,” he said.
