The legendary Maldini, new technical director of the Italian Federation

Paolo Maldini, legendary former defender Milan and the Italian national team, has today been named technical director of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

“The president of the FIGC, Giovanni Malagò, is pleased to announce that Paolo Maldini has accepted the position of technical director of the Federation,” the organization announced in a brief statement. For its part, Leonardformer sports director of PSG and Milanwill be Maldini’s advisor. Both were teammates on the ‘rossonero’ team.

Maldini, 58, will also assume the presidency of Club Italia, the governing body of all men’s and women’s national teams at all levels. This dual position, unprecedented in the history of the FIGC, gives him significant control over all sporting decisions.

His first mission is to revitalize the senior team, absent in the last three World Cups (2018, 2022 and 2026) despite their victory at Euro 2021, and must quickly find a successor to Gennaro Gattusowho resigned as coach after losing on penalties to Bosnia and Herzegovina the final of the European play-off for the 2026 World Cup.

Conte, the favorite

The name that resonates the most is that of another former Italian international, Antonio Conte, who led the ‘azzurra’ team between 2014 and 2016 and has been without a team since he left the Naples at the end of the last season.

Maldini spent his entire playing career, from 1985 to 2009, at Milan, with whose shirt he won seven Serie A titles and five Champions Leagues.

With 126 international matches for Italy (scoring seven goals), he played in four World Cups and three European Championships, with his best results being two runners-up finishes: the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000.

After his career as a player, he succeeded the Brazilian Leonardo as sporting director of AC Milan in 2019. His departure in 2023 is seen by the fans, who still revere him, as one of the worst decisions made by Gerry CardinaleAmerican owner of the Lombard club since 2022.