Gennaro Gattuso was named Italy’s new coach on Sunday and will be tasked with helping the Azzurri qualify for the 2026 World Cup after replacing Luciano Spalletti.
Gennaro Gattuso, 47, who was part of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning squad and earned 73 caps for the national team, has been named the new head coach of the Italian national football team.
The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) announced that Gattuso will be formally introduced to the media on Thursday.
“Gattuso is a true symbol of Italian football,” said FIGC President Gabriele Gravina. “The blue shirt is like a second skin to him. His passion, professionalism, and experience will be crucial. He fully understands the significance of our goals, and I thank him for embracing this challenge with complete commitment.”
Italy, four-time world champions, have failed to qualify for the last two World Cups. Their campaign to reach next year’s tournament in North America got off to a poor start with a 3-0 defeat to Norway last week.
Gattuso, an experienced coach, was most recently in charge of Croatian side Hajduk Split, leading them to qualification for the upcoming UEFA Conference League.
As a player, Gattuso made 468 appearances for AC Milan and has previously coached several clubs including Milan, Napoli—where he won the 2019/20 Coppa Italia—Valencia, and Marseille. However, his coaching career has seen mixed results. He managed just 22 games at Valencia and 24 at Marseille. A planned appointment at Fiorentina was cancelled just weeks before it was due to begin in 2021.
Following Italy’s loss to Norway, former manager Luciano Spalletti was dismissed, with Monday’s victory over Moldova marking his final match in charge.
Italy had also missed out on the 2018 World Cup after a play-off loss to Sweden and failed to qualify for the 2022 tournament in Qatar, following a shock defeat to North Macedonia in the play-offs.
According to Italian media reports, former Italy defenders Andrea Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci are expected to join Gattuso’s coaching team, while ex-national coach Cesare Prandelli is set to oversee youth development.
Before turning to Gattuso, the FIGC had reportedly approached Claudio Ranieri and Stefano Pioli, both of whom declined the role.
