Paolo Maldini breaks the silence after leaving the National Team. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, the former defender reconstructed the events that led him to give up the role of technical director of the FIGC, explaining the reasons for the split with Malagò and revealing the behind-the-scenes details about the names of the coaches.
“I am not attached to the position. I feel very free in my choices,” declared Maldini. “Thank God I have no financial needs. What leads me to accept roles is the possibility of carrying them out, of giving my contribution. I am sorry that this is seen as arrogance or intransigence. But if I am indicated as responsible, I feel obliged to be so.”
The former Milan captain revealed that Malagò contacted him for the first time at Easter, offering him a position of responsibility: “There is a possibility that I will become president of the FIGC; you are the person I would like to have with me. I told him I was available. For me, in football, there are only two things: Milan and the National Team. Then I didn’t hear from him again. The day before the elections, Malagò calls back: tomorrow is the vote, there are good chances, I want you on board. I reply: let’s talk about it.”
According to the account, Malagò proposed that he become president of Club Italia, with the aim of rebuilding Italian football. Maldini involved Leonardo, with whom he shares friendship and principles, and together they thought of a new role: technical direction. “Technical direction has never been in the National Team’s organization chart: the coach reported directly to the president. But that wasn’t right: the coach needs someone to consult with,” he explained.
The central issue concerns the choice of head coach. “The first thing I asked was: who chooses the coach? Malagò replied: you decide the coach, and I will approve it. That was the agreement. Then events led to this changing,” Maldini recounted. When the terms were revised, he decided to give up signing the four-year contract that would have started on August first.
The project included three names: Andrea Pirlo, Daniele De Rossi, and Fabio Grosso, all world champions. “Our idea was linked to technique. To offensive play. To change. In Italy, we have fallen behind in many things. We wanted the training of young players to be based not on tactical exasperation but on technique, one-on-one, offensive mentality. And we wanted a young coach, who had a history with the National Team,” he clarified.
However, Malagò communicated that, based on agreements made with the clubs for his election (all except Lazio), it was not possible to contact coaches of Serie A teams. This excluded De Rossi and Grosso, leaving only Pirlo available.
A separate chapter concerns Pep Guardiola. “He is the coach who best embodies technical and offensive play. Through some friends, he had expressed the idea of coaching a National Team. We went to see him in Barcelona, had lunch together, talked for an entire day. He was very tempted. He came very close to accepting. He even started writing lineups on sheets of paper,” Maldini revealed.
On the alleged 20 million salary requested by Guardiola, Maldini categorically denied it: “Absolutely not. Money was never an issue. Pep told us clearly: give me one euro less than what the last coach earned, and I’m fine.” The refusal reportedly came due to fatigue, after ten intense years in the Premier League and a back operation.
Regarding the pressure from Serie A for Antonio Conte, Maldini clarified: “I spoke with Marotta, with Percassi, with other presidents and directors, and no one gave me a name. The League was correct, they even guaranteed me: if there is a need to help financially, we are here. But they know me a little. If I have to come here and two names are already chosen, one by Malagò and one by the League, what’s the point of calling me? Many times I was assured autonomy. That they had their own favorite, that’s fine. But if you ask for collaboration, and you plan a shared project, then you have to share it.”
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