Maldini on Guardiola’s Italy rejection and his exit after Pirlo block

Paolo Maldini says money was never the reason Pep Guardiola turned down the Italy Azzurri job, and he walked away from his own sporting director role after federation president Giovanni Malago blocked Andrea Pirlo’s appointment. Maldini resigned just 16 days after being appointed on July 11, stepping down on July 27.

While serving as Italy’s sporting director, Maldini was tasked by the Italian Football Federation to lead the search for a new head coach. The role placed the AC Milan legend at the centre of a high‑profile recruitment drive.

Guardiola negotiations in Barcelona

While traveling to Barcelona with technical advisor Leonardo, Maldini met the Spanish tactician for a full‑day discussion that included lunch and even line‑up sketches on paper. He later recalled that Guardiola was “very tempted” and came close to accepting the role.

Although reports suggested Guardiola demanded a €20 million annual salary, Maldini clarified that financial terms were never an obstacle. He quoted Guardiola saying, “Give me one euro less than the previous manager, and I am satisfied.”

When asked why the Spanish manager finally refused, Maldini answered that fatigue was decisive. Guardiola was coming off ten grueling years in the Premier League, had back surgery, and wanted rest, so the talks shifted toward Andrea Pirlo.

Pirlo block forces Maldini’s exit

While Malago informed Maldini that he could no longer hire Pirlo, the president unilaterally changed the rules, declaring he would decide the head coach and expect Maldini’s endorsement. Maldini said that proposition was unacceptable.

That decision prompted Maldini to submit his resignation within 24 hours, even though his contract had not yet started on August 1. He defended Pirlo’s candidacy, noting no legal impediment existed, and that the media had sensationalised the alleged ties to a Russian betting firm.

So the brief Italian sporting director tenure ended abruptly, leaving the Federation to restart its search for a new manager without Maldini’s involvement.