Maldini says exhaustion, not money, halted Guardiola Italy bid

€20 million a season was reported as Pep Guardiola’s salary demand for the Italy national team, but former defender Paolo Maldini told the Corriere della Sera that money was never a barrier. Maldini made the comments while reflecting on his brief spell as technical director of the FIGC.

He explained that his short‑lived tenure ended in a fallout with President Giovanni Malagò, describing the conversation as transparent and saying the president was kept informed at every step.

Maldini said he and advisor Leonardo travelled to Barcelona, shared a lunch and spent an entire day talking with the Spaniard. He claimed Guardiola was “very tempted”, even beginning to sketch potential formations on pieces of paper during the visit.

Italian media had claimed the Spaniard wanted a €20 million salary to lead the Azzurri, but Maldini flatly denied the figure. He quoted Guardiola saying, “Give me one euro less than what the previous coach took and I’m fine.”

Maldini insisted the decisive factor was exhaustion, not money. He noted Guardiola was emerging from ten gruelling Premier League years, had undergone back surgery and simply wanted to rest.

The former Barcelona and Manchester City boss also examined Italy’s youth set‑ups, with Maldini saying they studied squads from the U17 level upwards to gauge the project’s depth.

When the talks stalled, the FIGC turned to Andrea Pirlo, and Maldini confirmed that Malagò was aware of every development, “step‑by‑step.”

The interview also referenced Guardiola’s current role at Manchester City, mentioning the FA Cup semi‑final and the Premier League match at Burnley.