Paolo Maldini says Pep Guardiola was ready to coach Italy for less than Gennaro Gattuso

Paolo Maldini says Pep Guardiola was prepared to become Italy manager for a salary lower than that of his predecessor, but ultimately turned down the role because of exhaustion after a decade in the Premier League and following back surgery.

Maldini, speaking to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, revealed new details about his departure from the Italian Football Federation and the ambitious project he tried to establish during his brief spell as sporting director.

One of Maldini’s central aims was to find a manager capable of leading a major transformation of Italian football. His preferred candidate was Manchester City manager Guardiola, and Maldini said discussions with the Spaniard developed far beyond an initial approach.

“With Guardiola we studied lists of players, starting with the Under-17 team and moving upwards,” Maldini said. He added that Guardiola had “even started writing the line-ups”.

The talks also reached the subject of the manager’s potential salary. According to Maldini, Guardiola showed a strong willingness to take charge of Italy and was ready to accept less money than the previous coach.

“Guardiola said to us: give me one euro less than what the last coach was earning and I am ready,” Maldini said.

He insisted that financial demands were not the reason Guardiola rejected the opportunity. Instead, Maldini said the manager had been worn down by his years working in England and was also recovering from an operation on his back.

“He did not refuse because of money,” Maldini said. “He was tired after 10 demanding years in the Premier League.”

Maldini’s plans extended beyond appointing a new national-team manager. He wanted to oversee a broader rebuilding process across Italian football, but said disagreements with federation president Malago eventually made it impossible to put the project into practice.

He left his position after deciding that he could no longer carry out his duties with the independence that had originally been agreed.

“We submitted our resignations because the conditions of trust were no longer there,” Maldini said.

The former Italy defender also defended his conduct during the dispute, arguing that standing up for his responsibilities should not be seen as unreasonable.

“If defending my job and taking responsibility means that I am stubborn, then I am stubborn,” he said.

Maldini backed Pirlo for Italy job

After Guardiola was no longer under consideration, Maldini identified Andrea Pirlo as his preferred choice to lead Italy.

Maldini believed the former midfielder had the qualities required to become the national team’s next manager and regarded him as the ideal candidate, despite doubts about his limited coaching experience.

He dismissed concerns over Pirlo’s managerial record by pointing to the backgrounds of the two most recent World Cup-winning coaches.

“What coaching record did the last two coaches to win the World Cup, Scaloni and de la Fuente, have?” Maldini said.

From a technical perspective, Maldini considered Pirlo ready for the responsibility, describing him as “extremely ready”.

He was also unconvinced by objections concerning Pirlo’s relationship with a betting company. Maldini said the issue had been used as a reason to block Pirlo’s candidacy rather than as a genuine obstacle.

“It was an excuse,” he said.

Maldini maintained that there was no legal barrier preventing Pirlo from taking the job and said the former Italy international was willing to end his association with the company to remove any doubts.

“There was no legal impediment,” Maldini said. “He was ready to cut his ties with the Russian company.”

Malago eventually ruled out Pirlo, a decision that also removed other names from consideration, including Daniele De Rossi and Fabio Grosso.

Maldini added that Thiago Motta had never been part of his plans for the position.

“He was never among our options,” he said.