Azzurri have lost their iconic coach: Mancini resigns

Roberto Mancini has resigned from his post as Italy's national coach. The experienced coach and legendary footballer is now expected to search for a club.

Mancini took over from Luigi Di Biagio on the Azzurri bench in 2018, shortly after failing to qualify for the World Cup in Russia. With the national team, in addition to collecting the record of 36 consecutive games unbeaten, he won the European Championship in 2021. However, just over a year later, however, they failed to qualify for the second consecutive time, as North Macedonia eliminated them in the playoffs.

FIGC, the Italian Football Association, announced "a turning of a page in history" and suggested a new coach will be selected in the coming days.

"The Italian Football Federation announces that it has taken note of the resignation of Roberto Mancini from the position of coach of the Italian national team, received yesterday late in the evening. This concludes, therefore, a significant page in the history of the Azzurri, which began in May 2018 and ended with the 2023 Nations League Finals. In between, Mancini led the Azzurri to the Euro 2020 triumph. Considering the important and close commitments for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers (10 and 12 September with North Macedonia and Ukraine), the FIGC will communicate the name of the new coach of the national team in the next few days."

Mancini had a successful playing career, primarily as a forward. He played for various Italian clubs, most notably Sampdoria and Lazio, winning domestic league titles, cups, and individual accolades during the 1980s and 1990s.

After retiring as a player, Mancini transitioned into coaching. His most notable achievements came as the head coach of Inter Milan, where he led the team to multiple Serie A titles before heading over to England, where he managed Manchester City to their first Premier League title in 2012. Mancini first served as the head coach of the Italian national team from 2009 to 2016. Under his leadership, Italy reached the final of the UEFA European Championship in 2012, further solidifying his reputation as a skilled manager.

In May 2018, Mancini was appointed as the head coach of the Italian national team once again to revitalise the team's performance after a period of underachievement. Although the end of his time with the Azzurri was less than graceful, the Euro final win over England at Wembley will remain as one of Italy's most significant achievements.