​Italian football icon Paolo Maldini has been appointed technical director of the national federation FIGC as part of a broad plan to rebuild after Italy failed to qualify for a third consecutive World Cup. Newly elected FIGC president Giovanni Malagò said Maldini had long been his target, expressing that he believed Maldini was the right person to oversee the FIGC’s technical sector, a remit that extends beyond the senior national team to encompass the entire national team pathway from youth setups to the senior level.
The appointment signals the start of a four-year program intended to carry Italy from the present moment through the next World Cup in 2030, with the European Championship also in the roadmap. Maldini, who is 58, will collaborate with Leonardo, the former sporting director of Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, who will serve as his advisor. In addition, Maldini will assume the role of president of Club Italia, the federation body that oversees all national teams across age groups and both genders. The organization described this as an unprecedented dual role within the FIGC, placing Maldini at the helm of all sporting decisions.
Maldini’s central objective is to revitalise the Azzurri, who have slipped from the top tier of world football after missing the last three World Cup finals, despite Italy’s European Championship victory in 2021. Malagò and Maldini must act quickly to appoint a new head coach. The post became vacant after Gennaro Gattuso, Maldini’s former AC Milan teammate, resigned following Italy’s penalty defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina in the European playoff for the 2026 World Cup in late March. A number of names have been floated as potential successors, including Antonio Conte, who previously led the national team from 2014 to 2016 and recently left Napoli after two seasons.
Maldini’s career as a player with AC Milan, spent entirely at the club, yielded seven Serie A titles and five Champions League trophies. Internationally, he earned 126 caps for Italy, appearing in four World Cups and three European Championships, with standout results including runner-up finishes at the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000. After retiring, Maldini succeeded Brazilian Leonardo as AC Milan’s sporting director in 2019, a role he held until 2023, cementing his reputation for leadership within Italian football.