Italian football could be on the verge of its most significant structural overhaul in years, with Paolo Maldini emerging as the man chosen to spearhead the Azzurri’s rebuild following Italy’s disappointing FIFA World Cup campaign.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, newly elected FIGC President Giovanni Malagò identified the former Italy and AC Milan captain as his preferred candidate to become Technical Director, entrusting him with responsibility for reshaping the future of Italian football from the ground up.
Rather than a traditional technical director’s role, Maldini would oversee Club Italia, supervise every national team, guide the federation’s technical sector, coordinate youth development and play a decisive role in selecting Italy’s next head coach.
The appointment is viewed as the cornerstone of a long-term project aimed at restoring Italy to the summit of world football after another disappointing international cycle.
One of the first major decisions expected from the new structure concerns the national team bench. Antonio Conte has been widely linked with the position and is understood to be among the leading candidates should Maldini take charge of the federation’s sporting project.
Maldini’s credentials are difficult to question. During his spell as technical director at AC Milan, he helped rebuild the Rossoneri into Serie A champions in 2022, combining experienced leaders with emerging young talent in a project widely praised throughout European football.
However, the Italian legend was reportedly only prepared to accept the role if given genuine autonomy and clear authority over footballing decisions, rather than serving in a purely symbolic position.
Those conditions now appear to have been met. Maldini has since officially been appointed as Technical Director and President of Club Italia, marking the beginning of a new era for the Italian Football Federation. Former Milan teammate Leonardo will also work alongside him in an advisory capacity as Italy looks to rebuild its football identity ahead of the next major international cycle.
