Mancini ‘would gladly return for Italy tomorrow, regrets walking away’

Roberto Mancini ‘regrets leaving the Italy job and would gladly return tomorrow if he had the chance,’ revealed Andrea, the son of the current Al-Sadd coach.

The Nazionale is looking for a new direction following the failure to qualify for a third consecutive edition of the World Cup.

There have been suggestions that Mancini could be among the candidates for a return to the Azzurri bench after Gennaro Gattuso tended his resignation.

“My father has said even recently that he regrets having left the Nazionale, so he would love to close the circle by winning the World Cup,” Andrea Mancini told Cronache di Spogliatoio.

“I am convinced that he would gladly return tomorrow morning for the Azzurri bench, if he had the chance.”

Mancini represented the last success for the Azzurri, winning the EURO 2020 trophy, but he walked away in August 2023, just weeks before crucial EURO 2024 qualifiers.

It was to take the role of Saudi Arabia national team manager, which lasted just 18 games until October 2024, and then became coach of Qatari club side Al-Sadd in November 2025.

His record for the Italy team from July 2018 to August 2023 was of 38 victories, 12 draws and only eight defeats.

They scored 126 goals and conceded 44.