Gennaro Gattuso left his role as Italy boss in April after the Azzurri failed to qualify for a third successive World Cup. Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti were both approached by the FIGC about the Italy job before Pirlo. Mancini, 61, previously managed Italy from 2018 until 2023 and won Euro 2020 - beating England in the final at Wembley. Despite their big stage successes, Italy have not featured at a World Cup finals since 2014. He also spent time with Galatasaray and Zenit St Petersburg before taking on the Italy job in 2018.