Paolo Maldini revealed Pep Guardiola "came very close to accepting" an offer to become Italy head coach. Italy have not made it to the World Cup finals since 2014, prompting them to go for a big name as their new head coach. Maldini held talks with Guardiola and Ancelotti, and explained the reasons for their respective rejections. "He's the coach [Guardiola] who best embodies technical and attacking play," Maldini said in an interview with Corriere Della Sella. "Through some friends, he'd expressed the idea of coaching a national team.