Gennaro Gattuso, new coach of ailing Italy

Having gotten off to a poor start in qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Squadra Azzurra now has a fiery coach at the helm. On Sunday, June 15, Gennaro Gattuso, a former international and AC Milan icon, was appointed Italy coach, replacing Luciano Spalletti, who was dismissed after the Nazionale's 3-0 defeat to Norway on June 6.

A member of the Nazionale team that won the world championship in 2006, Gattuso, 47, "is a symbol of Italian football, his professionalism and experience will be essential for the upcoming challenges," said the Italian Football Federation, which did not specify the length of his contract.

Renowned for his fierce desire to win when he was on the pitch, Gattuso (73 caps, one goal) is expected to be presented on Thursday in Rome and will be tasked with helping Italy, four-time world champions and two-time European champions, qualify for their first World Cup since 2014.

But Italy got off to a poor start in World Cup qualifying in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, suffering a heavy 3-0 defeat to Norway in Oslo. This defeat was fatal for Spalletti, who has been in charge since August 2023, and who led Italy for the last time last Monday against Moldova (2-0) before leaving his post. After two of their eight 2026 World Cup qualifying matches, Italy sits ^third in Group I with three points, nine points behind Norway, their main rival for first place and direct qualification.

Gennaro Gattuso notably won two Italian league titles and two Champions Leagues when he was a tough and tireless midfielder for AC Milan, his club from 1999 to 2012. His coaching career, however, has been slow to take off, with only one trophy, an Italian Cup, with Napoli in 2020, and experiences often shortened, sometimes marked by controversy due to his temperament and his quickly conflicting relationships with his players and managers.

He notably coached AC Milan (2017-2019), Valencia (2019-2021) and Marseille (2023-2024) . Gattuso was not the first choice of the Italian federation, which was rejected by the experienced Claudio Ranieri (73 years old), then by Stefano Pioli, former coach of AC Milan.