After controversially resigning from his position as coach of Italy earlier this month, Roberto Mancini was announced as the new head coach of the Saudi Arabian national team on Sunday. His stated contract is worth more than $25 million annually. Read more scoop about Roberto Mancini Becomes The New Coach Of Saudi Arabia below.
Roberto Mancini Becomes The New Coach Of Saudi Arabia
Since Herve Renard quit to coach France’s women’s team, the Saudis, who defeated eventual champions Argentina at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, have been without a coach. Despite winning the Euro 2020 championship under Mancini’s leadership, Italy missed out on the 2014 World Cup.
Mancini, who has agreed to a four-year deal, said: “I am immensely honored to be offered the position as Saudi Arabia national team manager. With football’s rising popularity in Asia, I think this is a fantastic opportunity for me to experience football in a new country.”
It was also said that “the presence of top players in the Saudi Pro League indicates the potential for growth in the national football scene.”
The greatest crude oil exporter in the world, Saudi Arabia, has made headlines this summer by purchasing several players from European clubs for teams in the Saudi Pro League.
Following Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Al-Nassr in January, an increasing number of well-known athletes have been drawn to the enormous sums provided by the Saudis. Neymar of Brazil is the most recent.
The Shocking Exit
Mancini’s departure as Italy’s manager was a significant shock considering that he had just been given charge of the nation’s Under-21 and Under-20 teams earlier this month. He received a lot of backlash for his choice, particularly in the wake of early allegations that he was about to take a lucrative job offer in Saudi Arabia, which he vehemently denied was the cause of his resignation.
In his five years as Italy’s coach, Mancini, who was succeeded by former Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti, had a mixed record; nonetheless, the triumph at Euro 2020 appeared to revive a flagging football country. However, the Azzurri missed the World Cup for the second consecutive year after a devastating play-off loss to North Macedonia prevented them from doing so in 2014.
With his longtime club Sampdoria, where he co-starred in attack alongside the recently dead Gianluca Vialli, Mancini won the 1991 Serie A championship as well as four Italian Cups.
As a coach, he won three additional “Scudetti” with Inter Milan, including one that was given to the team in the wake of the “Calciopoli” match-fixing incident. In 2012, he also led Manchester City to the Premier League title.
‘New era’
According to a Sunday article in the newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Mancini’s contract in Saudi Arabia would pay him a salary of 25 million euros a year ($27 million). His salary was not mentioned in the federation’s announcement.
The Saudi Federation opened up about the Mancini’s hiring in a statement. They announced Mancini’s hiring as, “The appointment confirms the new era of growth for the Saudi Arabian national team and marks a new milestone in Mancini’s distinguished career.”
Mancini was scheduled to arrive in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on Monday to make a media introduction.
On September 8, an international exhibition game versus Costa Rica will be played at Newcastle’s St James’ Park. It is owned by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund.
The English city will host a second friendly match against South Korea on September 12.
In a video posted to the Saudi national team’s account on X, previously Twitter, Mancini was dressed in a white shirt and green tie. He was heard saying “I made history in Europe, now it’s time to make history with Saudi.”
A source familiar with the discussions told AFP that the Saudi federation was “very optimistic with him at the helm.” The duration of his new contract, which meant Mancini could potentially lead the Saudis to the next World Cup.
