Roberto Mancini, the Italian football manager and coach, has been introduced as the new head coach of Saudi Arabian national team. Mancini leads the team through its adventure in the Asian Cup in Qatar. Mancini’s contract ends after 2026 World Cup.
After making the unexpected decision to leave his position as the leader of Italy earlier in August, Roberto Mancini has been selected the new football head coach of the Saudi Arabia. His contract is said to be valued over twenty-five million dollars annually.
Since Herve Renard moved to lead the French women’s squad, Saudi Arabia have been without a coach. Saudi national team managed to defeat eventual champion of the World Cup 2022 in in group round, while failing to secure a move into 16 teams.
Despite winning the Euro 2020 championship under Mancini’s leadership, Italy missed out on the 2014 World Cup. Mancini said he is really honored to have been given the job to lead the Saudi Arabia national team. “I believe this is a great opportunity for me, to experience football in a new country, especially with the growing popularity of football in Asia.”
Mancini continued by saying that the appearance of star players in the Saudi Arabian Pro League suggests that the national football landscape has room to expand. As the top crude oil producer, Saudi Arabia has made headlines this summer by purchasing a number of footballers from European renowned clubs for teams in the Saudi Pro League.
Neymar, the Brazilian star of Paris Saint-Germain, is the most recent great figure to be drawn in by the massive funds the Saudis are offering. It continued down a path that Cristiano Ronaldo established when he transferred to Al Nassr earlier this year.
Mancini Leave Italy
Mancini’s departure as Italy’s manager surprised many because he had just been given charge of the nation’s Under-21 and Under-20 teams. “The appointment confirms the new era of growth for the Saudi Arabian national team and marks a new milestone in Mancini’s distinguished career,” Saudi football federation stress in a declaration following Mancini’s official introduction.
He received harsh criticism for his choice, particularly in light of early rumours that he was planning to embrace a very lucrative relocation to Saudi Arabia. Mancini refuted the claim that the money was the cause of his departure.
In his five-year career in Italy, Mancini had a mixed record.
A struggling football country appeared to be revitalized by victory at Euro 2020. However, the Azzurri’s dismal play-off loss to North Macedonia prevented them from making it to the World Cup last year. They failed to attend the largest football competition in the world for the second time in a row. Mancini was succeeded by former Napoli coach Luciano Spalletti.
The first game for Saudi Arabia under the new head coach is an international friendly against Costa Rica in New Castle on September 8.
The English city will host a second friendly match against South Korea four days later. In January 2024, Qatar, who took over tha games in 2020, will host the Asian Cup. The Saudi Arabia, the host of the competition in 2027, were placed in a group with Thailand, Kyrgyzstan, and Oman.
World Cup qualification matches are scheduled for November against Jordan and either Cambodia or Pakistan. Saudi Arabian national team’s tremendous potential has been recognized by the entire world as a result of their remarkable accomplishment at the 2022 World Cup, Mancini believes. “The scenes of the crowd were incredible after the triumph.”
