Italy's Football Federation is pinning its hopes on Paolo Maldini to reverse the national team's fortunes after failing to qualify for three consecutive World Cups, but former goalkeeper Gianluca Pagliuca says the country's real problem runs deeper: Italy simply isn't producing enough top-tier talent anymore.
Why This Matters
• Maldini appointed technical director of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) with a mandate through the 2030 World Cup
• Italy failed to qualify for the 2018, 2022, and 2026 World Cups — an unprecedented drought for a four-time champion
• Decision on new national team coach expected as early as July 23, with Pep Guardiola the frontrunner
• Only 2% of Serie A minutes went to Italian players under 21 in the 2023-2024 season
A Generational Drought, Not Just a Coaching Problem
Pagliuca, who wore the Azzurri jersey during more prosperous times and played for Sampdoria, Inter, and Bologna, told ANSA that the root cause is demographic and developmental, not tactical. "We always say we don't let young players play, but if there were truly talented ones, they would be playing," he explained. "It's a generational issue — we're not producing the same caliber of talent as before."
The numbers bear this out. During the 2023-2024 Serie A season, Italian players under 21 accounted for just 2.3% of all players, and they scored a mere 0.8% of all goals. Meanwhile, foreign players over 21 made up 60% of the league. By December 2025, out of 572 professional players in Serie A, 383 were foreign-born.
This stands in stark contrast to Europe's other major leagues. A CIES Football Observatory report found that Italy's best-performing club in youth development, Atalanta, ranked only 19th among the top five European leagues in minutes given to under-21 players. A global talent survey in March 2024 identified just 5 Italian players among 270 promising young talents worldwide born after 2003, compared to 16 from Spain's La Liga.
What This Means for the National Team
The talent shortage has real consequences. Italy failed to qualify for the 2018, 2022, and 2026 World Cups — a humiliation for a nation that has lifted the trophy four times. The absence has become normalized, particularly among younger generations who have never seen the Azzurri compete on football's biggest stage.
Giovanni Malagò, newly elected FIGC president, has identified the restructuring of Club Italia — the federation's youth development arm — as a top priority. His first major move was securing Maldini as technical director on July 11, with a contract reportedly running through 2028 or possibly 2030. Maldini will oversee not just the senior team but all youth national squads, and he'll play a central role in selecting the next head coach.
Joining him as an advisor is Leonardo, Maldini's former Milan teammate, adding another layer of elite experience to the federation's leadership.
Maldini: The Man to Trust
Pagliuca expressed confidence that Maldini is the right person to lead the rebuild. "Paolo is a certainty — a serious, determined person who has always delivered," he said. "As a player he was fantastic. As a sporting director, he won a championship without major investments. He always gives everything, which is why I'm convinced he'll succeed with the national team and the federation."
That championship reference points to Maldini's tenure at AC Milan, where he helped orchestrate a Serie A title in 2022 despite modest spending compared to rivals. His ability to identify talent and build cohesive projects is precisely what Italian football needs now.
The Coach Hunt: Guardiola, Mancini, or Conte?
The next commissario tecnico will be chosen by Maldini, Leonardo, and Malagò, with an announcement expected by July 23. Pep Guardiola has emerged as the dream candidate. Maldini and Leonardo met the Catalan coach in Barcelona to pitch him on the project, and a recent survey found that 34% to 40% of Italian fans — the highest percentage — favor Guardiola for his winning pedigree and visionary approach.
"If Guardiola doesn't fascinate you, who would?" Pagliuca remarked.
But the former goalkeeper also endorsed several Italian candidates. "I'd be fine with Roberto Mancini returning, or someone like Antonio Conte," he said. "They'd be guarantees, just like Andrea Pirlo, whom I know personally. The important thing is that the coach knows what he's doing, and all these names fit."
Mancini's potential return is especially intriguing. The 58-year-old led Italy to Euro 2020 glory before abruptly resigning in August 2023 amid controversy. Though his departure left a bitter taste, Pagliuca and others believe his track record warrants reconsideration. Conte, who coached the Azzurri from 2014 to 2016, polls at 19% among Italian managers in fan surveys. Pirlo, meanwhile, has been described as in "pole position" at various points in the selection process.
Silvio Baldini served as interim coach after Gennaro Gattuso resigned following the latest World Cup qualifying failure.
Why Italy Stopped Producing Stars
The talent crisis stems from multiple structural failures. Italian clubs invest minimally in youth academies, preferring to buy experienced foreign players who often cost less and deliver immediate results. The pressure for short-term success trickles down even to youth teams, where rigid tactical systems stifle creativity and individual flair.
Coaching methodologies have also stagnated. While other European nations emphasize technical skill development and freedom of expression, Italian training remains anchored to outdated defensive schemes. The decline of street football — the informal, unstructured play that once bred technical wizards — has further eroded the pipeline.
There's also a demographic dimension. Malagò has pointed to Italy's declining birth rate as a factor shrinking the pool of potential players. Add to that the pressure from parents and social media culture, which demand instant gratification and discourage the patience required for long-term development.
"To accelerate the process, we need to give young players more game time, more trust, and the chance to make mistakes," Pagliuca argued. "Instead of always preferring foreigners who cost less, we should invest in our own."
Glimmers of Hope
Not all the news is bleak. The 2025-2026 Serie A season has been touted as showing "a new face," with more opportunities for young players such as Kenan Yildiz, Nico Paz, Giorgio Scalvini, and Francesco Camarda. The creation of second teams — like Atalanta Under 23 and Juventus Next Gen — competing in lower professional divisions is providing crucial game experience. Marco Palestra of Atalanta Under 23 is cited as a success story of this system.
Still, these are early steps in what will need to be a sustained, comprehensive transformation.
Impact on Italian Football and Serie A
The current transfer market remains sluggish, partly because of the World Cup cycle. "Teams are still incomplete — almost all the same as last year," Pagliuca noted. He sees Inter as favorites for the Serie A title, with Napoli close behind. Juventus could challenge if they add "the 2 to 3 players the coach needs."
Whether Italy's Azzurri return as protagonists in future competitions depends not just on the next coach, but on whether Maldini and the FIGC can rebuild a talent development system that has been crumbling for more than a decade. The work ahead requires careful, strategic planning across all levels of Italian football development.
