Italy became the first former winner to miss three consecutive World Cups after a 4-1 shootout loss to Bosnia & Herzegovina on March 31, 2026.
Technical coach Leonardo Bonucci has publicly called for Pep Guardiola to lead the “radical change” required in the Italian set-up.
Despite a contract until 2027, rumours of Guardiola’s exit this summer are high as City reportedly eye Enzo Maresca as a successor.
Juventus and Italian football legend Leonardo Bonucci wants Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola to lead a revolution within his previous national team.
The Italians are currently looking for a new coach who will turn mindset and momentum around after Gennaro Gattuso stepped down following their failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.
Newcastle United’s Sandro Tonali was the only player to score from the spot when Bosnia & Herzegovina converted all four of their penalties in the final qualifier at the end of March. And having failed to reach Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022, the national team became the first former winners to miss out on three consecutive World Cups.
That defeat ensured that their FIFA World Cup absence will stretch to at least 16 years with their last knockout match at the tournament coming against France in 2006 – a game that they won on penalties.
Leonardo Bonucci – who worked as an assistant to Gattuso and is now a technical coach in the Italian national team set-up – told ESPN, “If we want a radical change in the national team, I’d say the right man for the job is Pep Guardiola. It’s very difficult but dreaming costs nothing.”
The Catalan’s contract at the Etihad Stadium currently expires in June 2027, but there has been increasing speculation around a possible exit 12 months sooner, departing Manchester City at the end of the ongoing season.
Manchester City are believed to have already scouted the market for a potential successor, with Enzo Maresca strongly linked to the job, while Guardiola has often expressed his desire to coach a national team before he retires entirely.
Pep Guardiola’s coaching career is next to none, and after dominating leagues across Europe with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now Manchester City, the 55-year-old has won 40 major trophies including three UEFA Champions League titles.
It has been a torrid time for Italy given the country’s football federation president Gabriele Gravina resigned following the failure to qualify and Gianluigi Buffon also stepped down.
Napoli and former Chelsea head coach Antonio Conte, alongside Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri, are the current frontrunners for the vacant role, while a new president of the FIGC will be elected on June 22.
Italy are in need of a major shake-up according to Leonardo Bonucci, who was a key player when the nation won the UEFA European Championships against England at Wembley Stadium in 2021.
“We need to have the courage to face up to what’s happening so that we can regain the respect of the whole world and become that great national team that was world champion,” Bonucci said.