Pep Guardiola holds Barcelona meeting over swift return to coaching

While the global soccer spotlight last weekend was focused on New York, the biggest story inside Italian soccer took place in Barcelona. Either way, Spain was at the center of the football world.

As 48 national teams battled at the 2026 World Cup, Italy’s soccer establishment was focused on rebuilding itself around three key figures: newly elected federation president Giovanni Malagò, technical director Paolo Maldini and adviser Leonardo.

Maldini and Leonardo spent the weekend together in Barcelona, according to Sky Italia, which pieced together the story after images of the pair circulated online.

Their mission in Spain was an ambitious one: trying to make the seemingly impossible happen, convincing Pep Guardiola to become the next head coach of the Italian national team.

Guardiola emerges as Italy’s dream target

The Catalan coach recently brought his long and hugely successful spell in charge of Manchester City to an end and could arguably feel satisfied after collecting countless trophies. But even the most decorated managers often look for new challenges.

Guardiola’s strong connection with Italy, combined with the country’s rich soccer tradition, has encouraged Maldini and Leonardo to explore the possibility. Reports suggest the pair spent the weekend holding conversations and exchanging ideas about the potential move.

More importantly, Guardiola appears to be the one name capable of uniting the three people responsible for deciding Italy’s next coach.

There are no confirmed details about exactly how the meeting unfolded, but Guardiola is believed to have listened with interest. His respect for Maldini and Leonardo is well known.

The pair were almost like Italian soccer’s version of Jake and Elwood Blues, arriving in Barcelona with a mission. One famous example of Guardiola’s admiration for Maldini came in May 2009, when Guardiola won the Champions League with Barcelona’s team led by Lionel Messi and dedicated the trophy to Maldini, who had just announced his retirement.

Guardiola joins Italy’s list of candidates

Guardiola now enters the conversation as one of the leading candidates for the Italy job, alongside Roberto Mancini, Antonio Conte and Andrea Pirlo.

However, Malagò, president of the Italian Football Federation, has urged patience while the search continues. Speaking to Sky Sport 24, he played down expectations while praising the involvement of Maldini and Leonardo.

“It took me two weeks to bring Paolo Maldini and Leonardo on board because, being very serious people and very interested in the project from the beginning, they wanted to go into the details of what I had in mind,” Malagò said.

“With Maldini and Leonardo there is no disagreement. On the contrary, we are talking to go into detail. A few more days of patience and you will know everything. Is the list limited to Mancini and Pirlo? There could be other possible names...”

For now, Guardiola remains a dream candidate rather than a confirmed target. But the fact that Maldini and Leonardo traveled to Barcelona has made the possibility one of the most intriguing stories in European soccer.

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