Gennaro Gattuso officially appointed as Italy national team head coach

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has announced the appointment of Gennaro Gattuso as national team head coach — replacing Luciano Spalletti who resigned following a defeat to Norway in the opening World Cup qualification match.

The former midfielder who earned 73 caps for Gli Azzurri recently ended his tenure at Croatian club Hajduk Split — where he led the team to a third-place finish in the domestic league.

“Gattuso is a symbol of Italian football, the national team shirt is like his second skin,” stated FIGC president Gabriele Gravina. “His motivation, professionalism and experience will be fundamental in facing the national team’s future challenges.”

The 47-year-old coach has experience managing nine different clubs, including AC Milan and Valencia — with his best achievement being a Coppa Italia title with Napoli. His main task now is to guide Italy to World Cup qualification after missing the last two editions.

Before Gattuso’s appointment, Claudio Ranieri revealed he had declined the offer to coach the national team — choosing to remain focused on his senior advisory role at AS Roma.