Roberto Mancini has announced his resignation as the coach of Italy, the reigning European champions. This decision comes less than a month before the crucial Euro 2024 qualifying matches are set to resume. Mancini’s departure follows Italy’s failure to secure a spot in the previous year’s World Cup.

The Italian Football Federation (FIGC) issued a statement confirming that it had received Mancini’s unexpected resignation late on Sunday evening. This abrupt decision marks the end of his five-year tenure as the head coach.

Due to the imminent Euro 2024 qualifiers against North Macedonia and Ukraine, the FIGC has revealed that they will be unveiling the new national coach’s name in the coming days. This unexpected turn of events brings an end to a significant era in the history of the Italian national team, as reflected by the FIGC’s acknowledgment of their memorable victory in Euro 2020, where a group of individual talents transformed into a cohesive team.

Roberto Mancini took on the role of Italy’s international coach in May 2018, making it his first experience in international coaching. His appointment followed Italy’s disappointment of failing to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Although Mancini secured a triumph for Italy in Euro 2020, the team faced another setback by missing out on qualification for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The suddenness of Mancini’s resignation has left the football community in shock, with no prior indications of this move. Surprisingly, earlier in the month, the 58-year-old had also taken on responsibilities as the coach for the Under-21 and Under-20 teams.

This departure comes in the wake of recent appointments in Italy’s national coaching setup, including former Italy defender Andrea Barzagli and legendary goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

The media in Italy has speculated about potential successors, with Luciano Spalletti being mentioned as a possible candidate. Spalletti recently ended Napoli’s 33-year wait for a Serie A title before stepping down. Additionally, former Italy coach Antonio Conte, who was dismissed by Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, and ex-world champion Fabio Cannavaro, known for his coaching stints in China and Saudi Arabia, have also been suggested as potential replacements.

Roberto Mancini, a former manager of Manchester City and Inter Milan, boasts an impressive record of 13 trophies in club football prior to taking charge of Italy. He guided Manchester City to their first English league title in over four decades in 2012 and secured three Serie A titles with Inter Milan. His managerial achievements also include Italian Cup victories with Inter, Fiorentina, and Lazio.

Despite the high point of leading Italy to their second European title, achieved in a thrilling penalty shootout against England at Wembley, Mancini’s tenure was marred by significant disappointments. The European champions’ absence from the World Cup in Qatar followed a disastrous qualifying campaign, featuring four draws out of eight matches and a loss to North Macedonia in the play-offs.

Mancini’s overall record with the Italian national team comprises 37 wins, 15 draws, and nine defeats, culminating in a third-place finish at the Nations League Finals in June. After the World Cup setback, Italy’s performance in the Euro 2024 campaign has been mixed. Currently standing at third place in Group C, Italy secured three points from a 2-0 victory over Malta and suffered a 2-1 defeat against group leaders England, who have amassed 12 points from four matches.

With Mancini’s successor set to take the reins, there’s limited time to prepare for the upcoming matches scheduled for early September. Italy’s task will be to regain their momentum as they face North Macedonia on September 9 and host Ukraine three days later.